Page 48 of Property of Kevlar

There would be a time when she got a headache or wasn’t in the mood.

Carrie wasn’t one for long-term relationships with men. No one could keep that level of intensity going indefinitely. Eventually, someone would lose interest.

Kelsey would put money on Mike. The two of them had nothing in common. Except for their love of sex apparently. The discussion wasn’t worth getting into now. There was no reason to make it a big thing if he, and Pete, wouldn’t be in town that much longer.

I just don’t want to be around him anymore. That should suffice.

You really need to give him a chance.

No, I don’t.

He’s not a bad guy.

Kelsey begged to differ. She wasn’t going back and forth with Carrie. Her friend needed to stop pushing Pete on her, so she tapped her screen and brought the phone to her ear as it rang.

“Okay, it’s bad if you’re calling,” Carrie answered without a greeting.

“You have to stop forcing this Pete thing,” Kelsey said as she walked into her kitchen and opened the fridge. “It’s not happening.”

“But why? He’s pretty good-looking,” Carrie said. “And he seems nice.”

Kelsey snorted as she popped a pod into the one-cup coffee brewer. “Yeah, he’s great as long as you don’t say no to him.”

“What do you mean?”

Kelsey closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Why was this so hard for Carrie to understand?

“I’m not interested in him.”

“But you haven’t even given him a chance.”

“He ripped my clothes off and forced himself on me,” Kelsey blurted.

Silence.

Kelsey picked at a sticker on her coffeepot, waiting for her friend to speak.

Why was she taking so long?

Was she still on the other end?

Before she could check, Carrie spoke. “He raped you?”

He would have if Kev hadn’t shown up. “Not exactly.”

“I don’t understand. When did he do this?”

Despite Kelsey’s best efforts, shame sprouted in the darkest recesses of her mind. She knew better than to blame herself for a man’s actions, but that didn’t change the fact that she picked up the slightest hint of judgment coming from Carrie.

No.

She wouldn’t do that. Her Spidey senses had to be off.

“He took your clothes off you at the thrift store?”

“No.” Kelsey shook her head. She didn’t want to have to spell it out for her friend. Why couldn’t Carrie just believe her? The details made her feel slimy. “At the bar. The other day.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”