Page 28

28

Calista

“T hanks for coming over and grabbing me.” I sigh and throw my head back. “I hadn’t realized what fucking day it was.”

Gene literally giggles at my moaning. “For someone that’s so in tune with her body, that’s surprising. You must be extremely distracted these days.”

Calling her to drive an hour to pick me up and bring me to Walmart seems trivial, but I needed to talk to her about everything. Plus, I desperately needed a tampon. I wasn’t sure how long Ronan would be gone, and folded-up toilet paper wasn’t going to cut it until he got back. I couldn’t believe I didn’t even have a single pad with me.

He’s going to be so fucking mad that I showered, but he has to understand—I couldn’t just leave his cum, my own cum, and blood... just sitting there.

I groan and lean over the blue shopping cart as we stroll through the aisles.

“You good, babe?”

“Yeah, my bad.” I peek over at her and she’s got a big smile on her face. “I’ve definitely been distracted.”

“ Pleaseeee , tell me it’s because of your step-uncle.”

Why do they both keep doing this? There’s nothing binding us—I don’t care that my mom married his brother. Eamon didn’t adopt me, and honestly, I’m ready to cut ties with that woman altogether. Every day I spend with Ronan, it’s that future I see. Not the one I’ve been running from because of her.

I’m definitely getting ahead of myself. We only fucked, and this could easily just be that. Sex.

“Let me stop by the pharmacy and see if my meds are still in the system so I can order them. But yes, he is my distraction.”

She mouths a ‘thank god’ before wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me up to stand. “Tell me all about it, and I’m talking about his penis, you can tell me everything else but that’s most important.”

I don’t mind gossiping, but I feel like telling her about his cock isn’t right, not yet. Though, his comment about liking to be watched has me wondering if he’d actually want me to tell her about it. She’s my best friend, I tell her everything, but maybe it’s his past that has me hesitant.

“He is pierced and has a body like some god.”

She sighs dreamily. “Lucky. I wish boytoy would get a few of them.”

I nearly snort. “Oh! So, you can call him that but I can’t!?”

My phone buzzes as she laughs loudly, the echo of it having me worried the other shoppers will think we are crazy and start to stare. I pull out my cell and look, hoping to some god that it isn’t Ronan and he is already home.

It isn’t.

My stomach drops.

Bitch

He cannot keep you safe, you fucking cunt.

Did you send him after us?

I swore I blocked this bitch. Send him after them? What the fuck? Another message comes through, and as I read it, I see the bubbles popping up for another one.

Bitch

Answer the goddamn question!

Looking up at Genevieve, who is yapping away about some book boyfriend of hers, I quickly text back.

Don’t contact me again. I already told you what would happen if you did

I immediately block the number before the new message even comes through, deleting the entire thread—but not before taking screenshots. I’m not stupid; I’ve kept a record of every single form of contact and sent copies to myself through email. I can’t let Ronan see any of this. I’m determined to get out of this on my own.

The last thing I want is to get him involved, and him get sent back to prison. I don’t know how I could live with myself.

I’ve done enough…

“Earth to Cal.”

Shaking my head, I slip my phone into the back pocket of my shorts. “Sorry, what’s up?”

“Do you want to get some chocolate and really bad food for us to snack on while we gossip?”

I smile, completely pushing away the thoughts of my past and grabbing hold of her hand. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Do you know what your uncle wants? Beside your pussy—”

“Damn it, Gene! Stop with the uncle shit!”

Unfortunately, I’ll need to go see my doctor to get re-prescribed my ADHD meds. Oh well . The appointment is made and I’ll be back to being able to focus in no time.

Gene’s still here after hours of talking and snacking. I can’t help but feel a little anxious about what Ronan will think if he comes back and finds us on the couch. I know I care way too much about his opinions, because even though Gene is my best friend, and this is technically my family’s cabin, I'm still worry what he’ll think when he walks in and sees her here.

The way he was talking before he left was as though he hoped I’d be naked when he got home, or at least with no panties on.

Shit luck for him, and I, he’ll be waiting for a minimum of five days until I’m done bleeding.

“It’s nice and warm tonight,” Gene comments. The sun’s gone, and I’m glad I hadn’t waited for Ronan to get home. “Have you ever gone skinny dipping in the lake?”

I giggle and kick her softly. “No.”

“Want to?”

My mouth drops open. “No!”

“You have a tampon in, who cares? I was going to make a shark joke, but it obvi doesn’t have the same effect.”

Shaking my head I roll my eyes. “I love you, sweet cheeks, but if he sees you naked I may have to unalive you.” I use the term she does when making her stupid bookish videos on social media. It has her laughing louder than I’d care to admit enjoying.

Only after she’s come down from the serotonin boost and takes a sip of water, does she ask, “Have you told him about your kinks?”

Oh boy. Here we go.

“We have similar tastes.”

She squeals and gives me a cheesy, big as fuck grin. “Family always comes in clutch—”

“I swear to fuck , Genevieve!”

I’m a second away from starting a wrestling match with her and messing up her freshly done hair when I hear the garage door opening. I didn’t even catch the sound of his bike until it pulled right in. My heart skips, and I can tell Gene’s a little tense too by the look on her face. All she knows about Ronan is that he was in prison, something I apparently spilled that night she took me home from the bar.

I slide off the couch, hands instinctively folding behind my back. Just as the door opens, I turn to Gene. “No handshakes. He doesn’t like being touched.” She presses her lips together, and we both wait.

Ronan strolls in, tossing his leather jacket onto the counter without a glance in our direction. He kicks off his boots at the door, then reaches to pull up his shirt. I think he’s just going to untuck it, but he yanks it straight over his head.

I’m a jealous bitch because I quickly raise my hand to cover Gene’s eyes, though she swats me away just as fast.

The sound of skin against skin catches his attention, and he turns his head toward us. His blue eyes flick between me and Gene, then settle on me for a beat longer.

He rubs his shoulder and heads to the sink. His back is a canvas of tattoos—dark, but not fully inked over, with glimpses of skin showing through. In those gaps, I can see bruises, several of them scattered from shoulder blades to his hip.

Before reaching into the cabinet for a cup, he looks over at us. “Why are you two just standing in the middle of the living room like that?”

Gene lets out a soft laugh. “Cal is nervous for me to meet you officially.”

He hums, and I groan, jabbing my elbow into her side, eliciting a yelp from her.

“Ronan, this is Genevieve, my best friend. Gene, this is Ronan, my...”

She’s rubbing off because I definitely almost said step-uncle; goddamn her.

The water turns on, and he shoves the cup under it. “Nice to meet you. Thanks for taking her out of the bar that night.”

“A pleasure, and no problem. We would’ve only gotten in your way.”

He turns to face us, leaning back against the counter as he takes a slow sip. His gaze drifts to Gene for a brief moment before settling on me—and then it stays there, unwavering.

Silence falls, and his eyebrow pops—again, the one with ‘SIT’.

“I’ll get going.”

“Don’t leave on my account,” he says. Once again, I’m caught trying to read his demeanor. I can’t tell if he’s being sincere or just putting on a polite front.

Either way, she steps in front of me and wraps her arms around my neck to give me a hug. “He’s scary hot,” she whispers in my ear before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

Yes, he scares me, but it’s not the kind of fear that makes me want to run for my life. It’s the kind that makes me want to run just so he’ll catch me—you know, to see what he’d do if he did.

“Genevieve,” Ronan calls just as she reaches the door. She turns to face him, and he asks, “How long have you known Cal?”

My heart drops straight to my stomach. It sounds innocent enough, but to me, it’s anything but. Something feels off, and my instincts are screaming it.

“I met her in college, so we’ve been friends for—oh, what, eight years now?” Gene smiles warmly at him. “I’d ask you the same,” she adds playfully, pointing at him with her freshly manicured nail, “but she’s already told me. I’m a little upset she hasn’t mentioned me.”

I glance over at Ronan and catch the corner of his lip curling up. “Definitely deserves some punishment for that,” he mutters.

Now my heart’s in my pussy.

“Okay, okay, I do not need to know how her uncle fucks her.”

That gets a chuckle from him. “I like you. Drive safe.”

That’s her cue to go, and when she’s out of the house, door closed, I watch his gaze slowly—oh, so fucking menacingly so—shift to me. I swallow and it’s difficult to do, I actually have to move my head around, as if assisting the phantom ball lodged in my throat down.

I smile. “Hey.”

“Hey, baby girl.” Jesus Christ the way he says that makes my clit throb. “You showered.”

Throwing my hands up near my chest, palms facing him, I shake my head. “Okay, look. Yes I did, but I had to. I started my period.”

He takes back the rest of the water in the glass before setting it down. “And?” I hear Gene’s car start, and soon the crunching of gravel as she pulls out of the driveway.

“And I had to go to the store.”

“I’m waiting for the part that excuses you for defying my one command.” As he finishes the sentence, he pushes off the counter and starts walking toward me. “I get the feeling you’re enjoying the idea of what I’ll do if you don’t listen.”

Again, I am fighting for my life, trying to swallow and breathe. Did he not just hear me? “I’m sorry.” I’m really not that apologetic. He’s right, I do want him to punish me. “I guess you can revisit chasing me once I’ve… stopped…” My words trail off as he invades my space.

His hand comes to my throat, the back of his knuckles brushing gently down toward my collarbone. My arms stay locked at my sides, and I wish I weren’t wearing a top so that my skin could be touching his.

He leans forward, gently pressing his index finger under my chin and using his thumb to guide my head to turn. “Revisit for what? Does your cunt not work?” His breath fans against my cheek.

I clench my pussy because surely my tampon is about to go shooting out of me.

“I wasn’t aware that your period plugged up your needy hole.”

My entire body lights on fire.

“M-My tampon is—”

Why did I say that?!

His hand grips my throat and in seconds his opposite one is down the front of my pants. I shriek and am fighting my instincts to go straight to his chest to push him away. It’s like he doesn’t even think of that as a possibility because he is down in my panties and fingers spreading my slit.

“R-Ronan! What are you doing?!”

“Unplugging my hole.” He wraps his fingers around the string of my tampon, at least that’s what I assume because a pressure pulls at my center. “Relax, I’d hate for the string to break off and have to go fishing for it.”

Every physical sensation rushes through my body. Excitement, embarrassment, thrill, horniness. I can’t figure out how I feel, but with the thought of him tearing it and leaving the actual cotton inside of me, I release the grip I have around it.

The moment it slides out, I whimper. My hands clench and unclench at my sides, and while I know that it’s mostly blood that trickles out with its exit, I’m certain my arousal is mixing with it. Why the fuck is this turning me on?

“I can’t…” I gasp, and he loosens his grip on my neck, his hand trailing down to the waistband of my leggings before pulling out. How considerate of him not to drag my bloody tampon between my pants and stomach. “Ronan, I can’t walk around like this.”

“You won’t be walking.” He holds up the bloody cotton plug, and I can feel my face burning with embarrassment. I look away, anywhere but at him. His fingers are stained with blood, and a sinking feeling settles in—I’m starting to think that this is the punishment: to humiliate me.

He grabs my chin and brings my gaze back to his. “You’ll be running.”

My thighs tremble. “Huh?!”

“You think a little blood would stop me from fucking that beautiful pussy of yours?” He chuckles, a low, dark sound, accompanied by a toothy grin that sends a shiver down my spine. “I’ve had quite the day, baby girl, but we’ll talk about it later. First, I’m going to show you that my words are more than just promise. That there is follow through to them.”

I feel like my heart is about to leap from my chest. My skin tingles, and every breath I take escapes in a fearful whimper.

“It’s dark out!” I argue.

“Do you want a five-minute head start?”

“I’m not running at night out here, Ronan!”

“Whether you run or not, I’m fucking that bloody cunt.” He looms over me.

My eyes flick between his. “Punish me in the shower,” I plead.

He growls. “Why the fuck does it matter? It’s natural, I don’t care and I’m not going to be gentle with you.” A soft thump hits the ground, and his hand comes to my throat again, warm liquid drawing across the back of my neck. “Tell me, baby girl, are you regretting touching me?”

As my lips part and I release a soft exhale, I shake my head. “I never will.”

“Never is a strong word.” He leans in, brushing his lips against mine. “You can use your hands for violence, now… run.”