Make Me (Bully Me #2)

by C. E. Starkweather

  "Sure, princess," he said, kissing her on the head. She fell asleep wrapped in Shane’s arms.

  "Adam! Please calm down."

  "NO!" He screamed, thrashing in Kaine’s arms. "I don’t want to go!"

  She winced as he grabbed and squeezed her arms as hard as he could, but she didn’t let go. She hummed softly, rocking him back and forth. He calmed down after a minute and stuck his thumb in his mouth, listening to his mom sing. By the time she finished, he was calm and sleepy. "Are you ready to go?" She asked softly. He nodded.

  "I don’t know how you do that," Shane commented. "He hates it when I sing to him."

  Kaine laughed. "Yeah, because despite what you say, Enter Sandman isn’t a lullaby."

  "I disagree," Shane said, grabbing Adam’s bag. "Come on, buddy. Uncle Logan told me that he can’t wait to see you."

  Adam brightened up a bit at the mention of his uncle. "Do you think he’ll let me play with Sandy?" Logan had recently gotten a guinea pig, and Adam was fascinated by her.

  "Probably, if you ask nicely," Kaine said, ushering him out the door. "Remember to do what grandma and grandpa say."

  Shane laughed as she strapped him in and sat down in the passenger seat. "Not if he’s anything like me. Let’s hope he gets your respect for authority and not mine. Also your kindness. Come to think of it, let’s just hope he gets all of your qualities and none of mine."

  Kaine giggled as he pulled into their parents’ driveway. Every time she went back to her childhood home, she silently thanked God for introducing her father and Shane’s mother. If not for that, Shane and her would probably have never fallen in love.

  Tom and Nancy met them in the driveway. "Who’s this?" Tom asked, squatting down to receive a hug from Adam. "This can’t be Adam. You’re way too big."

  Adam shook his head seriously. "It’s me, grandpa. Really." Tom laughed. "Ok, I believe you. Hi, sweetie," he said, hugging Kaine. "Looking forward to your day?"

  "Yeah, but I’ll miss him," Kaine said, hugging him back. "Make sure you call us if you need anything. Or if he cries and wants to hear me or Shane’s voice. Or if he gets really upset we can come back and pick him up."

  "He’ll be fine," Tom assured her. "Besides, you two need some time to yourselves. What are you up to today?"

  Luckily, Shane interjected. "We’re thinking of going to a movie and dinner. As long as we can agree on what to see."

  Kaine grinned at him. "Yeah, if Shane was a movie critic, his ratings would solely be based on the amount of explosions."

  "Yeah, and Kaine’s would be based on minutes that Channing Tatum has his shirt off," Shane said, wrapping his arm around her.

  Nancy laughed. "I’m with you on that one, Kainie."

  Logan came outside carrying a large plastic ball. Kaine squinted and realized that Sandy was inside the ball. "Adam, look!" Kaine exclaimed, pointing. "Uncle Logan brought out Sandy!"

  Adam gasped and ran to Logan. Kaine smiled as she watched Logan sternly tell Adam the rules of playing with the guinea pig ball. Logan was pretty much the opposite of Shane at the age of sixteen. He was mature and responsible, and took life very seriously. Shane had been carefree and immature, and definitely not responsible. Maybe having the positive male influence in his life that Shane never had made all the difference for Logan. Kaine gave him a hug as he approached them, and his face turned bright red. "When are you getting your license?" She asked.

  "Supposedly soon, but mom keeps making excuses. I think she wishes I had stayed Adam’s age forever."

  "Do not," Nancy protested. "We just want to be sure you’re ready."

  Logan rolled his eyes. "I’m ready now."

  "A few weeks," Tom said. "Then you can drive us around for a change."

  Logan grinned as Adam came walking back, carefully holding the ball as if he were holding a full cup of water.

  "Give me a kiss, peanut," Kaine said, crouching down and squeezing Adam. "Be a good boy. I love you."

  Shane hugged Adam, who was more concerned with Sandy than he was with his father. "See?" He said to Kaine. "He’ll be fine."

  Kaine nodded and reluctantly followed Shane to the car. She giggled as he pulled out of the driveway. "What?" He asked, grinning at her.

  "I’m glad you answered when my dad asked what we were doing today."

  He laughed. "Yeah, I hope he bought it. I couldn’t tell him that I’m gonna race his daughter home and fuck the living daylights out of her."

  "My dad would murder you if you said that. It doesn’t matter that you’re my husband," Kaine laughed.

  "Mm hmm," Shane said, reaching over and lifting up her skirt. "How many times do you think I can get you off this weekend?"

  Kaine moved against his hand. "Ahh...like five?" She gasped.

  "You underestimate me, babe," Shane murmured. Kaine moaned as he dipped his finger inside her. "Watch the road," she managed. Shane looked behind him and pulled over. "That’s better," he said, slipping his other hand into her panties. Within two minutes Kaine was crying out in ecstasy. Shane pulled back onto the quiet road. "That’s one."

  Kaine sighed contentedly and adjusted her skirt. "You’re right. I did underestimate you."

  Shane sped home and ten minutes later pulled into their driveway. He had barely pulled in when he stopped the car and jumped out, opening Kaine’s door and lifting her out of the car. She laughed as he ran inside and carried her up the stairs. He threw her on the bed and climbed on top of her. "Wait!" Kaine said, sitting up. "I got something for us."

  "Mm mm," he said, shaking his head. "I can’t wait." He kissed her neck, pushing her back down.

  Kaine pushed him up. "Just give me five minutes." She ran into the bathroom while he groaned in frustration. His eyes widened when she came out of the bathroom dressed in her new lingerie. "Wow. You look amazing."

  She walked slowly to him. "You like it? It reminded me of when we had sex for the first time."

  He held out his arms and she climbed on top of him. "You’re even more beautiful now," he said, flipping her over. He ran his hands down her body. "How much did you spend on this thing?"

  She bit her lip, smiling. "Go ahead."

  Shane grinned at her and ripped her bra open, taking her nipple in his mouth. Kaine looked down as his muscular arms and gasped excitedly as he ripped her panties off. She had to go underwear shopping every month because of all the ripping, but nothing turned her on more. He was always sweet and gentle with her, but he was almost barbaric in bed. She loved the way he manhandled her. Kaine gasped as he slid inside her and pounded away. He waited until she finished then sped up, groaning as he collapsed on top of her. "I love you," he said, pulling out of her.

  "I love you too."

  He kissed her and sat up. "I’m gonna shower. Do you actually want to do something today or just stay in bed all day?"

  "Bed," she said, stretching out. "We can go to dinner. But we still have a few hours to go. I intend to hold you to at least five."

  "Two down, babe," he called over his shoulder as he disappeared into the bedroom. Kaine sighed happily and laid down, snuggling with Shane’s pillow. She should probably check her phone, just in case her dad or Nancy needed her. Just as she reluctantly decided to get up, Shane’s phone beeped on his night stand. Kaine rolled over and looked at it, just in case it was Nancy trying to reach her. She gasped as she saw the message.

  Thx for last nite. Make sure the condom wrapper is gone from your car before your wife finds out. <3 Jessica

  Kaine dropped the phone, sitting up. No way. No way in hell was this real. She grabbed the phone and re-read the message three times.

  What the hell???

  Shane wouldn’t cheat on her. He loved her. He would never betray her like that. But she had to be sure. She called the number that had texted Shane and put the phone to her ear.

  "Shane?" A female voice answered. Kaine closed her eyes. "Who is this?" She asked shakily. She heard the silence of the phone being disconnected and dropped
the phone back on the bed.

  Her heart pounding, she slipped on her robe and shoes. Grabbing Shane’s keys, she ran outside and opened his car. She rummaged around but didn’t see anything. She was about to give up when she saw a small piece of foil underneath the back seat. She grabbed it and immediately dropped it. "No," she whispered as the condom wrapper fell from her hand. In that moment, her world came crashing down. "No!" She sobbed, collapsing on the seat.

  Shane had cheated on her.

  She laid in the backseat of his car, sobbing. How could he do this to her? To their family? Kaine gasped and held her chest, sobs wracking her body. Her pain and heartbreak gave way to anger, and she started shaking. She grabbed the condom wrapper and jumped out of the car, running into the house. The shower was still running. She stormed into the bathroom and flung the shower curtain open. Shane started to grin at her until he saw her tear streaked face. "Kainie, what’s wrong?"

  She choked out a laugh. "What’s wrong?" She threw the condom wrapper at his face.

  "What’s this?" He asked, catching it.

  "What the fuck do you think it is, you cheating piece of shit?" She screamed. "It’s the condom you left in your car last night after you fucked Jessica!"

  Shane turned off the water and quickly stepped out of the shower. "What are you talking about? Who’s Jessica?"

  Kaine scoffed, disgusted. "You’re a bad liar, Shane." She stormed out of the bathroom.

  "Kaine, what the hell? I don’t even know anybody named Jessica," he yelled, running after her. "What are you doing?"

  "Packing your shit," she answered angrily. "You can go stay with Jessica."

  He ran his hands through his hair. "Babe, stop. What are you talking about?"

  She picked up his phone and threw it at him as hard as she could. He caught it before it hit him in the face. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he read the text. "Kaine, I have no idea what this is about. I swear to God I never cheated on you. This girl probably sent the text to the wrong person!"

  Kaine laughed bitterly, throwing his clothes into the suitcase. "So why the FUCK did I find a condom wrapper in your car, Shane? We get in a fight and you think it’s ok to go fuck some random slut? Get out of my fucking house."

  Shane shook his head. "Kainie, come on. This is a joke."

  "So then where did you go last night?" She snapped.

  "I went to Bryce’s house for a few hours. You can ask him."

  Kaine scoffed. "Yeah, like he wouldn’t cover for you. Is this what you’ve been doing all those nights you said you were working late?"

  "Kaine, stop it!" He shouted, grabbing her arms. "Stop it and listen to me."

  "Let go of me!" She screamed, tears running down her face. "Don’t you ever touch me again!"

  Shane dropped her arms, stepping back. "You don’t mean that."

  She shut his suitcase. "You bet your cheating ass I do. Get out."

  "Kainie, I swear I didn’t..."

  "GET OUT!" She screamed, thrusting the suitcase at him. He stumbled back and grabbed the suitcase. "I’ll go. Until you have a chance to cool down. But I didn’t cheat on you, Kaine. I would never do that to you."

  She shook her head. "I need you to leave," she whispered.

  He sighed, walking out of the room. Kaine collapsed on the bed, listening to his receding footsteps. As soon as the door closed, she screamed. She buried her face in her pillow and sobbed until she had no tears left.

  5

  "Dude, what the hell?" Bryce asked, letting Shane inside. "She found a condom in your car?"

  "I have no clue," Shane said, plopping down on the couch. "I didn’t cheat on her. I’ve never cheated on her. Have you seen her? Why would I ever want anyone else?"

  "I don’t get it," Bryce said, handing him a beer and sitting next to him. Bryce was another lawyer at Shane's firm and was Shane's closest friend. "How did the condom wrapper get in your car? And who texted you?"

  "I have a pretty good idea," Shane said angrily. "That asshole that I told you about last night. First he worms his way back into Kaine’s life and now he’s trying to fuck with my family? I’ll bet you anything that he’s behind this."

  "Damn," Bryce said. "You’re probably right. What are you going to do?"

  Shane stood up. "Find out where he lives and beat the shit out of him."

  Kaine opened the door and wiped her eyes. "Oh, sweetie. Come here," Lucy said, grabbing Kaine for a hug. Kaine immediately started crying again and Lucy led her to the kitchen. "Sit down. Tell me what happened," Lucy said, guiding Kaine to a chair. Lucy and Kaine had remained close friends over the years, even though both of them had kids and full time jobs. It was hard to find time to see each other, but they talked constantly.

  "Shane cheated on me," she sniffed. "I saw a text message on his phone that said to make sure he got rid of the condom in his car, and when I went outside to check there was a condom wrapper in the backseat."

  Lucy gasped. "Are you kidding me? How could he do that? He always seemed so devoted to you."

  Kaine laughed bitterly. "That’s what I thought too. Apparently not. We got in a fight last night and he stated screaming at me, so I told him to leave. Apparently that’s what he did. Who knows how long this has been going on?"

  "I’m sorry, Kaine. I can’t believe he would do that. What a pig."

  "Yeah," Kaine said softly. "What’s worse is that our fight was about Camden. He has the balls to yell at me because he doesn’t trust Camden, then he goes out and betrays MY trust? How is that ok?"

  Lucy raised her eyebrows. "Camden...Lawson?"

  "Yeah. He’s back in town. He got a job subbing at the school. Shane got upset and called me stupid."

  "How does that make you stupid?"

  "That’s what I said!" Kaine exclaimed. "It’s not like I hired him. What does he want me to do, quit my job? I mean, I get why he doesn’t trust Camden. But do you really think Camden still cares about me after all this time?"

  Lucy shrugged. "It’s possible. Do you feel ok with him working so close to you?"

  "What’s he gonna do, Lucy? He’s not seventeen and on steroids anymore. His dad died and his mom was seriously injured in a car accident. He had to drop out of law school. He needs the money. How can I tell him that he has to get a new job because I don’t like him? I can’t do that to someone."

  "What did Shane say when you confronted him?"

  "He denied the whole thing. He said someone was playing a joke on him. A joke that involved getting a girl to text him and breaking into his car to plant a condom? For what? It's just too much of a coincidence for me to believe him. He's been working late these past few weeks. What if he's been having an affair this whole time?"

  "Well has he been different lately? Does he still want sex when he gets home?"

  Kaine snorted. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything. He has the libido of a seventeen year old. He always wants sex. Apparently he doesn't care where he gets it from."

  Lucy thought for a minute. "But don't you think the timing of this and Camden coming back are a little too convenient?"

  "I do. Honestly, that's the only thing that's keeping me from packing the rest of his shit right now. I just hate that I can’t believe him. I should be able to believe everything he tells me. He’s my husband."

  Lucy squeezed her hand. "So what are you going to do?"

  Kaine sighed, rubbing her head. "I don’t know. I can’t even think straight right now. I mean, how do I forgive him for this? I don’t want to even look at him. But what about Adam? I don’t want to break up my family. Do I divorce him? How can I divorce him? He’s my everything." She put her head in her arms and sobbed as Lucy rubbed her back. "Calm down. You need to clear your head. Why don’t you stay at my house tonight? Corey won’t be home until eight. We can have pizza and watch crappy movies."

  Kaine sniffed and shook her head. "Thanks, Lucy, but I need time alone to figure this all out. I’ll call you tomorrow. Thanks for listening to me."

>   "Sure, Kaine. Let me know if you need anything else."

  Kaine closed the door after Lucy and wiped her tears away.

  Shane turned on the recorder in his pocket and rang the doorbell to Camden’s apartment, trying to control his anger. He hadn't punched anybody in a long time, not since before Adam was born. He used to get in fights all the time back in college, mostly from drunk guys hitting on Kaine. He stopped fighting so much when he saw how upset and scared it made her. All he had to show for it now was a permanently crooked nose. He really didn’t want to hurt Camden. He wanted him to admit to being a liar and apologize to his wife and make things right. The door swung open and Camden stood in front of him, gaping like an idiot.

  "Shane Ellery?" He asked, feigning surprise. "What are you doing here?"

  Shane stifled a laugh. Camden looked almost exactly the same as he had in high school, except with a shorter haircut and less muscle mass. Shane could definitely win in a fight. The fake confused look on his face wasn’t fooling anyone. "Cut the bullshit, Lawson. I know you sent that text and planted the condom in my car."

  Camden frowned. "Condom? What condom? Did something happen with Kaine?"

  Shane pushed his way inside. "I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but you’re gonna call my wife and tell her that you’re behind all this."

  Camden grinned at him. "See, that’s where you’re wrong. I’m not going to do anything. If Kaine finally realized that you’re not good enough for her, so be it."

  Shane’s eyes widened in surprise. "Ten years. Ten fucking years, and you’re still obsessed with her. She’s my WIFE, Camden. We have a child together. I’m asking you nicely. Please don’t do this to us. All you’re doing is hurting her."

  Camden shrugged. "Then I guess she’ll need a shoulder to cry on, huh?"

  Shane punched Camden hard in the face. "You stupid bastard. Leave us alone!"

  Camden laughed, wiping blood from his mouth. "Make me."

  Shane charged Camden and slammed him into the wall. "Dude, calm down," Camden yelled. "I'm just kidding. I have no idea what you're talking about."