The Punk and the Plaything (When Rivals Play #3) - B.B. Reid Page 0,116
how long we sat there, lips locked before we heard a throat clear. Giggling from embarrassment, I pulled away immediately only for Jamie to chase me, stealing one last kiss. Only then did he give the waiter his attention.
I sat and listened in awe as he ordered for us both. He still remembered what I liked, requesting French fries on my burger as well as on the side, and hold the mustard and onions. Yuck, onions.
The second the waiter left, Jamie turned to me. “It’s time to come clean, Barbette. Tell me about your father.”
“I’ve told you everything.”
“You haven’t told me how long he’s been hitting you.” I shifted in my seat, suddenly nervous. “How long, Barbette?”
“Since the day you left.”
He took a deep breath, and when he spoke, his voice broke. “For Scotland?”
I shook my head, feeling tears cloud my vision. For the first time in five years, Jamie and I had a chance, which meant the last thing I wanted to talk about was my father.
“When summer was over, and you went back home.” I closed my eyes, remembering that first time as if it happened yesterday. That was the day Elliot Montgomery stopped being my father. He was supposed to be the one to chase the monsters from under my bed, not be the reason I was afraid of the dark. “My parents had always wanted me to be more delicate and polished, something easily bent, but I always refused. Eventually, they’d grow tired and leave me alone, but not that time.” Back then, I never really understood what had changed them, but it was the first time my parents ever refused to take no for an answer. “I fought them, Jamie, from the very first. You have to believe me.”
“I do, baby. Go on.”
“H-he slapped me that day, and I cried myself to sleep, but in the morning, I still loved him.” I just didn’t know that he never loved me back.
“What happened?”
“I tried not to give in, but his punishments got worse. Sometimes he’d beat me until I was bruised, and sometimes he’d make me go without food. He said no man would buy me if I were fat, so it was better that way.” My father had laughed as if he’d told a joke, and that was the moment I realized how truly evil he was. “The beatings didn’t stop until a nurse questioned me about a bruise. I told them I’d gotten it from volleyball. I know I shouldn’t have protected him, but I was afraid. What if no one believed me?”
I looked to Jamie for an answer, but by now, his eyes had glazed over. He seemed to be in some sort of haze, and I panicked, wondering what he’d do next.
“Jamie?” I sniffled as I touched his fist, balled on the tabletop. “Please come back to me.”
Hearing my words, he blinked, and then his gaze darted to mine. “I’m here,” he said before releasing a long sigh. “And I swear to fuck I’m never going anywhere again.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. What happens when the fall comes? You’ll be away at college, and I’ll be here. I have to learn to stand on my own.”
“Pennsylvania isn’t that far away,” he mumbled. His lips tightened, and I could tell he wasn’t happy about having to leave.
“Pennsylvania?” I couldn’t keep the surprise from my voice. “Which school? State? Pittsburgh?”
“Penn,” he answered with a blush.
“Oh, my gosh! Jamie!” Forgetting my woes, I slapped his chest, making him chuckle. “Congratulations!” A different kind of tears welled up in my eyes before I could stop them. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Don’t be. It was my uncle’s doing. I don’t belong there.”
“So what? I know you won’t make them regret it. Besides, you can fit in anywhere. I hate that about you, you know.”
He shrugged, and I could see the uncertainty in his gaze before he looked away. “Maybe.”
I kissed his neck, and when he groaned, I did it again. “I believe in you,” I told him between kisses. “You’re going to kick some serious Ivy League ass.”
“Fuck.” He groaned when I began sucking on his neck. “I know what you’re doing.”
“What am I doing?” I licked his neck, making him shudder.
“You’re trying to mark me.” I didn’t respond as I continued to molest his neck. He finally pulled away, forcing me to stop. “There’s no need, Bette. I’m yours.”
Smirking, I sat back and rested my head against his arm. “I know that already. You could