Page 55 of Reclaiming Adelaide

“That’s not what you said before.”

Another shudder rippled through the airplane, making everything rattle like it’d fall apart at the seams.

I closed my eyes and held on—a small whimper working its way out from between my lips.

“That was before you strangled me.”

“What is she talking about?” Becca gasped from beside me, and I frowned.

Maybe she needed to hear what an absolute asshole her brother was…is.

She looked up to him like he hung the moon and stars, and he couldn’t do any wrong. Maybe she needed to hear just how terrible he could be.

“Adelaide,” Jake said through gritted teeth. “I thought you liked my hands around your throat?”

“Nice, bring up our sex life…”or lack thereof,“in front of your sister. Classy.”

“Okay, this is getting a little too weird for me.” Becca unbuckled and walked to the nose of the plane, leaving Jake and me to throw daggers with our gazes. “I’m going to go sit over there.”

“You involve my sister in our shit, and I won’t hesitate to show you just how capable of strangling you I am.”

I leaned into him, my stomach swirling with nerves. If I puked on him, I’d hate myself more than I already did, but then again… it’d be hard to top that with a comeback.

“If you’re afraid of your sister finding out, then maybe you shouldn’t bring her around me.” I swiped his drink out of the cup holder faster than he could react and downed the entire cup in two swallows.

He flipped the latch on his seatbelt and bolted towards me at the same time the dinging alert let us know it was safe to walk about the cabin. His seatbelt slammed against the wall and side of the seat with a terrifying clatter.

Jake wrapped his hand around my chin, digging his fingers into my cheeks until my soft inner flesh ground against my teeth. His other hand grabbed the cup from mine as he seethed above me.

“You have no sense of self-preservation, do you?”

“Jake, what are you doing?” Becca said, suddenly standing by our sides.

She put her hand on his wrist and took the cup I’d just downed, and tugged at him while I laughed.

His face contorted into a menacing snarl as he pushed my head into the seat and released my face, my stray hairs flying into my field of vision.

“I defended you, you know?” he started, pointing his finger at me.

I unbuckled my seatbelt, swiping my hair from my face, and shoved him as I stood.

“You didn’tdefendme.”

Becca moved out of the way as I pushed him again. He grabbed my wrists before I made contact and spun me towards the couch, and shoved.

My ass landed on the soft surface with a shallow bounce. He leaned over me, and I swiped at him, his hands combating my flailing hits until he grabbed my arms and twisted them across my body, locking me in place.

“You’re a fucking cunt, Adelaide.”

His icy words froze me in place, my eyes brimming with tears. He’d said some pretty hateful things the night he’d found out, but for some reason, this cut so deep I could feel my soul leach out from the wound.

Jake wrapped his hand in my ponytail and tugged my head to the side, his face a hair’s breadth away from mine. I caught Becca’s horrified expression from my periphery, her hand covering her mouth.

“I fucking defended you to mybestfriends.“ His grip on my wrists tightened. “They told me there was something up, but I listened to my dick instead of my common sense.” He moved in a little closer. “You were too good to be true, weren’t you?” He shook me by the hair, his knees on either side of my thighs as he straddled me on the couch. “Weren’t you?”

15

Tearswelledinhereyes, but there was no fucking way I’d fall for them. Not after what she’d pulled.

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