Kings of Decay (The Winston Brothers Duet #1)

20. Willow

Chapter twenty

Willow

" W hat the hell is wrong with you, Willow?" Dad shouted. His face was burning red with anger. "What were you doing at that party? I thought you were at work. Were you lying to me?"

I winced. The chair was cold beneath my almost-bare ass. I'd been saved from the fire while dressed as a slutty cat, and of course, they called my dad to come pick me up. What could I say? That the Winston Brothers had essentially kidnapped me from work and forced me to drink and put on the costume?

Like he'd believe that, he wouldn't, especially considering he could smell the vodka on my breath.

"Dad," I tried.

"I don't want to hear it. You're drunk in a cabin filled with weird boys."

"I'm twenty years old!" I bristled. "I can take care of myself."

My father stared at me for a moment, a look of pain washing over his face. Then, he slammed his fist into the armrest.

"You have no idea what being taken care of means, Willow," he said, his voice heavy with bitterness. "You had a mother that loved you. Cherished you. She never once gave up on you, even when you pushed her away, and now she's gone. I’m not her. I never will be. But I'm doing my fucking best, and I feel like you're slipping away from me."

Those words should have broken me, but they just made me madder. "I'm slipping away?" I shrieked as I stood to look him in the eye. "You're the one who's leaving me alone while you're at work all day! You're the one who has a secret girlfriend, and you're probably too busy with her to care about me!"

Hot tears started rolling down my cheeks as the fury consumed me, and all the words I'd wanted to say for weeks came pouring out.

"A girlfriend?" My father scoffed.

"I met her at the general store. Rose's daughter. I can't believe you didn't even have the balls to tell me that you were over Mom!" My throat blistered with pain as I screamed. "I hate you!" I shouted. "I don't ever want to see you again!"

My father stood for a moment, stunned.

"Willow..."

"Don't bother to talk to me if it's just going to be lies and excuses!" I spat back.

Dad was silent for a few moments, his jaw working up and down as he tried to figure out what to say. Finally, he spoke. "Yes, it's true I'm seeing Amka," explained. "But no one is more important than you."

His revelation didn't matter to me. "How can you be dating? What about mom?"

"Your mother is dead, Willow. Nothing will bring her back. We have to try to be happy. It's what she would have wanted."

His words stabbed me like a white-hot knife. Not because I didn't accept she was dead. But because he had the audacity to try to schedule my grief and speed up my healing.

"Alaska is a new start for us. We should make the most of it," Dad added.

My hands shook at my sides. No words would come out, only hot tears and sniffles. I let out a scream of frustration and pushed past him, throwing my boots back on and stomping out into the snow.

The cold air stung my face, but it was a relief I felt coursing through my veins as I let my anger burn away in the air. I wanted to run, to escape from this town and start anew somewhere else. But it seemed as though fate had another plan for me.

As I walked aimlessly, trying to clear my head and calm my angered heart, I found myself walking toward town, my feet leading me there without conscious thought.

I shivered, still dressed in the stupid cat costume. I didn't want to turn back now, knowing that my father would still be there. My legs went weak at the thought of a hot shower and warm clothes, but I couldn't show my face there so soon after stomping out.

I kept walking, the crunch of the snow under my boots calming me. I ended up going down a hiking trail that led into the woods. I stopped at the mouth of the forest, shivering.

Damn, it was barely November, and it was already colder than I had ever felt.

I let out a breath, ignoring the icy wind, and tried to find my center. Breathing was one of the techniques that the therapist had taught me after Mom died.

Inhaling deeply, I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the sounds of the surrounding forest. The crunch of leaves under the weight of snow, the rustle of branches overhead, the distant sound of a river babbling through rocks. I felt the cold air seep into my lungs and fill me up, pushing down the anger and frustration that had built up inside of me.

I remained there for a long time, wallowing in the silence of the perfect peace that only nature could provide. The sun began to move west, and the temperature dropped even further.

A twig snapped, snapping me out of my trance. I turned to look, expecting to find a rabbit or another small woodland creature, but instead, my eyes met those of Pearce Winston.

"Fancy meeting you here," he grinned. He stood there, leaning against a tree as if he'd been waiting for me. Dressed all in black, he looked like a dark god.

My heart skipped a beat, and some of that anger from earlier came flooding back. "What are you doing here?" I demanded.

Pearce shrugged casually, his smug grin never faltering. "I could ask you the same thing."

I wanted to scream at him, to tell him to get lost and leave me alone, but I was trapped in his predator-prey gaze. He had cornered me, and I didn't know how to escape.

"What do you want from me?" I whispered.

"Isn't it obvious?" Pearce stepped closer, his voice low and husky. "I want you, Willow.

I've wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you," Pearce whispered, his breath hot on my neck. His hands roamed my waist, pulling me closer to him. The fire in his eyes burned bright as he leaned in to kiss me.

My heart pounded in my chest, and I knew I should push him away, but a small part of me was tired of running. Tired of being alone. I closed my eyes and let him kiss me, feeling his strong arms wrap around me as he deepened the kiss.

We pulled away too quickly, both panting like animals.

My lips tingled, my body hummed. I felt the heat radiating from his skin, and I was filled with a primal urge to feel him pressed against me, to feel his hardness against my softness.

Pearce leaned in for another kiss, but I put a hand on his chest to stop him. "Wait," I breathed. "What about your brother?"

Pearce let out a low chuckle. "Don't worry about Ainsley," he said. "He'll join us next time." Pearce smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair from my face. His calloused fingers lingered on my cheek before tracing the curve of my jaw.

I shivered, my heart pounding in my chest. "Next time?"

"Yes," he said possessively. His hand moved from my face to my waist, pulling me close. "This is just the beginning."

I let out a shaky breath, my hands resting on his strong chest. I knew I should push him away and put a stop to this now before it got out of control.

Why did the world feel like it was swirling around? Something was off. I was dizzy, and the sky was too bright. The trees were growing tall around us.

Was I dreaming? Was any of this real? The world spun around me, my head swimming.

"Is this really happening?" I whispered, leaning into Pearce. I didn't want to think about the consequences. About anything.

"No," Pearce said. His arms tightened around me, pulling me in for another deep kiss that set my body on fire. We stumbled backward, our bodies tangled together as we tripped over roots and rocks along the forest floor.

My back hit a tree, but I barely felt the pain through the fog of desire that had overtaken me.

Pearce pinned me under him, his strong body pressing me into the hard trunk. I hadn't realized until now just how much I needed this - someone to take control, to make me forget about the awful fight with my father.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the tree, letting out a soft moan as Pearce kissed down the curve of my neck. The cool air on my exposed skin was almost too much to bear, my body on fire.

Pearce trailed soft kisses across my collarbone, and I couldn't help myself. My fingers roamed his strong shoulders, tugging at his shirt. I needed to feel skin against skin, to become one with him in this moment.

"Pearce," I breathed between soft moans, closing my eyes.

"Willow," someone said.

It wasn't Pearce.

"Willow!"

With a violent tug, Pearce disappeared, and the forest was gone in a flash.

"Willow!" It was a woman's voice.

"Rose?" I muttered.

I opened myeyes and was jolted back to reality. Pearce was nowhere to be found. I was in the back of Rose's truck, wrapped in a blanket, with the heat on full blast.

"What the hell?" I gasped. "What's going on?"

"I should be asking you that," Rose said. "I was taking Scout for a walk, and I found you face down in the snow."

"Wh-what?" I glanced around.

We were in Rose's old green truck, driving through the back roads. Her three-legged Basset hound was panting in the front seat.

"What the hell were you thinking walking outside like that?" she asked with a click of her tongue. "Do you have a death wish, girl?"

I took a long look out the window and sighed, fogging the glass with my breath. "Maybe I do."