AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Unblocking Victoria was a mistake.
Why can’t she leave me alone to live in peace? Is it really so crucial that I let Sev finish the Medusa? I told him I would pay him back, but he insists I have to finish the session. My skin crawls when I think of having his hands on me again, but I feel like it’s the only way to leave my past behind me once and for all.
Adam nuzzles my neck from behind, his sleepy grunts making me smile. It’s early morning, and I feel his stubbled jaw rubbing over my skin.
“Come to church with me,” he says, his breath warm on my sensitive ear.
I try not to let the tensing of my muscles be obvious. Several moments of silence crawl by as sunlight begins to stretch in through the window.
“I don’t really fit in at church,” I say quietly, holding my breath.
I tried going the first week I was here, hoping they’d have some kind of free meal afterward. The family I’d lived with from Texas had gone to church, and sometimes, they would have food. I was gawked at by nearly everyone, and several older women shook their heads. No one spoke to me.
“You don’t have to go, but I think you would fit in at our church. There’s some other people with tattoos, actually.” He kisses the inked outline of a skull on my shoulder.
“I…I have a relationship with God. When I was with that family that cared about me, they took us every Sunday. I’ve never felt peace like that anywhere else. I know I’ve done a lot of bad, but I know…I’m forgiven.”
I wiggle around to face him. He’s beaming at me, a smile so big his face is nearly split in half.
“What?” I ask, mimicking his smile on my face.
He looks down, intertwining our fingers. “I just…I didn’t know. I’m so glad. It’s important to me…you’re important to me.”
He brings my hand up to pepper my knuckles with kisses. It’s surreal to be in this bed with him. I wish I had a camera in my mind to snap an eternal memory of us twisted in the sheets, fully enraptured with each other.
A head of tangled blonde-red hair flips over the side of the bed, pink cheeks beaming on an upside-down face.
“You guys are so adorable. If I didn’t love you so much, I’d hate your guts for being so annoyingly happy.” Kenna flashes us a grin as wide as her face.
“You’ll be here soon enough. We’ll crack his shell. I have an in now.” I wiggle my brows at her, and she groans dramatically.
“Ugh, I wish.” She rolls her eyes, her face getting redder as she hangs upside down. “I’ve given up.” She flips back out of sight.
Adam looks at me, brow creased. “Crack whose shell?” His fingers draw up my arms, leaving tiny sparks in their wake.
“Mmmm, you really don’t know?” I ask, quirking a brow at him as Kenna climbs down the side of the bunk.
“Okay, Adam, now that you and my bestie are official—wait, you guys are official now, right?” she asks, sitting cross-legged at our feet.
A pang of anxiety stabs me in the belly as the word HARLOT flashes in my mind. Adam still doesn’t know why I left the campsite.
He squeezes me closer, a kiss from his soft lips on my ear tingling down my neck.
“She’s mine. I’ll never let anyone hurt her,” he says, confidence and a hint of violence in his tone.
Kenna squeals, clapping her hands. “Okay! That’s what I needed to hear. So, Levi”—her tone is immediately serious, green eyes wide—“what’s the deal? Is there, like, a girl back home I need to know about? You said he’s not gay, but seriously, why won’t he give me even just a tiny shred of attention? I know at this point, it’s just the appeal of what I can’t have, but I’m going insane.” She blows air from her lungs like she just gave a speech at the Oscars.
I try to conceal the smirk wanting to spread over my lips. She’s got it bad.
Adam is wide-eyed, lips parted. He looks down at me, silently begging for an explanation that I am not going to give him. I look back at Kenna, biting into my lip to hold in the laughter.
“I…uh, he…I don’t think there’s anyone back home. For Levi? No, definitely not. He’s never even talked to a girl. He’s less experienced than…any of us.” He stumbles over the words, finally coming to a halt.
I take pity on him. “Okay, so is he really not gay? Who wouldn’t want to be with Kenna, baby? She’s a doll,” I question him, softly running my hand over his arm as goose bumps prick up on his skin.
His eyes zero in on the movement, lids dipping down. “She—yeah…she’s great. I don’t…I don’t know, I guess. He’s not gay.”
He forces air into his lungs. His hand under the covers grips my hip so hard it hurts, but I can’t say I don’t like it. I bite into my bottom lip, this time for a different reason.
