Isolation: Book 2 of The Quarantine Series Page 2

  Who cares about morals? Who cares about burning both of our lives down? I will burn everything down, break every barrier, tear down every wall, till we are surrounded by nothing but chaos, and the only thing left standing is her and I. That’s all that matters. And our families are the ones standing in the middle of all that matters.

  If that obstacle were to be gone, would she finally stop holding back? I want to say yes.

  Taking out my phone, I send a text to Mia. A chill of excitement mixed with trepidation runs through my veins for the first time in years.

  I am probably going to regret this decision.

  I know I am triggered by her presence and the threat of losing her for good. There is a fog around me that’s not clearing. It’s not letting me come to a better conclusion than the one I just conjured up.

  All I can see is her. I am blinded by that vision. I am trying to navigate through this obscurity to get to her by any means possible, because I can’t even breathe till I reach her again.

  Raven finally turns, and we make eye contact. She is standing cross-armed with her game face on. All of her defenses are out. Something resembling a smile breaks out on my face.

  Rushing towards the front door, I swing it open. I halt, needing a full minute to take her in. She stares back with a blank expression. Even that doesn’t piss me off right now.

  “Rave,” I start. I am barely able to keep the chipperness out of my tone.

  She doesn’t respond to me but gives me a nod instead.

  “How have you been?” I try to sound friendly, hoping to hear her voice.

  “Milo. Come in. Would you like a drink?”

  It’s been so long since I have heard the sound of my name from her lips. I feel enchanted by it, but I can’t ignore the humor in the situation. Raven offered me a drink in my own home.

  “You are inviting me to my own home and offering me a drink? Shouldn’t I be the one offering you a drink?”

  “Okay. Get me a drink. I will take a dry martini with orange bitters and a lemon twist. Olives will do if you don’t have a lemon. I prefer it in a chilled glass. You can probably chill the glass in the ice bucket.”

  And there it is. I smile. She is so damn cute when she wants to disarm me. She doesn’t have to try this hard. I am already floored by her.

  I shrug off my jacket, still unable to look away. As we make our way to the kitchen, I notice something weird about Raven’s outfit.

  Her dress has a back pocket, which seems fashion-forward even by Raven’s standard. But the truly weird thing is the pepper spray that’s peeking out of her back pocket. I shake my head at her attempt. She doesn’t feel my slight touch when I casually retrieve the pepper spray and pocket it.

  I fumble around the liquor cabinet for martini glasses, but I can’t keep my eyes off her. I doubt I’ll be able to go through the ordeal of using the cocktail shaker to make anything resembling a martini. I spy a bottle of Malbec on the shelf. It’s her favorite so I offer it to her.

  Our fingers touch when I extend the wine glass to her, shooting a familiar zing all the way inside. Fuck. The familiar intensity from just a little contact is like high voltage.

  This girl. Scratch that. This woman is the only one who can do that. She is an enigma—my only anomaly.

  “When did you get back to New York?” I ask apprehensively.

  “A week ago,” Raven lies. She has been back for months, but she has been avoiding me.

  I disregard the familiar irritation that arises and continue to ask more questions.

  Raven tells me about working for our family friend, Karen. Raven also has to work part-time on the side, since her internship is unpaid.

  “With the COVID outbreak, you can’t possibly work a part-time job now.” A few months ago, a virus called COVID-19 spread worldwide. The government protocols dictate that we stay indoors for the coming weeks. As a result, everyone is moving back to this brownstone to stay quarantined as a family. “So, you will stay here. We are all camping out in here as well.”

  “I am glad that’s settled,” Raven nods, putting her wine glass down. “I wish I could stay and catch up, but I have to unpack. Thank you for the drink.”

  What the fuck! Is she not even going to address the situation with Reid? The kind of anger only Raven can surge bubbles up. It’s mixing into a volatile concoction inside me.

  Putting my wine glass down, I charge after her. I know that my actions are going to hurt her again. However, I don’t see another option for the outcome I need.

  Today, one way or the other, our families will find out about us.

  Raven is making a fast exit. Her destination is up those stairs to her room. Running behind her, I lift Raven up. She tenses in shock and lets out the loudest scream. I quickly walk us up the stairs. My destination is also up those stairs to my room.

  With a struggling Raven in my arms, I walk to my room and push us onto the bed. Raven is making her case, using logic and rationality to talk me out of this. She should know better by now. I ignore all of her physical assaults and verbal abuse to lean over and kiss her.

  My heart feels like it’s about to burst open again. I kiss her frantically while my whole body starts to shake. I haven’t felt this in years. Nothing has ever felt this good—this right.

  I have always counted on our insatiable magnetic physical pull, but years have gone by since we have touched each other.

  I am worried she might have lost that appetite for me. I need her to give in. I need that acquiescence that we are what I played us up to be.

  I pull her dress up and her underwear down. Using one of my hands, I pin both of her wrists on her belly, pushing down to keep her locked in place.

  I drop down, so my face lands on her pussy. With my free hand, I slip two fingers inside her and press my tongue on her clit. I start pumping my fingers as I keep up the torturous friction of my tongue.

  Within minutes I feel Raven squeezing. I release her hands. If she truly doesn’t want me, this is her chance. I am not holding her down anymore.

  Raven’s fingers settle in my hair, and my relief is instant. It’s still there—that connection.

  The moment Raven sets off, I fumble with my own zipper. I swap out my tongue on her clit with my fingers and then swap the fingers with the head of my cock. I don’t want to give her a moment to think. Rubbing my dick on her sensitive spot, I extend her orgasm.

  I take my time to enter her. Years of wanting this, hoping for this. I want to savor every second. Shock registers the moment I am inside her. I am shaking from trying to control myself.

  The perfect bliss. A moment of true happiness.

  I am a panting and growling mess, but I resist the urge to thrust until we are both under the same unbearable intensity. Slowly, I find a rhythm, taking my time to savor her. She is in my veins. Under my skin. My every thought. I am consumed by her. Utterly and in every way.

  I could do this forever, but Raven’s orgasm has subsided, and so has her lust. She is a blank slate again. Expressionless. Icy. Freezing me out.

  I feel a familiar antagonization at her rejection. I can’t deal with her numbness. I have given her everything that was ever good inside of me, and all she has done is put up barriers.

  I kiss her all over, just the way she likes. Dropping my head to suck on her neck, I twirl my tongue around a sensitive spot of hers. Nothing.

  I bet I know something that will get her attention. I pull Raven’s dress down, so it bunches around her midsection. Grabbing onto one of the cups of her bra, I yank it to the side.

  My tongue swipes over her breasts, licking her nipple. I take it between my teeth, slightly clamping down. Raven hates this. I don’t plan to be rougher if only she gives me a reaction.

  But Raven is staring at the ceiling. Completely frozen. Desensitized. Paralyzed.

  I inwardly shake my head at myself. Losing control over my anger is not going to work in my favor. It’s what got me into this mess.

  Changing course, I lick her warm skin. I could never get enough of the taste of vanilla. Starting at her breast, I lick my way to her neck and suck.

  Raven relaxes enough to moan, and soon her moans match my panting. I am trying to control myself, but I have no dominance over her. Her body rules every part of me.

  I lose control right when Raven arches her back. “That’s it, baby! Come with me.”

  I pound into her till I find my own release and collapse on top of her. Stroking her hair, I whisper in her ears, but Raven keeps ignoring me. Although she is angry with me, she is angrier at herself. She hates that she never be able to break our physical bond.

  “I missed you so damn much,” I murmur in her hair.

  “And that justifies your reasons to force yourself on me?” she haughtily retorts.

  “Raven, I didn’t exactly force you. I let go of your hands while I was going down on you. You could have pushed me off. Instead, you grabbed onto my hair.”

  Raven turns to face me as if she can’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. “Forcing me to climax does not change what this is,” she says through clenched teeth.

  “No, but the fact that you did climax changes how you feel about this.”

  “If you believe that, then why force me? To prove your dominance as the male species?”

  “That wasn’t dominance,” I respond flatly. “That was insurance. You will never be able to break this pull between us. I needed you to know that before you did something stupid.”

  Yes. I am her worst nightmare, but despite my depravities, this is about connecting with her, not about burying myself in her. I need her physical reaction to continue. Insignificant as it may be, she does have some control. Does she know that? Does it even make a difference to her?

  Raven is wearing a blank look as if she has checked out. That look indicates she has slipped into her own world, her thoughts where no one else can reach her. She is also slightly shaking, possibly from anger. I am sure she is already formulating a plan to get away from me.

  Not going to happen. I try to distract her with banter, but it’s futile.

  Finally, she jerks free from my hold. I let her, only because it’s time. I have received the long-awaited text from Mia. A text that’s supposed to lead to an end to justify the awful means.

  As I put on a pair of gym shorts, I watch Raven wrap herself in a bedsheet and fumble around for her clothes. She is always so put together that it’s cute when she is flustered. But my amusement only serves to irritate her. She haughtily turns on her heels towards the door.

  Holding on to the doorknob, Raven pulls the door open with full force. I stand as well, knowing full well what lies on the other side of that door—no time like the present to finally rip off this Band-Aid. We are going to face the music. Together.

  -----------

  Raven

  I stare blankly at the six most important figures of my life standing in front of me and am very aware of the one unimportant figure next to me who is the cause of this awful predicament.

  I am standing at the doorway leading to Milo’s room. We just had sex. To be exact, he forced himself on me. I fought a lot, but I stopped fighting midway through, like always, which is what makes this situation that much more hateful.

  The moment we were done, I swung the door open to Milo’s room to make my grand exit. As soon as I opened the door, I came face to face with my parents, Milo’s parents, Mia and Reid. I have nothing but a bedsheet wrapped around my body. I am completely naked underneath it. Milo managed to put on some gym shorts before joining me at the doorway. His filthy arms are around my shoulders as we face off with our entire family.

  This is bad. This is so bad.

  I cannot verbalize or form any words right now. Which is alright, because neither can anyone else. Six pairs of eyes are glued on our near-naked state. Everyone is stunned into silence. Everyone except Milo. Predicable!

  “I am sure everyone is confused,” Milo starts calmly. “We didn’t mean for you guys to find out like this.”

  We?

  “Please wait for us downstairs,” Milo continues. “We’d like to talk to the whole family and address all of your concerns. Raven and I just need a few minutes to get ourselves together.”

  Despite Milo’s request, no one makes a move. Milo is a natural-born leader. He can easily assert himself without being forceful, so people gravitate towards him. Everyone, except Reid, trusts his judgment and obeys his orders without arguing back. This includes both of our parents.

  Milo always knows best. Under any other circumstance, I would have loved it if people didn’t immediately bend to Milo’s will. But in this situation, I need everyone to be gone. I am silently begging them to comply with what he is saying. I would much rather be locked in that room with Milo again than be out here facing what’s going on.

  I want to make this all go away. I want to sink or be buried. This can’t be real!

  I am sure the guilt is written all over my face. I can’t make eye contact with anyone. Out of the corner of my eye, I try to watch Reid. His face is turned away, looking at the hallway wall. If only I could read his expression right now. Or better yet, if only I could turn back time.

  Why the hell are all of them in front of Milo’s room anyway?

  I have to say something to explain, but I don’t even know how to begin.

  This is a misunderstanding? I just happened to be naked and wrapped around in nothing but Milo’s bedsheet? I tripped and fell on Milo’s dick?

  Uncle Reese is the first to break the silence. “Come on, everyone! Let’s go downstairs and give the kids some privacy. I am sure there is a simple explanation—”

  “Simple explanation?” my father’s voice booms out. “Reese, your son is standing half-naked with my daughter. I mean, look at them,” he disgustingly motions towards us. I am mortified. I can’t meet Dad’s eyes, so I keep my head down.

  “I am aware, John,” Uncle Reese speaks calmly. “I am sure they’d both like to have the opportunity to explain—”

  “Opportunity to explain what?” Dad cuts off Uncle Reese again. “My daughter is not some tramp meant to keep your horny son entertained.”

  “Now wait a minute, John,” Tessa chimes in. “I understand you are upset, but there is no need for name-calling.”

  “Uncle John,” Milo says coolly. “I’d never see Raven that way. I am sorry you had to find out this way, but I might as well be honest with you. I love her.”

  I feel like someone just stabbed me with an ice pick. There is a freezing effect spreading throughout my body. I am nothing but a freezer burn item, void of everything: all thoughts and all feelings. All I can do is watch how this plays out.

  Milo’s words seemingly have the same effect on everyone else as well. Everyone is stunned back into silence. It’s completely quiet as his words echo through the hallway.

  “How long has this been going on?” Theressa finally speaks.

  “We’ll explain everything and answer all of your questions,” Milo says in a sugary-sweet tone. He is back to his polite self now that he has defended my honor against my father’s words. “We’ll have a serious conversation with the whole family, but not like this. We are going to get dressed and meet you downstairs. In the meanwhile, if it helps to know, this is not some fling. I understand how seriously this impacts our families. Give us a few minutes, and we’ll explain.”

  When will this nightmare end?

  Mia must notice the misery in my face because she comes to the rescue. For once, Mia doesn’t give any sass or attitude. That’s the thing about her. She can act like a spoiled little princess, but when push comes to shove, she is the only one who always has her shit together. Mia will survive this world. She will survive us all.

  “Alright, guys! Let’s give them some privacy to get dressed and wait downstairs. It will be better if we can all sit down...”

  Mia trails off as Reid turns around and angrily marches off. His loud footsteps echo as he makes a forceful exit. He is walking towards the staircase. Everyone looks in his direction, but no one makes a move. I stare after Reid, frozen in place.

  I feel Milo’s hand on my naked shoulder again, jolting me out of my momentary lapse. Shrugging his hand off, I instinctively make a run towards the staircase. I am still naked, with only a bedsheet wrapped around my body. But I have no more shame left. I am running like a crazy woman. I have to stop Reid. I have to talk to him.

  “Reid!” I scream.

  Reid doesn’t stop as he makes his way down the stairs with quick footwork. He heads straight to the door. I follow him down the stairs, but the length of the bedsheet is longer than my body. One of my feet slips on the edge of the silky sheet that’s trailing on the floor. I lose my footing on the stairs and feel myself tumbling down. I let out a scream at the top of my lungs.