This Is War, Baby - K Webster Page 0,51

him to touch me. I want him to touch me though. Badly. I want to feel his sweaty skin pressed against mine.

“You’re torturing me.”

I scrunch my brows and frown at him. “Because I’m annoying you? You don’t want me?”

War is an ocean I’ll never be able to navigate. His head a sea of unchartered, choppy waves. I feel as though I’m an inexperienced swimmer in a sinking boat and he’s the treacherous, stormy waters threatening to pull me under into the darkness with him.

Something tells me I’ll drown.

That I’ll never understand what goes on inside his head.

I’ll lose my mind trying to figure him out.

“Jesus,” he curses and runs his fingers through his hair, “of course I want you. I’d be a fool not to.”

I chew on my lip and tears well in my eyes again. “I guess I don’t understand then.”

My words seem to anger him and I don’t know why. Further proving my thoughts, he scowls at me. “She replied.”

As if cold water has been splashed over me, I jerk upright. “Wait? What?” I demand. “Who replied? Mom? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

He shrugs his shoulders and leaves the room. I don’t miss the bulge in his pants. He’d been turned on despite the way he’d acted—as if I was an annoyance for displaying how I felt. I’ll break into his head one day.

Hastily, I drag the laptop onto my knees and open my email.

Baylee,

Where in the hell are you? Give me your location so I can come get you. I’ve been worried sick.

Dad

Tears blur the screen in front of me and I choke back a sob. Dad is pissed at me because he assumes I put them through all of this heartache for selfish reasons. If only he knew it was that bastard. His best friend who stole me and put me into this position.

Dad,

Why did it take you so long to respond? I’m somewhere safe. Don’t worry about me. Did you happen to get any money? To help with Mom? I love you, Daddy.

Baylee

I swipe a tear from my cheek and lose myself to a memory of my dad.

“You’re too young to date, Baylee,” Dad snapped as he washed the grease from his hands after a long day at the machine shop he worked for.

I chewed on my lip and glanced at the door. Brandon would be here any minute to “study.” What Dad didn’t know was that we were boyfriend and girlfriend at school. We held hands and he walked me to all my classes. Technically we are dating even though we didn’t go anywhere to do it. He’d even kissed me many times after school when no teachers were around. I’d felt his erection through his pants and he’d, on more than one occasion, touched my breasts through my shirt. I would definitely not be telling Dad that though.

“But Dad, all the other girls my age—”

He slammed his fist on the counter and affixed me with a firm glare. “I don’t give a damn about those other girls. They’ll end up knocked up before graduation. Not my daughter.”

Tears welled in my eyes and my shoulders slouched in defeat.

“Oh, Tony,” Mom chirped as she entered the kitchen, “let her date. Don’t you remember when we were her age? We’d been together since the eighth grade.”

My dad’s scowl melted away at hearing her soothing voice. She stepped into his hug and he kissed the top of her blonde head. “That’s exactly why I don’t want her dating. I know what we did and at what age we did it.”

I cringed at thinking of what my parents did. I wasn’t clueless though and pushed away thoughts that would make me puke.

“But Brandon’s a nice guy and—”

Ding dong!

My eyes widened as Dad went back to glaring. “Your study partner is the guy you want to date? Hell no.”

My skin heated and I flashed my mom a horrified look as Dad stormed away to answer the door. I chased after him and peeked around my dad’s broad shoulders to see a frightened Brandon staring up at him. Brandon was cute today still in his baseball shirt. His dark hair was spiked up perfectly. Someone might poke their eye out if they got too close.

“Tony,” Mom warned.

Somehow, even though Dad was the gruff, tough one, Mom always seemed to win when it came to him. She’d always been my ally and best friend.

“You want to date my daughter?” Dad snarled.

Brandon’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat and he managed