Bittersweet (Redemption #3) - Jessica Prince Page 0,52

but that couldn’t have been right. “Get your little friend out of my house,” she hissed. “And make sure she doesn’t steal anything on her way out.”

She spun around on her pencil-thin heel and disappeared from sight as Jensen jumped off the bed and stormed across the room, slamming the door with a rattling bang.

“Oh my God,” I breathed, covering my face with my hands. “That was so humiliating.”

He rushed back to the bed and pulled my hands away, his face full of contrition as he frowned down at me. “Shit, baby. I’m so sorry.”

“Did . . .” I swallowed, that burn in my eyes coming back with a vengeance as I stared at the closed door. “Did your mom really just call me a slut and a thief?”

“Hey, look at me.” I felt too much shame, I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, but he didn’t give me a choice, placing his fingers beneath my chin and gently turning my face to his. “Don’t listen to a word she says. She’s a hateful bitch. Always has been. Don’t let her get to you.”

“I think I should go,” I whispered. “I want to go, Jensen.”

He couldn’t hide the expression on his face, it was sadness mixed with anger. I didn’t need him to speak to know what he was feeling. He wasn’t ready for me to go; like me, he wanted to drain every minute out of our time together. He was also pissed off his mom had crashed the party and insulted me in the process.

“Okay, sunshine. Get dressed and I’ll walk you out.”

I didn’t think I’d ever gotten dressed so fast in my life. After what had happened between us earlier, all I’d wanted to do was lay in his arms, protected in our own little bubble while the rest of the world floated away. Now all I could think about doing was getting the hell out of there.

He walked me to my car, holding me against him as he leaned in to give me a slow, deep kiss. I loved the kiss, but I hated that it was goodbye, even if it was only for a short time.

“I’ll text you later, baby. Love you.”

“Love you too,” I replied, curling up on my toes and giving him one last peck before climbing in my car. As I drove away, I played his mother’s words in my head over and over. I’d always tried not to judge someone by our first encounter, knowing those weren’t always the best, but there was something in my gut that was telling me she wasn’t a good person.

Maybe my aunt wasn’t full of crap. Maybe human beings really did put off energy, and there were some people out there who were sensitive enough read them clearly. But whether that was the case or not, whatever that woman was putting off, it was all kinds of negative. I didn’t need to be sensitive to know I’d just had a run-in with someone seriously nasty.

Jensen

Eighteen years old

I was lying on my bed, eyes to the ceiling as the music flowed out of my earbuds and Shane’s sweet scent drifted off my sheets, surrounding me from all sides. It was like being in my own little cocoon, serene and peaceful, when my bedroom door flew open, crashing into the wall behind it and taking a sledgehammer to my calm.

I turned my head just in time to see my father storming toward me. Reaching out, he ripped the earbuds from my ears and barked, “Who is she?”

I sat up, stunned by his sudden appearance. Usually, he never set foot in my room. When he wanted to rip into me, he always summoned me to him. This was out of character, and I wasn’t fully prepared. I didn’t have time to numb myself to whatever this was. “What?”

“You heard me. The girl. Who is she?”

Shit. I worked to keep my tone neutral even as my heart started to pound and the blood began rushing in my ears. “She’s no one, just a girl.”

“I asked for a name, Jensen. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Fuck. I didn’t want to give him a name. I didn’t want him to know anything about her, but I knew refusing would be pointless. He’d just find out on his own. “Shane Hendrix.”

“Hendrix?” he gaped. “As in the maid’s kid?” He threw his head back on a loud, caustic laugh. “You’re fucking the help now?”

Fury made my blood sing. My insides started to heat