Page 29 of Brutal Little Secrets

As we walk out of the woods to the bikes, I cradle Annie against me. I wish I had a car to lay her down in the backseat to check to make sure she’s all right. Her face is buried in my neck, and I don’t miss the irony of me finding her teary-eyed in the woods two nights in a row.

This parking lot doesn’t even have railroad ties to sit on. We just need to get her home.

Once we’re at the bikes, Damon turns on his headlight. Cam walks up to us and brushes off Annie’s hands, checking them in the light for any wounds. He does the same for her knees. When he finishes, he rests his hand on her hair. She keeps her face buried in my neck.

“You knew?” Damon accuses Cam.

Cam shakes his head. “I guessed she wasn’t as experienced as you thought she might be, but I didn’t think she was a virgin.”

Damon looks like he wants to rip her out of my arms. I readjust how I’m carrying her. If he tries to claim her as his own, we’re going to have issues. Just because he fucked her first doesn’t give him different rights. She’s all of ours.

“We should head back.” I nod toward the motorcycles, then meet Damon’s eyes as he shrugs on his shirt. Damon toreher panties. Maybe they’re salvageable and she can get some coverage from them. “She’ll be more comfortable with panties on.”

“Fuck that.” Cam kicks off his shoes and takes his jeans and boxer briefs off before pulling his pants back on. “Here, goody, these will have a little more absorbency than the slivers of lace Damon buys for you anyway.”

“I’m sorry I ruined your night,” she whispers into my neck.

I arch an eyebrow at Damon. She hid this from us because we labeled her a whore.

He narrows his eyes on me, but then his eyes soften on Annie. “Come on, little devil. Let’s get you home. We can discuss this there.”

I lower her to her feet, and Cam hands her his boxers. She pulls them on under her skirt and looks up at us with tear-streaked cheeks. But those blue eyes are determined.

“What’s there to discuss?” She tosses her hair over her shoulder and straightens. “I agreed to your terms, and you agreed to mine. I’m open for business.”

“Tomorrow.” I grab her and draw her into my arms, kissing her softly on her lips. “After you’ve had a bath tonight.”

I meet Cam’s and Damon’s eyes, and we all agree. I help her put her helmet on, but she heads to Damon’s bike. She climbs on behind him and wraps her arms around his waist. He pauses and puts his hand over hers for a moment.

“Yours or mine,” I ask. I don’t know how much privacy we’ll get at Damon’s since the party bust yesterday. But if that’s where he wants to take her, I won’t argue. I want Annie comfortable.

“Yours.” Damon clears his throat. “You have the better tub and no parents who might think Sunday morning is a great time to discuss our shortcomings.”

We take off back the way we came. But as we approach Damon’s house, I say, “Go on, get the bath started. I’ll grab Annie some clothes.”

“Thank you,” she says softly through the Bluetooth.

Is she still hurting? “There’s some ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet.”

I pull into Damon’s house and leave my bike at the side of the house. Not bothering to take off my helmet, I enter through the back door, head up to Damon’s room, and cross through the bathroom to Annie’s. I grab her some things from her closet and put them into a bag.

I make sure no one is in the hallway before sneaking out. By the time I get home, Cam sits on the closed toilet while Annie is in the bathtub alone. Her face is scrubbed clean of the makeup. I put her clothes on the counter for her and return to the bedroom. Damon sits on the bed with his head in his hands.

When I sit next to him, I run a hand through my hair. “I would have been just as rough.”

“I should have known.” It’s almost like he’s reexamining every interaction with Annie, looking for what he missed. I’ve been doing the same thing. But she didn’t want us to know.

“How?” I bump his shoulder. “She didn’t have a freshness-sealed label. I know, I looked everywhere.”

He grins and shakes his head. “Did you suspect?”

“Not really. Now that I know, it explains some things.” I rub my jaw. “It also explains why Chase wasn’t at her place that week.”

“Evan wasn’t giving him anything.” Damon runs his hand through his hair and stares at the door to the bathroom like he has x-ray vision. “She didn’t know how to give a blow job. She’s definitely masturbated though.”

“You still haven’t shared that video with me.” I know the real question both of us need to examine. The one that’s tearing me up inside. “Would you have believed her if she told you?”

He doesn’t answer. The truth is, neither of us would have wanted to believe her. She was a whore for us to use as a tool to get revenge on Chase. The other question is…