Page 27 of Shameless

He’s standing close but his focus has temporarily shifted away from me.

I’ve compared Evan’s dead stare to a great white shark before and his senses are the ones of a deadly predator too.

“Where do you think you’re going, Lula?” his smile widens. “I’m not done with you. I’m telling you how this is going to go,sis. Star Cove sounds like a boring ass small town and I know exactly how I’m gonna pass the time until I can go back to New York. You’re going to be my welcome little distraction. And I’m warning you, I’m gonna fuck you hard after months of Maura’s reluctant handjobs. When I’m done with that little pussy and that tight little ass of yours, your precious stepbrothers won’t even want to touch you with a ten foot pole.”

The disgust on my face seems to encourage Evan rather than making him back off.

“Tell me,sis. Did one of your loser stepbrothers fuck you in the ass yet? I’ve been dreaming about that too. I’m gonna fuck you so hard, we’re both going to bleed. Well, mostly you of course,but our blood will mix when I fuck you raw, over and over. Ass fucking without lube isn’t easy, that’s why I’ll make you bleed. It’ll be all warm and slippery and I’m going to pump you so full of my cum, you’ll be mine forever. It’ll be like a branding. Just like this.”

He catches me by surprise, gathering the blood on his arm with the pad of his index finger and touching my cheek before I can move out of his reach. The movement is so sudden and quick that even Napoleon is caught unprepared and all he can do is growl in warning but Evan has already taken one step back, out of the dog’s reach.

“So beautiful,” he smiles.

His touch and the strong, metallic scent of his blood, do what the stormy sea didn’t do.

Nausea roils in my stomach and the little I ate today comes up, spraying on Evan’s black t-shirt.

To my surprise, he doesn’t react with the disgust I expected.

“This was a designer t-shirt,” he snarls. “You’re going to pay for this too. I’m going to have so much fun with you, Lula.”

A siren signals our approach to the port and I thank all the gods that Evan decides to take that as his cue to leave.

My arms tighten around Napoleon. “Thank you for protecting me, Naps.” I whisper to the tiny pooch.

As the other passengers begin stumbling down to the lower level to retrieve their cars and get back to the safety of solid ground, I wonder if I’ll ever feel safe again.

I take my phone out of my pocket and open the camera app, turning the lens toward myself. Anyone who sees me might think I’m taking a selfie, but in reality I’m staring at Evan’s bloody fingerprint on my cheek.

This is how Tiffany’s stepson has made me feel since that fateful night in his father’s house. Dirty. Tainted. Even if he didn’t succeed in forcing himself on me, his touch left an indelible mark. Not just on my skin but deep in my soul. It’s as if I deserved what happened.

On a rational level, I know it isn’t true, but the little voice in my head won’t shut up.

If even your own mother doesn’t love you, how could anyone else? You’re a disappointment, Lula and you destroy everything you touch.

As I wet the tips of my fingers with my tongue and wipe the mark away, my phone vibrates in my hands. It startles me and I almost drop it on the deck floor.

The text message preview makes me fight the urge to be sick again.

Mason:

I know you’re going to be back soon. Meet me tomorrow morning on the beach. Be there, Lula. We need to talk.

I close my eyes, struggling to breathe.

I knew this was coming but I was hoping I would have at least a day or two to come up with an explanation for losing Mason’s bag.

I wish Jules hadn’t fished me out of the stormy sea. If I were dead, I’d be free.

When Stefan and Crew come find me, I quickly lock the screen of my phone and pocket it.

I don’t even know what they’re talking about, my mind is reeling with fear for the future.

Lula

High season means that there’s only one room left at the Country Club and Jules’s stuff has to be vacated from the manager’s cottage in order for Tiffany to move in.

Rather than having the family dinner Arianna was planning on, it’s decided to grab something quick on the road, so that everyone can help Jules with the move.

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