“You’ve done more than enough.” She gave me four tickets to the movies, enough for Lawson and me to go with Tammy and Tanner—who is now officially her boyfriend. She also gave me a coffee mug that says, “You’re the sister I chose” filled with my favorite candy.
“Whatever. You only turn seventeen once.” She has a summer birthday and won’t be seventeen until this June, but I’m already making plans to spoil her.
“I don’t want to go to school.”
She hops off the bed, tugging on her hoodie. “I know. I don’t either, and it’s cold as balls today. October birthdays are so weird. Last year, it was so hot on your birthday, but this year, it’s freezing.”
I laugh and sit up. “I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll see you at school.”
“Fine.” She leans over and gives me a quick hug. “But your cute ass better be there.”
I laugh and agree before she leaves. I strip, going into my bathroom to shower. When I climb out, I wrap a towel around myself and walk to the mirror, wondering if I look any different now that I’m seventeen.
I decide I’ve lost it and head into my room to find something to wear for the day. I jump back when I see Colin sitting on my bed like a total creeper. “What are you doing in my room?”
He stands, his body stalking my much smaller one until I feel the cool wall behind my back, and I know I’m trapped yet again. “Actually, this is my room. Because this is my house.”
I’ve given up reminding him this is my mother’s house. It doesn’t matter. He’ll just go into his usual explanation that he owns her too. I just want him to leave me alone.
I grasp the towel that’s tucked between my breasts. “Go. Away.”
“Not a chance.” His body crowds mine, and I feel bile rise in my throat, threatening to expel onto him.
“What do you want?”
His hand grazes my cheek, and I try to pull away, but his body only moves forward, pressing against mine and pinning me against the wall. “You.” My eyes snap to his to see he’s serious. “You know the age of consent in the state of Texas is seventeen?”
Yeah, I’m going to puke. “You’re missing the consent part, asshole.”
His hand moves to my bare bicep, digging his claws in hard. Too hard. It’s definitely going to leave a mark. “Don’t talk to me that way,” he roars, his breath hitting my face because he’s so close.
“Let go.”
He only digs his claws in deeper, holding me tighter. “You will be mine.”
“I’m your stepdaughter, you sick fuck.”
His other hand moves to my hip, digging in to leave yet another bruise and making me whimper. “I don’t know exactly when, but soon you’ll be mine, Raelynn. You’ll be begging for me.”
“Let. Go.”
He leans in and smells my hair that’s still wet from my shower, making my skin crawl. “You’re mine.”
“What about my mother?”
He shrugs, releasing his hold on my hip but not my arm. “She’s mine too. Getting older, but still a pretty sweet piece of ass. And she definitely has a talented mouth.”
I look away, not wanting him to see the look of disgust on my face. I don’t want him to know he got to me. “Leave.”
He doesn’t.
His hand moves to where my towel is knotting and where I have it in a death grip. He pulls my hand away, his hand going to the knot. “I’m pissed that you let that Davis piece of shit get there before I could . . .” He undoes the knot, and I feel my knees start to buckle before I try like hell to pull out of his grip. “But I was never much for virgins anyway.”
I don’t tell him I’m still a virgin. That even though I’d give myself to Lawson, I won’t ruin his chances of getting out of this town. That I mean so much to Lawson that he hasn’t even asked or tried to pressure me in the slightest. That when we’re together, it’s just us, and it’s beautiful. We don’t go too far, but we go just far enough to share a piece of paradise with each other.
I won’t let him taint that.
“Don’t.” It’s all I can muster, but it’s ignored. He tugs the knot free, and the towel drops to the floor as he peruses my naked body like it’s his.
But it’s not. I yank on my arm again, whimpering when the pressure of his fingers only intensifies. “Don’t. Move.”
“Let me go, you sick son of a bitch, or I’ll scream for my mother.”
“Your mother is already on her way to the office,” he sneers, his lips moving to my neck, and I pull away as far as I can, using my other hand to shove at his chest.
“Leave me alone. I mean it. I’ll tell her.”
He laughs, tossing his head back in a cruel gesture. “She won’t believe you. I’ve already made sure to mention how often I see you throwing yourself at the boys at school. And how often you flirt with me.”
“That’s a lie,” I screech.
He laughs again, his eyes darting to my naked breasts I try to cover with my arm. “Is it though? We both know what you are. You’re probably wet for me right now.”
“Nothing could be farther from the truth.”
I’m terrified he’ll check, not because what he said is accurate, but because I don’t want his goddamn hands on me. His lips curl in an evil smirk as his hand skates over my stomach, but he stops when my cell phone rings next to my bed.
“Soon.” He kisses my forehead and releases me as I jerk away and grab the towel, covering myself up as he finally leaves my room. I’m a trembling mess as I go to my door and slam it, locking it behind me.
I fall to my bed and try to catch my breath.
I hate him with everything I have, but I don’t know how the hell I’m going to stay away from him for another year and a half.
* * *
Something is off. I don’t know what it is. I tried to ask Tammy, but she said Rae was fine this morning when she left her house.
But I know something is wrong. Very wrong.
Even as her mouth tries to devour mine, I can feel something isn’t right.
“Rae.” I gently push her body back by her arms, and she flinches as she sits up.
“What?”
“You okay?”
“I’m fine.” She looks to be close to tears, and it’s obvious she isn’t fine. Not even close.
I sit up on my bed, pulling her to my side so we’re both resting against my headboard. My mom is God knows where. My dad hasn’t been back in a few months, and Nash is out with Elias, so it’s just us here right now.
As far as her mom and stepdad know, she’s with Tammy, celebrating with dinner and a movie. So we have a couple of hours. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She’s frustrated, her eyes flashing with anger as I flip on the lamp by my bed.
“Nothing?”
“Nothing at all.” Her tone says she’s lying. “Is it so strange for me to want to make out with my boyfriend?”
“But not usually that aggressively.” Not that I would have minded at all if I hadn’t quickly realized that something is bugging her. She’s been off all day, but when we got into my room and she shoved me on the bed, tearing at my clothes?