Page 31 of Devious Obsession
“Holy shit.” The words slip out before I can stop them.
“Hey,” Len huffs. “You said a bad word.”
Uncle said there was money from Dad… I just assumed it would be a few hundred, maybe? I don’t know—I didn’t have any expectations.
Not a few thousand dollars.Or more.
“Sorry, Len,” I answer, finally. Once I’ve screwed my jaw back onto my face. “Can I call you back? Maybe tomorrow?”
“Sure. Love you, Aspy.”
There’s aclickas the call disconnects, and I step up to the other side of the island.
“Where did this come from?” Thalia asks, her gaze lifting to me. “I shouldn’t have opened it, but I was curious. And then it opened and all the money…? Is this illegal?”
I have no fucking clue.
But actually, it probably is illegal. Blood money, drug money…
I count the stacks, and a laugh bubbles out of me. There are sixty. Sixty thousand dollars sitting on my counter. From myfather. My stomach turns, and my vision flickers. I suddenly feel hot and clammy. I grip the counter with both hands, but I still go down, my knees buckling and hitting the floor.
I close my eyes for good measure. It’s better when I’m not looking at the cash.
“Aspen?”
“It’s a payoff,” I murmur.
Thalia comes around and kneels beside me. “What?”
“My dad’s done some fucked-up stuff in his life. I’d be willing to bet that this is just a way to get in again. It’s an apology, or something.” One I can’t stomach. I rise and grab the bag, shoving the money back into it. I’m going to put it in my closet and forget about it. I stuff the fabric into the bag, too, piling it on top. If anyone opens it, they’ll just see that.
Not that anyone is going to dig through my closet, probably…
Thalia follows me into my room. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. But I don’t really want to stay here.”
“Let’s go get drunk,” she offers.
I think on it. “That doesn’t actually sound like a terrible idea.”
She grins. I hide the bag up on the top shelf of my closet, and she flips through the hangers. I don’t object when she pulls one off and pushes it into my arms. When I hold it up, I mirror her grin.
If anything, it’ll cause a stir.
Which, at this rate, why the fuck not?
7
STEELE
Ifollow Knox, Miles, and Greyson into Haven. My mood is black. I’ve been listening to asinine comments about Aspen the whole fucking evening. Guys who think she’s now fair game. Their wallets opened and their brains fell out.
Maybe I should let someone else try to fuck her and see how they do. She’s a wildcat when she wants to be—the lake house party taught me that. But she seems softer nowadays. More inclined to beniceand take my dick like a hooker.
So I turned her into one.
“Oh, shit,” Greyson laughs, glancing over his shoulder at me. “We’re late to the party.”
