Page 45 of His to Seduce
“I’ll go. For now, and I’ll let you sleep. But I won’t stop trying until you give me a minute to explain why, Camden. I swear, not everything is as bad as you’re thinking right now.”
“I don’t care about your excuses.” But damn it, I did. And it took everything I had in me to stay still, to keep looking away from him, as I felt the heat of his body draw close to me and then past me. “I don’t care about you at all, David.”
“No more lies, Camden.” He was past me now, closer to the door. I heard the click of the lock as he opened it. “Please…let’s not lie anymore. I’ve hurt you and I know it. And I’m so damn sorry I wasn’t up-front, but not all of this is easy for me, either, and I don’twantto talk about it. But for you, I will.”
I sniffed and said nothing. The pain in his voice echoed mine, and all the rage boiling inside me began to cool. I forced myself to look at my living room, at the fireplace at the far side of the room. My teeth were clenched together so tightly my jaw ached.
“Get some sleep,” he said softly, his voice a comforting whisper. “I’ll see you soon. But please go to bed knowing how fucking sorry I am for being the one to make you feel this kind of pain.”
My body shivered from his words that sounded so tortured. I couldn’t bring myself to be happy about it.
I stood there long after the door closed behind him. When I finally moved, I reset the lock and crawled upstairs, unable to hold myself up any longer.
When I reached my bed, I collapsed into it, barely having the energy to pull back the covers and climb beneath them.
—
“My mom’s not here.”
“I didn’t come for her. I came to seeyou.” He pushed his way forward, forcing me backward into the trailer. When he stepped inside, the door slammed closed behind him and made me jump.
“Why me?”
Evan’s lip curled up. “Because I’ve seen the way you look at me, the way you smile at me…and I like it.”
I shook my head. My body trembled. My fingertips began buzzing.
“I don’t understand.” He made my mom laugh and he brought us take-out food. My belly had never been so full and I was finally gaining weight. I liked him and I was thankful. How was I supposed to show him that without smiling at him?
“Camden,” he said, and reached out, running his hand through my hair that fell below my shoulders. I froze under his touch. I didn’t like his eyes. The way they narrowed and fell just past my hair.
I covered my chest with my arms. I was one of the first girls in my school to start wearing a bra and Ihatedmy boobs.
“What, Evan?”
“I like you.”
I tried to step back, but his hand wrapped around my arm, stopping me. He stepped forward. Closer and closer, until I craned my neck back to look up at him.
“I think you should go.” My voice shook.
Why was he scaring me?
“Your mom’s at work,” he said, taking my hair into his fingers again. Tears welled in my eyes, making him go blurry. “She won’t be home for a while. I think you should thank me for all the nice things I’ve done for you.”
—
My eyes shot open and I looked around my room. My heart thundered against my ribs, and I pressed my hand to my chest to stop the overwhelming sensations.
“Holy crap,” I whispered, scanning the room as if Evan were actually inside it. Years. It had been years since I’d seen his evil face in my nightmares, but they all rushed through my mind as I struggled to breathe, struggled to forget. To lock up that day in the recesses of my memory banks where I’d forced them long ago.
Gasping for breath, I rushed to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. Nothing helped.
I was still shaking. Trembling so violently I barely managed to fling open my shower curtain and turn the water to scalding.
I stripped quickly. It took me three tries to push down the sweats I’d bought at the Miami airport, where I then threw away the dress I’d been wearing. I stepped into the shower with my underwear and bra still on, one hand bracing me up on the wall.
The water pounded the top of my head and my shoulders while memories rolled through me, over and over again, growing more violent with every passing moment.
