by B. B. Reid
“She’s not eighteen yet,” my father argued. “The law is still on my side. I’ll have her back by the end of the night!”
Jamie smirked at his threat. “First, you’d have to find us.”
Taking my hand, he pulled us down the hall while my father shouted obscenities. I was still baffled by his taunt. My birthday was still a week away. Surely, Jamie didn’t intend for us to hide that long? Where would we even go?
“Jameson John Buchanan, I did not fly three thousand miles to watch everyone else’s children cross that stage!” Mrs. Buchanan yelled.
Jamie’s plan to feed me and fuck me had come to a dead halt when his mother caught us making a break for his Jeep. I simply held his hand while she ripped him a new one in front of the entire school. Everyone was staring, but neither of them seemed to notice.
Losing his patience, Jamie’s head fell back on his shoulder. “Moooom,” he groaned aggravatedly.
“Don’t ‘mom’ me. Tell me where you were right now.” When her gaze slid to the side and landed on me, I quickly ducked behind Jamie. “Oh, God… it’s like we never left. The two of you are going to turn my hair gray, aren’t you? Well, you listen to me now. I’ve still got a few miles left myself. I am too young and too fly to be someone’s grandmother.”
I pressed my face into Jamie’s strong back to muffle my laughter. She was completely serious, which only made it funnier. I could feel Jamie squeezing my hand, telling me to quit it, but I couldn’t. Clearly, Jamie had gotten all his looks from his father and a heaping dose of his personality from his mother.
“I’ll be sure to wrap it up,” he lied as he stepped around his mother. We’d had sex twice now, and both times were unprotected. The smile I wore died.
I glanced back to see if his mother was following and saw that her attention was stolen by Four and Ever, who had just emerged from the building hand in hand. I frowned, wondering where my father had gone. Mrs. Buchanan didn’t waste time laying into them, and I realized how lucky we’d been when Ever’s parents, along with Four’s mentor, closed in on them, too.
“She has a point, you know.”
“Oh?” he said, sounding disinterested in anything his mother said.
“We’ve been taking way too many risks. You need condoms.”
“I have condoms.”
“Then why don’t you use them, and how many girls have you not used them with?”
Opening the passenger door, he lifted me inside his Jeep. “One.”
“I hope that’s including me.”
He leaned down to kiss me before smiling against my lips. “It is.”
“As warm and fuzzy as it makes me inside to know I’m special…” I pushed him away before saying, “No more love unless you wear a glove.”
Sighing, he slammed my door closed before rounding the hood and climbing inside. As he drove away from the school, I studied his profile, trying to gauge if he was upset. It would really suck if he was because I wasn’t backing down. I was rather enjoying sex with Jamie, and it would be a shame to stop. We were barely a mile from the school when he slid his fingers between mine and kissed the back of my hand.
My heart began fluttering like crazy in my chest.
A few minutes later, he was pulling into a pharmacy. “Come on,” he ordered before stepping out.
I got out and felt silly in my cap and gown, so I took them both off and tossed them in the back. Luckily, I was still considered a graduate, even though I hadn’t crossed the stage or accepted my diploma. It would be a while before I could look Four or Ever in the eye again, but I had zero regrets.
Inside, I let Jamie pull me down an aisle until he found what he was looking for. I waited for him to pick up a box of condoms, but instead, he nodded toward the boxes of emergency contraceptives.
I suddenly had a bad taste in my mouth.
“Pick one,” he directed when I just stood there.
Slowly, I reached out, my hand falling on the box that read Plan B One-Step. As I read the back for information, Jamie stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I barely noticed him kissing my neck until his hand found my thigh before sliding under my dress.
“Jamie—”
“Shhh,” he whispered. “Did you pick one yet?”
“How can I when you’re distracting me?” I whined. His long fingers found my entrance, and I gasped when he slid one and then another inside.
“Pick one.”
I could feel his hard cock pressing into my butt, and I frantically looked around the empty pharmacy. What if someone noticed what we were up to? “Jamie,” I whimpered. “Can we please wait until we get somewhere private?”
He didn’t answer me as he slowly slid his fingers in and out of me. My eyes nearly rolled to the back of my head while the Plan B fell to the floor. Pretty soon, I was riding his hand, breathing hard and grinding my ass against his cock. Suddenly, he shoved his fingers up my cunt until the heel of his hand was pressed into my clit, providing the perfect friction. He teased me relentlessly, whispering sweet nothings in my ear until I came apart in his arms.
Jamie didn’t cover my mouth when I cried out, and he didn’t bother hiding what we were doing when the pharmacy’s manager rushed into the aisle.
“Is everything okay?” the short man with a receding hairline asked. When his gaze fell to Jamie’s hand up my dress, his entire face turned red. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you two to leave.”
“No problem,” Jamie said. He fixed my dress and took my hand, whistling as we left the store.
Without the Plan B.
“I know you did that on purpose,” I said once we were buckled inside his Jeep. I felt like such a fool for falling for his shit again. Why take me if he wasn’t going to go through with it?
“Look”—he sighed, shoving his hand through his hair with one hand while driving with the other—“I promise I’m not trying to knock you up, and I promise I’ll wear a condom from now on, but you didn’t want to take that pill any more than I wanted you to. Admit it.”
“That’s beside the point, and it really doesn’t matter now because I’m getting on birth control.” And sooner rather than later.
Jamie shrugged, but I didn’t believe his nonchalance for a second. “Make the appointment,” he coaxed. “I’ll even take you.”
“Like you took me to get the Plan B? What will you do next? Fuck me on the receptionist’s desk?”
A naughty grin spread his lips, and I rolled my eyes.
Jamie swooped into a burger joint, and I was salivating at the thought of having my first cheeseburger in years.
“Shouldn’t you be out with your family celebrating?” I questioned once we were shown to a booth.
He slid in next to me instead of across from me, then threw his arm along the back of the seat and caged me in. The restaurant faded away until all I could see was him.
“They said something about dinner in the city, but you’re the only person I want to be with right now.”
I tried not to melt, but he made it impossible, especially when he pinned me with that hot gaze of his. “What about your mom, brother, and sister? You haven’t seen them in a year. How long are they staying?”
“Not long,” he answered with a sigh. “My grandparents are old, and my mom insists on taking care of them herself.” His gaze fell, but I could still sense his sadness. “I think she feels guilty about my dad.”
“Why would she feel guilty?”
“Because she never once asked him to quit smoking.”
“Oh, Jamie…” I could do nothing but try to kiss the pain away. I wasn’t sure how long we sat there, lips locked before we heard a throat clear. Giggling from embarrassment, I pulled away immediately only for Jamie to chase me, stealing one last kiss. Only then did he give the waiter his attention.
I sat and listened in awe as he ordered for us both. He still remembered what I liked, requesting French fries on my burger as well as on the side, and hold the mustard and
onions. Yuck, onions.
The second the waiter left, Jamie turned to me. “It’s time to come clean, Barbette. Tell me about your father.”
“I’ve told you everything.”
“You haven’t told me how long he’s been hitting you.” I shifted in my seat, suddenly nervous. “How long, Barbette?”
“Since the day you left.”
He took a deep breath, and when he spoke, his voice broke. “For Scotland?”
I shook my head, feeling tears cloud my vision. For the first time in five years, Jamie and I had a chance, which meant the last thing I wanted to talk about was my father.
“When summer was over, and you went back home.” I closed my eyes, remembering that first time as if it happened yesterday. That was the day Elliot Montgomery stopped being my father. He was supposed to be the one to chase the monsters from under my bed, not be the reason I was afraid of the dark. “My parents had always wanted me to be more delicate and polished, something easily bent, but I always refused. Eventually, they’d grow tired and leave me alone, but not that time.” Back then, I never really understood what had changed them, but it was the first time my parents ever refused to take no for an answer. “I fought them, Jamie, from the very first. You have to believe me.”
“I do, baby. Go on.”
“H-he slapped me that day, and I cried myself to sleep, but in the morning, I still loved him.” I just didn’t know that he never loved me back.
“What happened?”
“I tried not to give in, but his punishments got worse. Sometimes he’d beat me until I was bruised, and sometimes he’d make me go without food. He said no man would buy me if I were fat, so it was better that way.” My father had laughed as if he’d told a joke, and that was the moment I realized how truly evil he was. “The beatings didn’t stop until a nurse questioned me about a bruise. I told them I’d gotten it from volleyball. I know I shouldn’t have protected him, but I was afraid. What if no one believed me?”
I looked to Jamie for an answer, but by now, his eyes had glazed over. He seemed to be in some sort of haze, and I panicked, wondering what he’d do next.
“Jamie?” I sniffled as I touched his fist, balled on the tabletop. “Please come back to me.”
Hearing my words, he blinked, and then his gaze darted to mine. “I’m here,” he said before releasing a long sigh. “And I swear to fuck I’m never going anywhere again.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. What happens when the fall comes? You’ll be away at college, and I’ll be here. I have to learn to stand on my own.”
“Pennsylvania isn’t that far away,” he mumbled. His lips tightened, and I could tell he wasn’t happy about having to leave.
“Pennsylvania?” I couldn’t keep the surprise from my voice. “Which school? State? Pittsburgh?”
“Penn,” he answered with a blush.
“Oh, my gosh! Jamie!” Forgetting my woes, I slapped his chest, making him chuckle. “Congratulations!” A different kind of tears welled up in my eyes before I could stop them. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Don’t be. It was my uncle’s doing. I don’t belong there.”
“So what? I know you won’t make them regret it. Besides, you can fit in anywhere. I hate that about you, you know.”
He shrugged, and I could see the uncertainty in his gaze before he looked away. “Maybe.”
I kissed his neck, and when he groaned, I did it again. “I believe in you,” I told him between kisses. “You’re going to kick some serious Ivy League ass.”
“Fuck.” He groaned when I began sucking on his neck. “I know what you’re doing.”
“What am I doing?” I licked his neck, making him shudder.
“You’re trying to mark me.” I didn’t respond as I continued to molest his neck. He finally pulled away, forcing me to stop. “There’s no need, Bette. I’m yours.”
Smirking, I sat back and rested my head against his arm. “I know that already. You could never be anyone else’s.”
Growling, he hungrily kissed my lips until the waiter returned with our food and made a hasty retreat. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Jamie said as he poured a mountain of ketchup onto his fries. I cringed, hating when he did that. I’d always tried to get him to dip his fries instead when we were kids. “But I’m not going anywhere until I take care of your father.”
Taking his chin as he had done to me so many times before, I forced his focus from his food. “I’m no damsel, and you’re no white knight. I’ll save my own ass.”
He chewed slowly as he seemed to consider it. “How about we save that amazing ass of yours together?”
“I can handle my father.”
“I know you can,” he patiently admitted. “But I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most. I can’t just stand by now.”
“It wasn’t your fault that you had to move away, Jamie.”
“But it was my fault the way I treated you before that.”
“You didn’t know, and that just means we both could have handled things a lot better.”
He looked ready to argue some more before he reluctantly nodded. I knew he’d probably never be able to stop blaming himself for not seeing just like I’d never stop wishing I had just told him everything from the first. Shame had played a role in that, and I realized now that Jamie would have wanted all of me—the beautiful and the ugly. I sighed, reminding myself that I couldn’t undo past decisions. I could only course-correct.
The conversation turned much lighter as we ate. I didn’t realize how much Jamie and I no longer knew about each other. While it was promising, it was disconcerting at the same time. What if we discovered that we were no longer people we could love?
FOR THE SEVENTH MORNING IN a row, I woke up in a bed that wasn’t mine. This morning, however, was different than the others—it was the first time I’d woken up alone.
Jamie hadn’t taken me to his uncle’s home after graduation. Instead, he’d driven us to a hotel twenty minutes outside of Blackwood Keep in case my father made good on his threat. And to stay off his mom and uncle’s radar, as well, we’d steered clear of NaMara.
It was really beginning to feel like we were on the lam.
It wasn’t until after Jamie made good on his other promise and my fourth orgasm of the day had faded that I began to feel the weight of what I had done.
“Jamie?” Sleep eluded me as I rested my head on his chest, tracing the thin, haunted letters spelling Broken and shaped like a heart. He told me it had been his first tattoo. I couldn’t help but notice the date etched into his skin underneath—10-31-2011. His second tattoo had been a guitar with Douglas Buchanan’s hand wrapped around the neck.
“Yes, kitten?” The lazy purr in his voice told me he’d almost been asleep.
“I-I need to go home.”
“You are home. You’re right here with me.”
I wanted to melt at his words, but I had to remain rational. “My father will be angry if I stay.”
His hands were suddenly around my waist, dragging me up his chest until our eyes met. He no longer seemed sleepy. “And I won’t be the same if you go.”
I’d stayed, and we hadn’t left this room once. Jamie worked overtime to make sure I didn’t regret it. Or maybe he’d just been making sure I didn’t have time to think. Either way, it worked, but now I was alone, and my mind was running rampant.
What had I done?
This wasn’t my plan. I hadn’t intended to walk away from my parents without so much as a dime or a shirt to put on my back. And now I couldn’t go home. My father knew everything, which meant he wouldn’t take chances if I landed in his clutches again. It seems Jamie got what he wanted, after all, which was me at his mercy, even if it wasn’t in the way he intended. I covered my eyes with my balled fists, but the frustrated scream bubbling in my throat didn’t get the chance to escape.
A familiar beeping sound coming from the door alerted me to Jamie’s return. Pulling myself
together, I stood from the bed, keeping the damask silk wrapped around me. I wasn’t sure how serious Jamie would take me when I told him I was leaving if I was naked.
I had no doubt he’d be upset, but I couldn’t let that stop me. I had to salvage what was left of my escape plan before it was too late.
The door opened, and because this room could fit a house inside it, I couldn’t see him step through. I waited, frowning when it sounded like more than one set of footsteps traveling the short hall.
“Barbette?”
The gentle voice calling out definitely did not belong to Jamie. A few seconds later, Four and Lou stepped around the corner.
“Shit, sorry!” Four shouted when she saw me standing there wearing nothing but a sheet.
Her gaze darted to the wall behind me, and my eyebrow rose at her embarrassment. It was as if she hadn’t seen more of me and shared what was most definitely not just a friendly peck on the cheek. Remembering our kiss and how much I enjoyed it, suddenly it was me who had trouble meeting her gaze. I hadn’t intended to kiss Four, and while it had never crossed my mind before, in the heat of the moment, I reacted on instinct, and I couldn’t say that I regretted it. In fact, I wouldn’t have minded doing it again. I’ve always known that I liked Four, but it wasn’t until what happened in that chemistry lab that I realized how much. The adrenaline junkie wasn’t just someone I wanted as a friend. She was someone I wished I could be again—strong, selfless, and, most importantly, certain of who I am.
A nervous laugh bubbled out of me.
If I hadn’t already found my soulmate, I’d wonder if I was in love with her or something.
“Jamie sent us,” Lou explained, dark ponytail swinging as she shamelessly checked out every inch of the suite. The taupe walls, gold décor, and plush furniture sprinkled around the suite all screamed luxury. There was even a crystal chandelier dangling from the high ceiling. “Fancy digs you have here.”
“What are you guys doing here? Where’s Jamie?”
“He sent us to give you this,” Four answered while holding out a large paper shopping bag. Taking it from her, I cautiously peeked inside the bag, half expecting a poisonous snake to jump out at me. Instead, I found a pair of distressed denim shorts and a white T-shirt with bold black lettering that read “I’m with him” and an arrow pointing left.
