On the Sideline (BSU Football #3) - J.B. Salsbury Page 0,44
straps on my heels and he slips one off, then the other, and sets it all aside. Back on his feet he unhooks my strapless bra and adds it to the pile of soiled clothes. I hear the shower turn on, followed by the squeak of the fixtures as he searches for the perfect temperature. When he turns me to face him, I cover my breasts with my arms. But he’s not looking at my body, his eyes are on mine.
“Clean up. I’ll wait for you in the hallway.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to protest, just leaves me alone to wash away the humiliation.
Chapter Fourteen
Loren
When I walk out of the bathroom Kaipo isn’t alone. Rowan, Carey, Emery and Spider are all huddled around him and by the looks on their faces they’ve been brought up to speed on what happened at the sorority house.
“Is she okay?” Rowan asks, with Carey behind her, his arm draped across her collarbone.
“No, she’s a fucking mess.” I run my hands through my hair and wince as it sticks to the drying sweet cream. “They can’t get away with this.”
“She needs to report that shit,” Carey says. “And stay the fuck away from those bitches.”
“There’s always cyanide.”
We all stare at Emery who looks like a proper private school girl in her polo shirt, pleated shorts, and headband.
She shrugs. “Put it in a protein shake, tell Riley it’s the latest fad in weight loss, she won’t want to try it alone so she’ll get the others to do it with her. Proven cult behavior. The cops will think they did it on purpose, a suicide pact. Problem solved.”
Spider smiles proudly at his wife while the rest of us stare on, horrified by her suggestion. “I love it when you talk mass suicide. But I think they’re looking for something a little less…permanent. Maybe also something legal.”
“Oh. Well, it’s an option if your other avenues don’t pan out.” Her expression lacks emotion and I get a cold chill when I think about what Emery is capable of.
“Alright, Norma Bates, that’s enough,” Kaipo smiles fondly at Emery. “You’re making Loren nervous.”
The shower turns off and I resist the urge to run into the bathroom and drape a towel around her and bring her back into my arms. Oh shit, what’s she going to put on? I dart into my room and grab a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, then knock on the bathroom door. “Bex, I have some clothes for you.”
The door clicks, and she cracks it open only far enough for me to slip the clothes through. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” The door closes before I can see too much of her bare shoulders and face.
“I’ll go make some tea,” Rowan says and heads to the kitchen.
“I’ll come with you, I’m starving.” Kaipo follows her. “They served nothing but bird food at that party.”
The bathroom door clicks open and Bex steps out. Her hair seems longer heavy with water, and she shakes at her curls as she steps into the hallway. Emery gets to her before I do and the relief on Bex’s face at seeing her friend chips away at a little of my worry.
“I heard what happened,” Emery says and squints and tilts her head to study Bex. “Did they do that?”
I push Bex’s hair off her shoulder to study her cheek where a quickly forming bruise colors her skin.
“I’ll grab an ice pack,” Spider says.
“Some of those pies came in pretty hard.” Bex brushes her fingertips across her cheekbone and winces.
“Do you hurt anywhere else?” I hope she knows the hostility in my voice isn’t aimed at her.
She turns her face and motions to a spot near her temple where there’s another bruise forming.
Emery turns her head slowly until her pale blue eyes meet mine. “My idea looking any better now?”
“Hey,” Rowan says as she clears the last step to the landing while balancing a teacup in one hand, an ice pack in the other, and a bottle of pain reliever under her arm. “I brought up some supplies.”
The girls move as one unit into my bedroom and Rowan places her supplies on my bedside table so that she can hug her hurting friend. I stand in the doorway watching Rowan and Emery fuss over Bex. Convinced she’s in good hands for the time being, I excuse myself to the bathroom to get cleaned up.
Whatever calm I had begun to feel is erased when I step into the bathroom and see Bex’s clothes,