Page 4 of Unholy

“What would he do?” Ben questions, obviously knowing who he is.

“Ash, sit back down,” Tristan says. I don’t know why I do it but I drop back onto the step and watch as he walks down and steps in front of me. He leans in, his lips so close to my ear, his breath fanning over my cheek before he wraps his arms up under mine and lifts me off the steps with ease. He lets my body slide down the front of his, touching in places we have no business touching.

“That’s how you lift a lady,” he says, still mere inches from my face. Ben quickly snatches me back to his side, and Tristan lets out a chuckle.

“I don’t like you.”

“And that should bother me?” Tristan asks him.

“Maybe. Because you’re going to be seeing a whole lot of me around, seeing as I’m her boyfriend.”

“Oh, I didn’t know she had a boyfriend,” Tristan says but doesn’t move to step back away from us. “You would be smart to keep this one on a leash.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means someone might like putting a collar on this one and forcing her to be his little pet.”

“You’re disgusting,” Ben snaps at him. A collar? He can’t be serious, right? People don’t do that, do they?

“I’m the definition of the word, church boy. She would look really good on a leash, though, wouldn’t she?” he taunts, eyeing me up and down. I feel my body shiver, and I don’t know why, maybe because he’s being so nasty right now.

“I’m warning you. You might be staying in the same house as her, but you won’t touch her or disrespect her,” Ben tells him, standing up for me.

“I think the lady can speak for herself about what she wants. And I can honestly stand here and tell you that if she ever came to me and asked me to fuck her tight little bible-thumping body, I’d do it.”

Ben snarls and steps around me to get to Tristan, fisting his shirt in his hands.

“Stop! He’s just trying to make you hit him, Ben. Don’t stoop that low,” I tell him, grabbing his arm and trying my best to pull him back.

“Yeah, Ben. Don’t stoop to the devil.” Tristan laughs, but Ben releases the hold he has on him and steps back next to me. He adjusts his shirt for lack of something better to do with his hands before grabbing mine and spinning us to walk away.

He leads me down the sidewalk, and I can’t help but turn my head and look over my shoulder at Tristan. He keeps watching us, no watching me. I narrow my eyes at him, but all he does is make a kissing motion with his lips. I quickly turn back and watch where I’m walking.

“I don’t like you being in the same house as him. Maybe we should just get married,” Ben says.

“What? No. Neither of us are ready for that, Ben, and we’re not even engaged.”

“We could be. It would get you out of that house of horrors with him.” Now I laugh a little.

“It’s not going to be that bad. His mom is super nice, and Dad, well, he’s Dad. He’ll handle things if Tristan gets out of line,” I assure him.

“I don’t know, Ash. I don’t like this.”

“It’s going to be fine. I promise. Change the subject,” I tell him.

“To what? That guy has worked my nerves over now.”

“What about the bible camp?”

“What about it? I don’t know if I’m going.”

“What? Why?” I ask as I stop walking and turn to face him.

“That back there,” he says, pointing in the direction of the house. “I don’t feel right leaving you there.”

“It’s my house, Ben. I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t know, Ash.”

---