Page 79 of All Our Secrets

“I’m proud of you, Dustin.” Peyton patted him on his shoulder, making him smile ear to ear. “But I’m going to go sit down before the show starts.”

“Sorry for holding you up,” Dustin murmured quickly, casting a glance my way.

“You didn’t. I’m glad you spoke to me.”

“Bye P-Peyton.” He tripped over her name a second before darting off.

“What was that about?” I muttered. “He looked five years younger as soon as he said your name.”

She snorted. “Because it’s the first time he’s not called me Mrs. Johnson.”

He was one of her students? I remembered how boys were at that age, and the pain in my chest grew.

“Maybe you need a new career,” I voiced my opinion aloud.

Her mouth dropped. “I know you’re not acting the way I think you’re acting.”

“What am I doing?”

Steven and his wife watched us as we walked by.

Peyton noticed it too, because she whispered her next words. “I’m not yours.”

I placed my hand on her back and steered her in the direction I wanted. “Let’s go to our seats. They’ll be bringing out the food when the show starts.”

“Silas…” She peeked around. “You can’t act like this in front of everyone.”

“Why not?”

“First off, what would Becky think?”

I stopped, scrutinized her, and chuckled as she nibbled on her bottom lip. “You know you don’t care about that, and neither do I. Come on.”

“I’m going to throw up,” she complained.

I dropped my hand. “There. Now will you sit beside me?” I waited. “Please.”

Her grip tightened on the stroller. “I guess I wouldn’t mind sitting beside you, but don’t boss me around.”

“You wouldn’t mind sittingonme either.”

Her face and neck turned red. She whipped her head left, then right to see if anyone had heard. “How can you just say it out loud like that?” She huffed. “Besides, it won’t happen again.”

∞∞∞

That night, when she crept into my room, I flipped on the shade lamp. She was mid-bend, long hair tumbling off her shoulders, swaying slightly as she climbed onto my bed.

She glared at the light like it was poison. “Turn it off,” she griped.

“What happened to ‘it won’t happen again’?”

“You’re right. It won’t now.” She tried to pull back, but I was quicker and yanked her by the arm. She landed between my legs, her face near my crotch. Instead of resisting, she held on to my arms when I grabbed her at her armpits and lifted her onto my lap. And like she’d been there a hundred times, as if she belonged, Peyton melted into me.

“Turn it off, Silas.” She dropped her head to my shoulder as my hands slipped beneath her shirt. No panties or shorts again. The fire inside me coiled like a snake, ready to strike.

“Am I that ugly, baby?” I asked. My fingers found one of her nipples through the shirt and flicked the bud until it hardened beneath my touch. Then I tugged.

She gasped, eyes flying up to my scarred side. “You know that’s not it.”

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