Page 6 of Destroying Everleigh

“Get your hands off my daughter, right this instant,” my mom’s voice ran out.

My face heated with embarrassment, his hand tucked beneath my shirt, covering my breast while his lips were less than an inch from mine. Despite being caught red handed, I couldn’t help but laugh. He grinned back and boldly pressed his lips to mine again, stealing my breath right in front of my scorned mother. When he pulled away, he removed his hand from beneath my shirt, shooting me a flirty wink before sauntering around the corner of the maze.

I was in a daze, completely confused with how I’d gotten in this position. I was the good kid. Mostly. I didn’t do reckless things like let guys shove me into secluded corners and grope me. But I didn’t hate it.

When I glanced over at my mom, she was glaring at me, the darkness making her eyes look like two black holes. Her hands were propped on her hips, my sister standing beside her with a knowing grin. Readjusting my shirt, I pranced over to them, ready to be grounded for the rest of my life. But it was worth it.

“Who was that boy?” Mom demanded as I approached.

“Just some guy from school.”

“Did he force himself on you?” she hissed, her tone becoming quieter so we weren’t overheard.

I reeled back with wide eyes. “No! God, Mom.”

She huffed out a breath, her posture relaxing slightly before she shook her head. “I can’t take you or your sister anywhere. Nomore of whatever that was,” she stated firmly. “You’re not even old enough to drive by yourself, yet.”

“He was cute, though,” Briley offered.

More than cute. He was hot. Actually, his attractiveness couldn’t be dimmed to a single word. It didn’t feel right.

Mom ushered us forward, her steps rigid as she walked. I almost made a comment about a stick being shoved up her ass but knew that I was already on thin ice. She hadn’t grounded me yet, so maybe she wouldn’t.

During the drive home, I sat in the backseat, staring out the window with a cheesy ass grin. Reflecting on the way his warm hands felt on me, how his lips felt against mine, and when he asked me to be his girlfriend. I figured that he flirted with me at school because that’s who he was, a flirt. I didn’t expect it to actually mean anything. There were a lot of guys at school like that.

When we got to our two-story home, I hurried inside, ready to lock myself in my room to avoid the verbal lashing I was bound to get. Dad was in the living room, rocking my one year old sister to sleep in his arms with my four year old brother passed out on the couch beside him. His eyes narrowed on me the second I barged through the front door.

Mom was on my heels a second later. “Not so fast, young lady. Tell your father what you’ve been up to, and then we’ll decide your punishment.”

Briley giggled with excitement, thrilled to not be the one in trouble for once. “I’ll tell him,” she chirped, moving to stand by our mom.

I shifted nervously from foot to foot while their expectant eyes seared into me. Dad was the chiller parent, but that didn’t always mean anything. Sometimes, he could be just as strict. He made it clear that I wasn’t allowed to date until I was sixteen andcould drive myself. But this was more than dating. Mom caught me pressed against a wall with a boy’s hand up my shirt.

When I didn’t say anything, my sister huffed out in annoyance. “Can I tell him? We’ll be here all night if we wait on her to do it.”

“Uh-uh. I want to hear what she has to say for herself.”

Sucking in a sharp breath, I glanced at my dad. His dark hair was a mess on top of his head, bags tugging the skin beneath his eyes. Rough stubble decorated his jaw, making him look even older than he was.

“There was a boy,” I started nervously. “I knew him from school. He flirts with me a lot. He pulled me into the dark part of the maze so the monsters wouldn’t get me. But things escalated, and he kissed me,” I rambled off, staring down at the floor.

“And where was his hand?” she prompted, tapping her foot impatiently.

I chewed on my lower lip, bringing my gaze to my father’s from across the room. “Under my shirt.”

He spluttered, his eyes widening as he choked on his spit. Baby Emma’s eyes fluttered at the noise, but they fell closed again as he continued rocking her back and forth between his arms.

“Did anything else happen?” he demanded once he composed himself.

“He asked me to be his girlfriend.”

Briley giggled again, getting a kick out of this whole thing. “And by the way she was smiling on the way here, I bet she said yes.”

I shot her a glare over my shoulder, and she just grinned innocently at me, like she wasn’t doing a damn thing wrong. I could punch her right now, but that would probably worsen my punishment.

Turning back to my father with my best puppy dog eyes, I inched closer to him. His face was beat red, and I couldn’t tell if it was because we’d given him a clear mental picture, or if he was that angry.

“I really like him, Daddy,” I said sweetly.

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