Page 159 of A Little Tempting

REEVES

Ididn’t want to go to class, but Mrs. Thorne insisted I attend, and since I didn't want to be on her shit list after she welcomed me into her family with open arms, I obliged.

The minutes tick by in slow motion when I receive a text a little while later.

Pickles

Hey! I made bail. :) My parents are taking me home right now. I’m hitting the shower ASAP. I’ll see you in a bit. Have fun in class!

I reread the text for the thousandth time as I sit on my bed. After receiving it, I rushed home, only to hear the shower running, so here I am, feeling like an addict looking for my next fix. My knee bouncing. My phone shaking.

The water shuts off, and my head snaps toward the bedroom wall separating me from her.

I wait, forcing myself not to rush in and bury my head in her neck when the hinges squeak a minute later, and she appears in the hallway. Her wet hair hangs down her back, and her body is covered by one of my hoodies. It’s the same one I gave her when she was cold all those weeks ago. The sight eases the ache in my chest, but the relief only lasts a second. The guilt returns with a vengeance. She was arrested last night. Because of me. My family. My connections. My asshole father.

“Hi,” she greets me, leaning against the doorjamb, looking sexy as sin.

Resisting the urge to rush toward her, I wipe my palms against my thighs. “Hey.”

Her brows pull. “You okay?”

With a laugh, I shake my head. “Areyouokay? Come here.” I reach for her, and she sways toward me, wrapping her arms around my waist and burrowing into my chest.

“Mmm…I missed you,” she murmurs.

“I’m so sorry.”

Lifting her head, she gives me a look like I’m a crazy person. “Don’t apologize for your dad being a dick.”

“Dyl—”

“I’m glad he couldn’t get his way this time. The lawyer says it might take some time, but there’s no way the charges will stick, especially considering it isn’t even your car. Also, since when did that happen?”

“I drove a beater for years. It broke down around the time Mav bought his motorcycle, so he let me use his car, and I never bothered to replace mine.”

“Definitely a happy coincidence,” she notes. “I can’t wait for the lawyer to present that little nugget when the case goes to court.”

“What do you mean?”

“You really think we’re going to let your sperm donor get away with all this bullshit any longer?” She scoffs. “I wish I recorded my conversation with him in the restroom, but once my lawyer saw the bruises your dad left on my arm, he says they should be more than enough.”

“What bruises?” I demand.

“It isn’t a big?—”

“What. Bruises,” I seethe.

She slips off my hoodie until only a black tank top covers her body and lifts her arm. Purple and blue bruises marr her bicep, giving a perfect representation of the way he manhandled her. I skate my fingers along her bare skin, nearly drowning in guilt.

“Hey.” She reaches up and cups my jaw. Forcing me to look her in the eye, she murmurs, “I promise I’m okay.”

“This isn’t okay.”

“I didn’t say this was okay. I said I’m okay,” she clarifies. “Now, will you let me finish my story, mister?”

I bend down and kiss each of her bruises before helping her back into my hoodie. Once she’s covered, she gives me a quick peck on the cheek, then continues. “Like I was saying, I didn’t record the conversation in the bathroom, but my lawyer’s looking for any footage of your dad sneaking into the girls’ bathroom behind me so we can corroborate my story. His team is also checking the parking lot cameras to see if they find your dad messing with your car at all. And having Maverick’s name on the title is the icing on the cake. My lawyer was practically frothing at the mouth over how easy this case will be to win. Like seriously, despite the fact your dad is a cop, he definitely didn’t think things through last night. Then again, after I kind of, sort of threatened him that if he didn’t leave you alone, I’d tell Uncle Henry about him, I’m pretty sure he wanted to retaliate as quickly as possible. Even without the footage inside the rink or the bruises, I think McDonnell knows your dad tried to set you up.”

Unconvinced and still reeling from the information she’s thrown at me, I shake my head. “You sound so sure.”

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