Page 76 of Burn With Me

I pull away from her, getting off the table and then reaching back to help her into a sitting position. Though she tries to yank her arms from me, I grasp her wrists and yank her against my chest—savoring the feel of her hard, pointed nipples scraping across my pecs.

“Then burn me,” I tell her. “Or better yet, Aurora … burnwithme.”

35

RORI

Just when I think Isaac isn’t as fucked up as he portrays, he goes and does something that completely fucks me in the head. My boobs hurt. They’re sore and they ache. So much so that I hesitate to even wear the thinnest of bras in the days following the night in the piercing shop. I could’ve taken them out. After that night, I looked up to see if it would cause any problems and I know that if I just remove the piercings, the holes will close and heal. Only … I’m struggling to do it. Instead, I found myself switching my research to care. How to clean them. How to care for them.

Maybe Isaac was fucked up for doing what he did, but I’m just as fucked up for not erasing the evidence and letting it remain behind—like both a badge of honor and sexual humiliation.

After the research, I spent the weekend sequestered in my room—away from Hel and Selene both. Sure, after the little sex session, Isaac had cleaned me up thoroughly. He’d taken extra care disinfecting the piercings—both mine and his. His attention to detail is so like him. One thing I’ve learned is that he’s a control freak. Just remembering the way he’d pinned me down on the table beneath him and how he’d stroked his cock to completion over my face and tits makes me shiver.

Am I a pervert?It’s a legit question. Before Isaac, my response would have been an absolute and confident ‘no,’ but since hanging around him, my confidence is waning. I’m starting to think I’m more like him than I ever believed possible.

I toss my pen down on my bed and groan. There’s only so much homework I can do when my head is full of nothing but an asshole that won’t leave me alone. As I slide off my bed, a knock sounds on my door. I glance down at my t-shirt, noting the little pricks of my new piercings sticking out beneath the fabric. Quickly snatching up a loose-fitting sweatshirt, I throw it on and open the door.

Hel stands there with a frown and a deep v in her forehead. “Hey, what’s up?” I lean against the door jam.

“Have you heard from Selene?” she asks.

I tilt my head to the side and turn back to my room, leaving the door hanging open as I go to grab my phone from the bed. I open the last messages I received and scan down until I find Selene’s name. “No,” I answer, turning back to Hel. “Not since Friday.”

Hel crosses her arms over her chest and bites her lower lip. “I’ve been texting her all weekend and she hasn’t replied,” she says.

“She said her mom was coming into town,” I remind her gently. “She’s probably just locked up with work and catering to her.” Hel blows out a breath but doesn’t seem put at ease by my comment. I slip my phone into my back pocket. “Is there a reason you’re worried?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I just have a weird feeling.”

“I’m sure she’s just busy,” I say. “You’re probably just worried because you know how her mom can be.”

The eye roll that follows that statement is exactly what I’m talking about. I chuckle as Hel nods. “Yeah, you’re probably right. She’s such a fucking bitch. I can’t believe Sel was worried about her weight. She only ever gets like this when her mom is around.”

I agree, but I don’t say as much. Instead, I gently push past her to head through the living room and into our small kitchen. My stomach grumbles as I pop open the fridge and listen to the soft pad of Hel’s footsteps following after me. “Are you hungry?” I ask, pulling out a few containers of leftover pasta from earlier in the week.

Hel doesn’t respond immediately. I pop open the top and sniff the contents before slipping them into the microwave and hitting an estimated time to heat them up. When I turn and arch my brow at her, it’s to find her watching me with careful consideration.

“You good?” I ask.

She tilts her head down. “Depends,” she replies.

“Okay…” I frown. “On what?”

“You,” she answers.

“What about me?”

“Well…” She leans against the counter, her gaze never dropping from mine. “Sel isn’t the only one who’s been acting a little off lately. You’ve been locked in your room all weekend. That’s not like you.”

I press my lips together and glance away from her penetrating gaze. “It’s nothing,” I lie. “I just have a lot of homework to get done. I want to catch up as much as I can because I know that once my mom gets back to me about her stupid reception, I’ll have no time to focus on school.”

While normal mothers concern themselves about their children’s grades and school lives, mine would rather the attention go to her—when she’s available anyway.

“Uh huh.” Hel’s tone suggests her disbelief. I ignore it and instead turn my attention to the microwave as it beeps. I pull out the pasta and stir it with a fork, watching steam rise as I try a bite. Cheesy Alfredo touches my lips and I flinch at the temperature, but cover my mouth with my free hand and blow out the excess heat before swallowing.

“Alright, cut the bullshit.” I nearly choke as Hel steps up to my side and turns, propping herself up right next to me as she levels me with a clearly frustrated look. “What’s going on between you and that guy?”

Swallowing the mouthful of food, I inhale sharply and push the container across the counter. “It’s … complicated,” I admit.

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