Page 37 of Dirty Monsters

"More like repent for my sins." He was so close I could smell his toothpaste still on his tongue. As much as I hated to admit it, him being my monster, my torturer, and my brother was only spurring my want for him. A fire burned deep for him I couldn’t explain.

"There is no saving you or Kane. You don't get to hurt a child and make it to heaven." He blanched at my words, almost as if I had slapped him. His expression was one of hurt, and I felt a rush spread through my veins. Something was so satisfying about seeing him wounded.

About damn time.

"I'm not trying to save myself or Kane. I am trying to save you. So this is what we’re going to do. No more fucking around, no more leaving, no more drugs. I have been asked to do activities with you, and we are going to fucking do them. You are going to get better. You are going to get the fuck out of here. Then we can both go on our merry little way."

"What happens if I tell Lisa I know you and that you’re the reason I have this problem in the first place? What if I tell her about last night?"

"I have no fucking idea, and to be honest, I don't want to find out. This is why I told you to keep your mouth shut. Daddy is paying a lot of money for you to be here, and this place loves money. But I am one of their best nurses, so who the fuck knows."

He seemed honest and genuine. It made me accept it as the reason he didn’t say anything, and I halfway understood him. Our connection, our past, was fucking embarrassing. I didn’t want anyone knowing shit went so deep for me. If they found out, I’d be stuck here. Lisa would simply dig deeper, asking uncomfortable questions and making me miserable.

"There is nothing I want more than to get the hell out of here."

"That makes two of us, and the quickest way to make it happen is to play their game.”

I licked my lips, trying to absorb what he was saying. I tried to be rational and not hotheaded. He was right; the quickest way out of here was to get this over with. But it didn't mean I had to play nice. It didn't mean I had to be someone I wasn’t. And I wasn’t about to start now.

Ro didn’t know me anymore, but he was about to get a lesson on who I was now. He was about to find out exactly what his and Kane's sick games turned me into.

"Fine." I shoved him to get him off me, but he only leaned more of his body weight against me.

"No games," he warned.

I merely smiled, not making any promises I knew I couldn't keep. I moved my body against his, thinking he would back away. Instead, he slid impossibly closer.

"You can't scare me," he whispered menacingly.

* * *

Ro eventually backed off and told me to get dressed because horseback riding was calling us. I couldn't think of anything more miserable, but knowing Ro was as miserable as I was somehow made it better.

I walked into the foyer to meet him, wearing jeans and a tank top. I didn’t exactly bring my nonexistent horse-riding boots to rehab with me, so I settled on my sliders.

When I rounded the corner to the foyer, Ro was already there, leaning against the desk and talking to the attendant there.

I could only see the back of him, but he too had changed into jeans and a T-shirt—his scrubs long gone. The sleeves held tightly onto his biceps, his tattoos peeking out and running down his arms.

Just because I knew he was Rohlen didn’t mean I could turn off the heat he incited in me. The sex he exuded didn’t simply disappear. Before he could know I was there, I took one last perusal down his body and back up. Damn, he grew up.

By the time my eyes made it up to his, I was caught, and he was staring at me. The smirk on his face told me he knew what I was doing, but I didn’t exactly make it a secret I wanted him. I wouldn’t be coy now. It would give him a win.

Instead, I walked up to him and slid my arm through his, ignoring the attendant peering at us.

"Ready, big brother?" I cooed, batting my eyelashes.

He went rigid and straightened up, removing my hand from him. His eyes cut from me to the attendant and back again, worrying what she thought of my welcome.

Ro didn’t give her a chance to say anything. He gently guided me to the door and shoved me hard once we were outside the door.

"Don't you fucking dare." He shook his head, anger all over his face. He stalked past me and toward the trail leading to the stables. I followed him, smiling at getting him pissed off in the first second of our little adventure.

Maybe this would be more fun than I thought.

I was on my best behavior at the stables, too enthralled by the massive horses. The stable worker helped us saddle up and assured us the horses would be gentle. Since Ro was with me, we wouldn’t need a guide. It would be us, alone, the horses knowing exactly where to go.

Once we were on the trails, I settled into a quiet and peaceful ride while also plotting my next move with Ro. I glanced at him, and he was watching me with no expression on his face. Even when I took notice, he didn’t turn his eyes from me.