who placed leis around their necks. There were eight other people in the lounge area. Jack quickly assessed them. They all looked drunk but harmless. And they weren’t paying Sophie or him any attention.
The flashing purple lights and modular seating reminded him of a club. Sophie was right. This wasn’t like any hostel he’d ever stayed in either.
“Which way do we go?” Sophie asked.
To the right was a bar area, and the room to the left of the lobby had a pool table and a row of computers. “Let’s try this way.”
As soon as they stepped inside, a man about his age wearing a white polo shirt greeted them. The man stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Mark, the owner. Are you folks looking for a place to stay?”
Jack took his hand and smiled. “My name is Robert Smith. I called earlier about the private room.”
“Oh, right, dude. Sorry, the one with the two twin beds is gone, but I’ve still got one private room left. Only one bed, though. That a problem?”
The thought of sharing a bed with her was too damn tempting. He glanced at Sophie—hoping his internal reaction wasn’t visible on his face—and she shrugged. “Nope. Show us the way.”
They followed the man through the computer room and down a plain white hallway.
The owner opened the last door on the left and turned to face them. “There’s a dollar-fifty happy hour every night from six to eight. No curfew, but if you come in after three, try to keep it down.”
“That won’t be a problem.” Jack fished out enough bills to cover three nights and handed them to the man.
The outer areas might be bright and colorful, but their matchbox-sized room was painted a dull white. No cheap art hanging on the walls, just a bed, a nightstand, and a plastic plant.
Sophie sat on the edge of the bed. “Want to hit the shower first?”
“No, you can. I’ll take the floor, so don’t worry.” He unzipped his bag and pulled out the plastic bag she’d shoved her stuff into earlier.
To his surprise, her lips pulled into a thin line. “We’re both adults. After everything I’ve been through in the past forty-eight hours, I think I can handle sleeping in the same bed with you.” She snatched the bag from his hand and before he could respond, she’d slammed the bathroom door behind her.
• • •
Sophie turned the shower on before collapsing onto the closed toilet seat. His offer to take the floor had been sweet, but for some reason it had seriously pissed her off. It was as if he’d just lit the match on her temper. And deep down, she knew why.
Thoughts of Sam had been bombarding her all day. They’d been mixed in with every other crazy thing that had happened. Watching Jack move, the way he’d stood up for her, protected her . . . it was fucking with her head. And all she could picture was one of her last memories with Sam. Not the last, but this one was brutal enough because it had been the beginning of the end for them. She hated that she kept seeing Sam when she looked at Jack but couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to banish the memory that wouldn’t go away, but it was impossible. The treacherous images played over and over like a bad movie.
Sophie stretched out on Sam’s bare chest, resting her chin on her hands as she watched him. They were in his bedroom, where they usually hung out when Ms. Bigsby was gone. His bed was bigger and softer and she liked it better because it smelled like him.
“What are you doing?” he murmured, a half smile playing across his hard features, but he didn’t open his eyes.
Pale eyes she swore could see right into her soul. He was the only person she’d ever truly loved. She hadn’t told him. She couldn’t find the courage yet. If she did, she was afraid he’d be taken from her. Things between them were so good, and in her experience, good things didn’t last long.
“Watching you fake sleep,” she whispered, wishing he was kissing and touching her. She loved it when he touched her. He made her feel so treasured. As if she mattered.
The humming sound of the air conditioner was steady and loud, filling the otherwise quiet house. Ms. Bigsby was away for her bingo night and there weren’t any other kids in the house except them.
Soon Sophie wouldn’t be living here and she couldn’t wait. Only two months left until she turned eighteen—and in one month she’d graduate from high school. Sam turned eighteen in a month, a week before they graduated. He planned to join the Marines then. He’d told her he was thinking about waiting a month, but she could tell he didn’t want to wait, so she’d told him no. Besides, he’d have nowhere to stay except with friends for that month, and that didn’t make sense—even if deep down she didn’t want to let him go just yet. But she figured she’d rather him be in boot camp while she was still living here. Then when she was free, she could get a place of her own. She had a lot of scholarships for college lined up, but she’d found a small diamond ring hidden in one of Sam’s drawers. Well, it wasn’t hidden very well since she’d stumbled across it. She might be wrong, but Sophie was pretty sure he was going to propose when she turned eighteen. He was only a month older than her, but he’d probably wait. Even though he hadn’t told her he loved her, she knew he did. And the thought of marrying him, of finally belonging to someone, was heaven.
They were so young, but if he asked, she’d say yes. And she’d follow him anywhere. She could put off college for six months and then go to school anywhere with her grades. She’d applied to colleges all over the country simply because she could. And she’d gotten into ninety percent of them. So, wherever Sam was stationed, she could go. She was all about planning and there was no way she was giving up a man like Sam. He was totally it for her.
“What are you thinking of?” Sam’s deep voice had her blinking and she realized that she’d been staring off into space.
“What we did an hour ago.” She grinned when his face turned red.
Nothing ever seemed to faze him, but since they’d started dating and having sex, it was so easy to mess with him. She loved that he only got like that with her. With everyone else he was this big, tough guy. Not with her. He was just her Sam.
Before she could blink, he had her pinned flat on her back underneath him. He was wearing boxers, but she was still naked and could feel his reaction to her. It made her entire body tingle. Their first time had hurt a little, and he’d been nervous about making sure it was good for her, but ever since then it had been amazing. Sam liked to take his time and use his mouth on her in places that would have grossed her out only months ago. Now she loved it. Loved doing the same to him in return. As they started kissing and she grew even more turned on, the doorbell rang.
Sophie’s eyes flew open and Sam froze above her. Ms. Bigsby wouldn’t ring the doorbell and it was way too early for her to be back anyway. The older lady never left bingo night early either. Sam jumped off her and they quickly dressed as someone started knocking.
“Should we answer it?” she whispered, though she wasn’t sure why.
He nodded and she stayed behind him as they headed down the hallway and he peered through the peephole. “It’s the cops.”
Sam looked at her and shrugged as he opened the door. There were two police officers and one woman Sophie recognized from DHS. Dread settled in her stomach. She knew things had been too good to be true right now. Of course something bad would happen to mess it up. The cops and DHS meant one thing: they were moving to another home. And it was unlikely she and Sam would get to stick together.
