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Went runs his tongue over curve of his bottom lip. “I already told you what I want, Sunshine.”
I want you. I want to get you naked, lay you out on this dock, and eat your pussy until my face is covered in your cum and you can’t remember your own fucking name.
Fighting the flush of heat that shoots down my spine, I shake my head on an exasperated eye roll. “And you always get what you want?” It’s a question I’ve asked him before and like before, he gives me the same answer.
“Yes.” The corner of his mouth twitches into a smirk. “I do.”
“Well…” Bumping the heels of my boots into Two-tone’s belly, he takes the signal and starts walking forward. “I guess this is good practice for you then.” Looking at him over my shoulder, I give him a crooked grin of my own. “I’ll see you later.”
“You’ll see me tomorrow.” He corrects me, standing up straight to watch me ride away.
“Tomorrow.” I bump Two-tone into a trot and hurry home.
After unsaddling Two-tone and giving him a rubdown, I feed him and the rest of his cohorts their dinner. While they’re eating, I start to do a quick muck when I notice that their stalls have already been cleaned and fresh hay has already been tossed down. A quick check lets me know that the rest of my chores have been tended to as well. Telling myself that I owe Damien a thank you the next time I see him, I head to the house feeling equal parts guilty and grateful.
Letting myself in through the back, hoping to sneak in undetected, my plan backfires when I find my mom sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea.
Stalling at the backdoor, I sit on the mudroom bench and take off my boots, hoping against hope that it’s not me she’s waiting for. When I straighten and toss a look in her direction, my hopes are dashed.
She’s looking right at me like she’s waiting for me to explain to her where I’ve been for the last twelve hours. Instead of asking, she gives me a smile. “Come sit with me? It’s feels like forever since we’ve been able to catch up.”
Suddenly regretting my choice to take off my shoes, I shake my head. “It’s Monday,” I remind her. “I’m supposed to head into town to do the shopping for the week.”
When I say it, she frowns. While she’s never openly interfered with my father’s insistence that I earn my keep I know she doesn’t approve. “That’s perfect then.” Standing up, she walks her mug to the sink and dumps her tea down the drain. Rinsing her cup before setting it in the dishwasher, she turns to look at me again. “I’ll go with you. We can grab a bite at the diner before we shop.”
“What about Abbey?”
“What about her?” My mom shrugs her shoulders. “She’s a grown woman. I think she can survive on her own, don’t you?”
“I guess…” I nod my head. “But she’ll be mad that we went to town without her.”
Instead of answering me, my mom just laughs on her way toward me. “Put your boots back on, Kaity.” Plucking her car keys off their hook on her way out the back door. “Your mom wants a milkshake.”
Neither of us say anything important until we’re settled into a booth at the diner and ordered our dinner. Looking at me from across the table my mom gives me a smile. “If it’ll make you feel better, we’ll order a milkshake to-go for your sister. That should head off any tantrums.” Patting my hand, she leans forward in her seat and whispers, “Now tell me how school’s going. Did you pass your finals?”
“I…” Looking around to make sure no one is listening, I sigh. “I haven’t taken them yet.” Before she can ask me why, I tell her. “I was able to download a couple of lectures while I was up at Northpoint a few weeks ago. I was watching them in the barn when Brock showed up and…” Chewing on my bottom lip for a moment, I consider telling her what happened. That he grabbed me, hard enough to bruise my arm and shook me. That if Damien hadn’t been there, it probably would’ve been worse. Deciding to omit that part of the story, I tell her the rest. “I left my backpack in Two-tone’s stall. He stepped on it and broke my laptop.” It’s not really mine. It was Luke’s. He left it behind when he joined the army and I commandeered it for school.
When I tell her, my mom forehead crumples with concern for a moment before it smooths. “Okay.” Giving curt nod, she sits back in her seat. “We’ll just have to get you a new one—today. We’ll order one from—”
“It’s already been replaced,” I tell her, shaking my head. “Remember the package that was waiting for me on the porch yesterday, after church?”
Frowning slightly, she waits for the hovering waitress to refill our drinks before she says anything. “Brock Morris did not buy you a new laptop for school, Kaity.” That’s what I told her—that the package was an engagement gift from Brock.
“No.” I shake my head. “Damien’s… friend did.” Unwrapping my straw, I stick it into my cherry coke. “I emailed my professors this morning and explained what happened. They were sympathetic. As long as I take my finals by the end of the week and pass, I’ll still receive full credit for the semester.”
“Damien’s friend just bought you a new laptop?” she sounds skeptical and I don’t blame her.
Nodding, I give her what I hope is a casual shrug. “He felt bad about it, considering it wouldn’t have happened if I’d been studying at Northpoint like I was supposed to.”
She makes a neutral noise in the back of her throat before leaning back, giving the waitress time to deliver our orders. When she’s gone, my mom says, “So that’s where you’ve been all day? Studying at Northpoint?”
“Yeah…” Telling myself it’s not a lie—that I did study, or at least tried to—I concentrate on stirring the straw around in my drink to mix the cherry syrup into my coke. “Damien’s friend said I can spend as much time as I need to study.” Again, not a lie. “I’ll take the week and take my finals on Friday.”
“That’s just fine.” She beams at me. “And don’t you worry about your chores—I’ll see that they’re done.”
“Mom.” I shake my head, protest bubbling in my throat. “I can—”
“Of course you can,” she says in that matter of fact tone she uses when she fully expects to get her way. “But you’re not going to. This is too important. You just worry about passing your finals and I’ll worry about the rest of it—including your father.”