Read Online Breaking the Ice (St. James Family #0.5) by Lavender Parker - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lavender Parker
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asleep next to him - shared herself with him. How long until she let herself go? How long until she got attached? The last thing she needed was to be hung up on a rich white boy. A quick burst of office sex was one thing. Sharing a bed was something else altogether.
Shaking her head, she turned the knob and entered the apartment. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, she thought as she kicked one of Vivica's sneakers out of her way before she tripped on it. Vivica slid in the window as she entered the living room, the smell of smoke heavy in the air.
“Who was that?” she asked, shoving up the sleeves of her huge black hoody, her legs bare.
“ What?
“ That white guy you were all hugged up on.” Vivica slouched on the couch, drawing her knees up to her chest. “He looked rich.” Annata sighed, dropping the tote bag and her purse on a kitchen chair. There was a half-empty bottle of wine in the fridge, and it was calling her name. She found the bottle, which was a little emptier than she remembered, and poured a glass. Standing in the doorway, she watched Vivica, flipping through channels on the TV.
“ It's a Friday night. We should go out,” Vivica said.
“ I'm not in the mood,” Annata said. The only thing she was in the mood for was crawling under the covers and fantasizing about Christophe Van der Kind. Rolling her eyes at her own stupidity, she plopped down on the couch beside her cousin, kicking off her shoes.
“ You're really boring, you know that?” Vivica said.
“ I'm tired.” And I've been thoroughly worked up and fucked today, so cut me some slack , she thought.
“ So who's the guy?” Vivica asked, her big dark eyes flashing mischievously.
“ Nobody. Find something to watch.” Annata rubbed her forehead, another thought suddenly coming to her. She needed to tell Vivica. Give her time to adjust to the move. But she didn't want to. She didn't want to deal with it at all. Draining her glass, she shrugged. No time like the present. “Hey.”
“ What?” Vivica was distracted by some awful reality TV show about housewives.
“ I talked to Granny and she wants you to come stay with her.”
“ I told you not to tell her!” Vivica's full attention was on Annata now. “God! I'm not going down there to live in the middle of nowhere!” Her voice was getting shrill now.
“ It's non-negotiable. I already bought the plane ticket,” Annata said.
“ I have to stay here!”
“ Why? What are you doing here?” Annata gestured around the room. “You fuck around, sleep all day. Smoke and drink. Granny will take care of you. You'll go to school and make something of yourself.”
“ My career is here.” Vivica said through clenched teeth.
“ What? Are you high?” Annata shook her head. “You don't even have a job.”
“ You don't know anything about me.” Vivica stood. “Nobody gives a shit about what I want.” She threw the hoody over her head. Stomping around in her bra and a pair of shorts, she dug through the piles of clothes. “I have goals, you know? I have plans.”
“ Christ, you're a kid. Go to school.”
“ What, like you? Be a boring office drone?!” Vivica threw a black dress over her head and yanked it down her torso.
“ Okay, what are these big plans you have?”
“ Just forget it.” Vivica kicked off the shorts, running her hand through her wild tangle of hair.
“ Tell me. I want to hear your grand ideas.” Annata could hear the sarcasm in her voice. Tone it down , she told herself.
“ Don't pretend like you care!”
“ Fine. You're flying to Louisiana on Monday. End of story.”
“ And what if I don't, huh?” Vivica stopped, her chest heaving in the skimpy dress.
“ You can't stay here anymore,” Annata said.
“ You're going to throw me on the street?!” Vivica looked so stricken for a moment that Annata almost backpedaled. Almost. But she knew that she had to stay strong. Girls like Vivica needed structure. Structure like her
Shaking her head, she turned the knob and entered the apartment. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, she thought as she kicked one of Vivica's sneakers out of her way before she tripped on it. Vivica slid in the window as she entered the living room, the smell of smoke heavy in the air.
“Who was that?” she asked, shoving up the sleeves of her huge black hoody, her legs bare.
“ What?
“ That white guy you were all hugged up on.” Vivica slouched on the couch, drawing her knees up to her chest. “He looked rich.” Annata sighed, dropping the tote bag and her purse on a kitchen chair. There was a half-empty bottle of wine in the fridge, and it was calling her name. She found the bottle, which was a little emptier than she remembered, and poured a glass. Standing in the doorway, she watched Vivica, flipping through channels on the TV.
“ It's a Friday night. We should go out,” Vivica said.
“ I'm not in the mood,” Annata said. The only thing she was in the mood for was crawling under the covers and fantasizing about Christophe Van der Kind. Rolling her eyes at her own stupidity, she plopped down on the couch beside her cousin, kicking off her shoes.
“ You're really boring, you know that?” Vivica said.
“ I'm tired.” And I've been thoroughly worked up and fucked today, so cut me some slack , she thought.
“ So who's the guy?” Vivica asked, her big dark eyes flashing mischievously.
“ Nobody. Find something to watch.” Annata rubbed her forehead, another thought suddenly coming to her. She needed to tell Vivica. Give her time to adjust to the move. But she didn't want to. She didn't want to deal with it at all. Draining her glass, she shrugged. No time like the present. “Hey.”
“ What?” Vivica was distracted by some awful reality TV show about housewives.
“ I talked to Granny and she wants you to come stay with her.”
“ I told you not to tell her!” Vivica's full attention was on Annata now. “God! I'm not going down there to live in the middle of nowhere!” Her voice was getting shrill now.
“ It's non-negotiable. I already bought the plane ticket,” Annata said.
“ I have to stay here!”
“ Why? What are you doing here?” Annata gestured around the room. “You fuck around, sleep all day. Smoke and drink. Granny will take care of you. You'll go to school and make something of yourself.”
“ My career is here.” Vivica said through clenched teeth.
“ What? Are you high?” Annata shook her head. “You don't even have a job.”
“ You don't know anything about me.” Vivica stood. “Nobody gives a shit about what I want.” She threw the hoody over her head. Stomping around in her bra and a pair of shorts, she dug through the piles of clothes. “I have goals, you know? I have plans.”
“ Christ, you're a kid. Go to school.”
“ What, like you? Be a boring office drone?!” Vivica threw a black dress over her head and yanked it down her torso.
“ Okay, what are these big plans you have?”
“ Just forget it.” Vivica kicked off the shorts, running her hand through her wild tangle of hair.
“ Tell me. I want to hear your grand ideas.” Annata could hear the sarcasm in her voice. Tone it down , she told herself.
“ Don't pretend like you care!”
“ Fine. You're flying to Louisiana on Monday. End of story.”
“ And what if I don't, huh?” Vivica stopped, her chest heaving in the skimpy dress.
“ You can't stay here anymore,” Annata said.
“ You're going to throw me on the street?!” Vivica looked so stricken for a moment that Annata almost backpedaled. Almost. But she knew that she had to stay strong. Girls like Vivica needed structure. Structure like her
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