“I WAS THINKING you might be able to put that laptop to good use.”
I stared at the butter as it spilled onto the plate.
“Ryth?”
I hated her. Hated the way she stood in front of me. Hated the way I couldn’t get those sounds out of my head.
“Ryth?”
I jerked my gaze up. “What?”
Mom flinched as though I’d slapped her. “What the hell has gotten into you today?”
What the hell has gotten into YOU? I wanted to scream. Oh, that’s right…another man’s cock! I jerked my gaze to Creed, sitting at the far end of the island, his reading glasses in one hand and his iPad in the other, staring at me with surprise.
But they shouldn’t be goddamn surprised. They should be fucking embarrassed.
She’d smiled at me when I gathered enough courage to walk downstairs and face her. Pretending like it was just another day staying in a stranger’s house, and for a second there, I could’ve believed her. I could’ve talked myself into believing what I’d heard last night was all a bad dream…until Creed walked downstairs and mom smiled at him, smiled like she’d never smiled at my dad…my dad who was sitting in prison.
There was no mistaking the truth anymore. I’d heard them last night. Heard them together. She didn’t even have the nerve to look embarrassed. ‘What’s going on with you this morning?’
“I could ask you the same thing,’ I said carefully, my pulse hammering.
I wanted to tell her that I knew about them, but the words were stuck in my chest, balled up tight, unable to be dislodged. I couldn’t do it. Couldn’t say the words, because once I did, everything would change.
The heavy thud of steps came from the stairs behind me. The hairs rose on my arms as Tobias sauntered into the kitchen bare chested, his hair still damp from the shower, the scent of something masculine hitting me as he walked past.
‘Dad.’ He grabbed a cup from the overhead cupboard and slid it under the spout of the coffee machine before pressing start and turning. ‘Elle,’ he greeted my mom.
‘Tobias,’ she said carefully, her attention no longer on me.
‘Sorry about last night.’
She stiffened, then glanced at Creed, who lifted a brow in surprise.
“The outburst,” Tobias added, walking slowly past me.
‘That’s fine,’ she said slowly as a look of relief washed over her. ‘I understand.’
He just lifted those dark eyes to me. ‘That doesn’t excuse my outburst. I know dad’s only trying to help you get your home back. So I’ll keep myself in check in the future.’
But there was something else sparking in that glare, some kind of danger only I saw.
‘T-thank you,’ she replied, oblivious to the fact he was playing her, and licked her lips, desperate for a way to keep the conversation going.
‘You could ask Tobe about Duke,” Creed suggested. “He finished up there a couple of years ago.’
Duke? As in Duke High?
‘Oh, you thinking about going?’ he asked carefully…turning to me.
‘What?’ Panic rushed in as I tore my gaze from him to my mom.
‘That’s what I’ve been trying to say.’ She glanced at Creed. “We were thinking you could transfer schools?”
We? Since when did this become a we?
Since last night. A pang tore across my chest. I shook my head. ‘I’m in my last year.’
‘Then it’ll be a simple process.” She smiled, knowing damn well what she was doing to me. “You’ll attend maybe, what? A few classes, then take your exams, and you’ll be done.’
They’d discussed this? Discussed it between the two of them? Heat rushed to my cheeks. ‘No, Mom.”
‘If it’s transportation you’re worried about…’ Creed started. “I’m sure Tobias will be happy to drive you.”
Anger flared in Tobias’ gaze as coffee trickled into his cup.
‘See,’ mom beamed. “Tobias will be only too happy to drive you, honey.”
But he didn’t look happy about it at all. The muscles of his jaw flexed as he clenched, then lifted the cup from the machine to his lips, never once taking his eyes off me.
She didn’t see it, the savage hatred that lingered inside him. The kind that made my belly clench.
“Of course,” he answered carefully. “If you want me to.’
‘I thought we were going home,’ I said quietly, looking at mom. Please, mom…no.
“Ryth, the fire took everything. There’s nothing to go home to.” She stepped around the island toward me. “Anyway, once I get my accounts back, I figured we could get a place around here.’
She’s still working on getting us out of here. That’s one thing, I guess. Maybe this thing with Creed was just a mistake. I bet she was drunk. I bet they both were. Guilt filled me.
‘Which might take a while,” Creed added. “The damn feds seem to have shown a particular interest in your mom. Until then, consider this place home. Do whatever you want to the room. Hell, we can even get you a desk and a chair, maybe even a small bookshelf. What do you think, kid?” He gave me a wink.
Tobias stilled mid swallow. There was a twitch at the corner of his eye, his throat muscles clenching before he finished. The muscles of his jaw tightened as those sparks in his eyes grew colder…until they reminded me of shards.
Shards of glass…
All of a sudden, it felt like battle lines were being drawn. That cold stare pinned me to the spot, and my mom…my mom fucking smiled, oblivious to how that asshole was staring at me. I wanted to lift my hand and hide my cheek. I wanted to back away slowly, until I hit the stairs, then I wanted to run.
I wanted to get out of this house and far away from the chilling way that asshole looked at me, and I wanted that panicked rush swirling inside me to stop. I just wanted it all to stop. Him. Them.
But I had no home to run to, and no other way to get to school halfway across the city to the friends who protected me from the bullying of others. Look at her face. Jesus Christ, you need a paper bag for that! Anyone got a paper bag for Ryth Castlemaine?
The taunts rose in my head. Taunts I knew would come. In a new school, I’d be alone…and vulnerable. In a new school, I’d be fair game. God, please don’t do—
“That’s settled then,’ Mom beamed, glancing at Creed, who rose from his stool and motioned toward her.
“Looks like we have a few things to organize, we’ll leave you guys alone.” He gave a wink to Tobias as they left, leaving the two of us behind.
“They want us to be friends.’ I swallowed hard.
He placed his coffee cup on the edge of the island and took a step toward me. ‘I’m sure they do.’
I swallowed hard as the memory of last night returned. The way he looked at me now was just like then. Cold. Savage. Hate rippled from him as he lowered his gaze to my breasts.
I flinched, curling my shoulders as I tried my best to draw away from that stare, and glanced toward the stairs. The thud of my mother’s steps now faded.
“You want me to drive you to school, Ryth?”
My name on his lips sounded…wrong. I flinched and jerked my gaze back to him.
‘Stop looking at me like that.’ I crossed my arms over my chest.
‘Like what?’ He took a step, forcing me backwards.
“L-like that.”
There was a twitch in the corner of his mouth. His perfect, full lips curling. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
But that same savage glare was in his eyes. The same one I’d seen last night when he stood outside his father’s bedroom.
“You want me to be your fucking chauffeur?” he said quietly, his gaze raking down my body once more.
I swallowed hard, taking another step back, then he moved until I hit the counter at the end of the room. Stop it…stop…it…I glanced toward the entrance of the kitchen.
“You looking for someone to save you?” He lifted his other hand and braced it against the cabinet bedside me.
I flinched and jerked my gaze to him. “No.”
“No?”
“No,” I forced the words, but inside I was panicking.
“I’ll drive you, Ryth. On the end of my cock.”
I flinched at the words as heat raced to my face. Shock moved in. “W-what did you say to me?”
I’d heard wrong, very…very…wrong.
“You heard me.” He lifted his other hand to the counter at my side, boxing me in. “After all, that’s what you want, right? You…and your fucking mom. You want to be fucked, little mouse? I bet you’ve never had a cock between your legs, have you? I’ll take your virginity for you. But I won’t be kind about it…in fact, I’ll be a fucking mongrel.”
Virginity? He knows I’m a virgin? A feeling of dread washed through me. I glanced toward the entrance of the kitchen, desperate for one of the others to walk through.
“They won’t save you.”
I jerked my gaze to his. “I’ll scream.”
He just smiled. “I was hoping you would.”
He’d hurt me, tear my clothes, paw at my body. He’d ram himself inside me and he wouldn’t be nice. He’d fuck me like they did on those sites. Heat bloomed inside me with the thought and I swallowed hard.
Move! Fear kicked inside me. I stepped to the side, but he shifted his body, blocking me. Panic made me flinch when he brushed a few strands of my hair to the side. His gaze fixed on that ugly mark on my cheek, before he lowered his hand and placed it over my breast.
“No!” I punched out, but he grabbed my wrist, pushing it behind me. “Get the fuck off me!”
But he didn’t. He just drove his body against mine, grinding my breast, his cruel fingers pinching until more than fear tore through me.
“They won’t help you, Ryth, because you’re mine. Mine to play with, mine to have any fucking way I want. You move into my home, take over the fucking bedroom with my mom’s things…while your mom fucks my dad. This is what you get when you try to ruin my family.”
His ugly face blurred under the sheen of tears as they rushed to the surface. “I didn’t try to ruin anything. I don’t want to be here as much as you don’t want me here.” Tears blurred his cruel face.
“You gonna cry, little mouse?” He pushed, driving me against the end of the counter.
Pain flared as he leaned down, his breath hot against my cheek as he stared at my birthmark. “That makes you mine to do whatever I want with.”
You’re a fighter, Ryth. Dad’s words filled me as I pushed forward, slamming into him. “Fuck you!” I tore free, stumbling to the side, then backwards as I headed for salvation. “Come near me again and I’ll…”
“You’ll what?” His smile was daring.
Ugly. Fucking. Grin.
“I’ll make you regret it,” I whispered.
“We’ll see,” he answered before I turned and ran, lunging for the stairs.
Movement blurred coming from the doorway as I hit the top of the stairs. I smacked into a wall…one that grabbed me before I fell backwards.
“Whoa.” Nicholas steadied me, concern flashing in his eyes as he glanced behind me, then settled his gaze on mine. “What’s happened?”
He…he fucking touched me! The words were a roar inside my head, until that sickening feeling washed over me once more. The feeling that pushed through with the pain. Heat. Shame. I lifted my gaze to Nick as it hit me. It wasn’t just fear I’d felt when he’d touched me. It wasn’t just disgust that welled in the dark pit of my stomach when I’d seen him standing outside his father’s door last night…listening to them.
“What did he do?” Nicholas asked, his voice husky.
Heat raced to my cheeks as I shook my head. I couldn’t tell him, couldn’t say the words. Shame filled me as I shoved away from him, ran for my room, and closed the door behind me with a thud.
No…no, this can’t be happening.
I’ll drive you, Ryth. On the end of my cock.
Those words resounded as the sick feeling and the shame filled me. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wood.
“Ryth…” Nicholas called through the door.
I closed my eyes as the thunder in my chest gave way to a burn. “Go away.”
Silence came from the other side of the door. I swallowed the throb in the back of my throat and pressed my hand over my breast. My nipple was hard, poking in the middle of my palm. Pain coursed through me, tearing all the way between my thighs as I dragged my finger across the peak.
Mine to play with, mine to have any fucking way I want.
He didn’t mean that. He was just trying to scare me…trying to rattle my cage. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, rolled my nipple between my fingers, and stoked the flames. I’d seen men like him on those sites, seen how they bullied and manhandled those women…like the kids did at my school. Heat flared in my cheeks, drawing my attention to the mark on my face.
Just like the kids at school did to me.
But this wasn’t school…
This was where I was living.
For now.
I waited until the soft thud of Nick’s steps faded before I risked opening the door. The place was quiet…too quiet. I stepped out and hurried to the bathroom before closing and locking the door behind me. Hard breaths tore from my chest and I stumbled for the basin and turned on the taps.
He was a bully…just a fucking awful bully.
Just like the ones I’d dealt with.
I gathered the water and splashed it to my face.
But he wasn’t…he was worse.
I needed to get out of here, out of this house and away from these people. If mom wasn’t going to help me, then I’d leave on my own. I twisted off the tap, dried my face, and made my way out of the bathroom and down to the second floor. My gaze went to Creed’s bedroom door and a sickening wave of dread hit me.
I tried to push the memory of last night out of my mind and instead, went to his study door, where I knocked. “Creed.” And waited.
But there was no answer. I knocked again, only this time louder, then opened the door. “Creed?”
The study was empty, no one was inside. Where were they? Curious, I stepped inside. The room was nice, black bookshelves packed with expensive looking books ran the length of the wall. I moved closer, finding burgundy hardbacks etched with gold. Criminal Justice for the Guilty.
“The guilty?” I murmured, running my fingers along the edges before I turned my attention to the desk.
Who the hell was this guy, anyway?
A lawyer, I got that. Someone who’d known mom years ago. Papers were splayed out on the desktop. I glanced over my shoulder at the door and stepped closer, peering at things I really shouldn’t be. But right then, I didn’t care. I wanted out of here, away from his asshole son…
Bank of Phoenix…
Our bank.
I grabbed one of the statements and lifted it.
Assets frozen from the IRS.
“What the hell?”
So they were telling the truth. There was more. All our bank accounts, all our money…gone. He really was helping us.
“Ryth?”
I spun, the statement still in my hand and watched as Creed narrowed his gaze. He glanced around the room, then stopped on me once more. “Everything okay?”
Mom followed him inside, her eyes shining and red like she’d been crying. The floor seemed to open up and swallow me whole. He had been trying to help us. He’d bought me things with his own money, expensive things.
Things he hadn’t needed to buy.
He’d gone out of his way to help us, giving us a place to stay. I was an asshole for charging in here demanding…what? That we leave? I clenched my grip around the truth and glanced at Mom, finally understanding. We literally had nowhere else to go.
“Ryth…I—” Mom started.
“I’ll go.” I cut her off, my words slipping free as I met Creed’s gaze. “I’ll go to Dukes, whatever you need.”
Mom’s eyes widened with surprise as a look of utter relief washed over her.
But Creed grinned and crossed the room to take the statement from my hand, and pulled me into a hug. “I knew you’d come around. Thank you, Ryth, that means a lot to me and your mom.”
I let him hug me, then slowly pulled away. “But on one condition. I want Nick to drive me…”
Creed nodded, that smile growing wider. “Deal.”
