Page 2 of Holy Sinner

God. Why is she home? This isn’t fair. It’s supposed to be my one night. My one perfect night with Mark. I stare at my locked door. I know my mother is coming my way. There’s no reason she would be home when she isn’t supposed to be. She knows I’m here. She’s going to try and stop me from going to prom. How she knows I’m even going, I don’t know. I tried so hard to keep it a secret from her.

My phone beeps and I jump to grab it from the bed where I dropped it earlier. It’s a text from Mark.

Can’t wait to see you tonight, beautiful.

My insides go warm and I smile. Even with my mom about to try and ruin my evening, I smile. Mark is right. I am beautiful. I am special. And I’m not going to let my mother ruin my chance at being happy. Not tonight.

I shove the phone into the small clutch I picked out to match my dress and grab my car keys. I’m parked on the street, so I know if I can get past her I’ll be fine. Except, it’s crazy to even think that, because the stairs are the only way down and I can hear my mother’s high heels marching up them. My eyes go to the windows and I hesitate, but it's only for a second, because I hear my mother’s voice.

“Kit! Get your ass out here. Now!”

Fuck. There’s no time to be scared. I have to climb out the window. I sprint to the window and shove it up. There’s a ledge beneath it and a tree that reaches to my window. A thick limb rests right on the ledge and as cliche as it is, I’m going to use it to climb down. I’ve never used it before, because I’ve been too scared. But I am not giving up Mark. So I reach out and grab the nearest limb and pray it holds me.

By some miracle, it does. I inch out further from the ledge and it’s slow going until I hear my mother’s first shrill shriek. I locked my door, so it’ll keep her out, but if I know that sound she’s going to try and kick it open. She’s done it before and I know she’ll do it tonight. I climb faster and faster until bark cuts my palms. I nearly fall when my heel slips and I wince when I feel the sharp stab of a limb in my side as it snags the fabric of my shawl. I do my best, but my skirt gets caught along the way and by the time I’m able to get to the ground I know my dress is torn in at least two spots.

It doesn’t matter though, because I’m free.

I look up at the tree and to the window that I just climbed out of. “Holy shit!” I laugh and shake my head. I feel invincible. I’ve never done anything like this. I usually fold when my mother gets in these moods, but I feel stronger. Like I can do anything. It’s because of Mark. I know it is.

“Kit!” My mother’s scream is frantic. Like a wild animal. I have to get away now. If she catches me it’ll be…well, it’ll be hell. She’ll make me pay eventually, but I want to enjoy myself first. Just this one time.

I turn and sprint across the lawn on my tiptoes to keep my heels from sinking into the manicured lawn. I reach my car and manage to slide behind the wheel when I hear my mother scream again.

“You ungrateful cunt!” There’s a flash of movement and I look to my window and see her hanging out of it. She looks like she’s going to try and climb after me. Anger bubbles up bright and sharp and I hope she does try and follow me out the window. I want her to fall and break her neck. I want her dead.

She doesn’t follow me, though. But she does keep screaming at me. “Kit!” The neighbors will hear, they’ll come and look and see her where she is. Body half out the window and waving her arms at me like I’m the crazy one.

I start the car and floor it. She’s not catching me. Tonight, I’m free.

Chapter Two

KIT

“You keep doing that and I’m going to slit your throat.”

“Promises, promises.”

I look up from my coffee and see Grant and Rafe in a standoff at the breakfast table. The murderous look between the pair of them is nothing new. They usually look like they want to kill each other unless they see it bothers me. Well, unless it’s in the bedroom. Things are different there between the three of us—at least, sometimes.

Even then, sometimes things have a sharp and cutting feel to them between Rafe and Grant. When it’s me they melt like butter, so I don’t mind it. The dark energy that festers between the men I’m in love with suits me just fine because there’s the love part.

“I love you,” I say and like a magic spell both men relax. They look my way in unison and the anger I saw there before is gone. Their eyes are soft on me and I smile at them both.

“Do you want coffee?” I ask and hold up my cup.

“Love some, sweetheart.”

“Thank you, shy girl.”

I dip my chin in acknowledgement and take two mugs out of the cabinet. Whatever Grant and Rafe were arguing about is forgotten, at least enough so that they’re silent as I prepare their coffee just the way I know they like it best.

Rafe takes his with equal milk and espresso and Grant favors black coffee with a shot of espresso. After spending two summers working as a barista in college, I know my way around an espresso machine well enough and the fancy espresso bar in the new place we picked in the city makes it easy to manage the orders. I know they’re watching me the entire time I make their drinks and the weight of their attention is still…a lot.

When it was before and I thought it was all in my head, I felt overwhelmed being near them, but now? Now when I know it’s all real, that every little bit of what I’d only dared dream about in the pages of my books was all true, well it’s hard not to go weak in the knees when Rafe and Grant watch me.

I slide the cups onto the table and give them a smile that feels shaky and I know looks nervous. “Here you go.”

Grant catches my hand and kisses it while Rafe wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into him, dropping a kiss on my lips.

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