Page 99 of Never Kiss and Tell

“So, Mom wants you to marry into money? What’s her idea of that?” I know I’m fishing, but this will give me another reason Bailey and Icouldn’tbe together. Not that I was entertaining the idea — she’s a great fuck, but she pisses me off faster than anyone I’ve ever met — but there are moments when she smiles and my chest hurts. Or when she fell asleep on my arm last night and the thought of leaving her was too much, so I stayed. I could have made it back to my bed. I just didn’t fucking want to.

“I think she wants me to be a mini-her. Marry some filthy rich asshole who cheats on me with his secretary and live in a gaudy, overpriced relic of a home.”

I chuckle, running a thumb over my mouth. I thought the same thing when I was at the house for her and Andi’sgraduation. Way too fucking big and castle-like. It’s why I call Bailey princess. For how her mother treats her and all the rules, she might as well be.

Bailey gets up and carries her empty plate to the sink.

“Why, if you aren’t happy?”

She peaks at me over her shoulder, sealing me under her bright blue gaze. “In her own words, happiness is a privilege. Money is a necessity.”

In other words, Bailey would end up just like her mother if something did happen between us. I can fuck her; I can love her more than anyone’s loved another person. I can even give her a nice, happy home, but without the money, I don’t have shit in her family’s eyes.

I open my mouth to speak, but Bailey’s phone vibrates on the table. She looks back, rolling her eyes with her hands covered in bubbles from starting to wash dishes.

“Can you check that? I think it’s a text. Probably my mom. She’ll call if I don’t reply instantly.”

I snicker and reach for the phone, unlocking it and clicking on the message. It takes me a minute to process what I’m looking at, but when it finally clicks, my blood runs cold.

Unknown:You can’t block me, babe. I’ll find you. Enjoy. She did.

The picture attached is of a woman, tied up in an unnatural position, the skin on her ass and upper legs bright cherry red to the point that she’s almost bleeding.

“What’s wrong?” Bailey asks quietly. She’s stopped washing the dishes and is now staring at me with a blank expression on her face.

“Is Drew fucking with you?” Bailey’s face pales and it’s clear. I try to keep the anger out of my voice, but it’s evident, I’m fucking pissed. Who the fuck does this guy think he is? Not only did he almost break her, he’s fucking harassing her now.

Bailey doesn’t answer and it takes all my control not to throw the phone. I want to find Drew and show him what happens when he fucks with my girl. Beat him until he can’t recognize his own face in the mirror.

“Answer the question, Bailey,” I repeat, my voice deeper, darker than I’ve heard it in a long time.

“Yes.”

“How long?”

She sucks in a shallow breath, looking at her hands. “Since a couple weeks after I left him.”

Mother fucker.

My blood’s so hot it burns under my skin. Irrationally, I think of the price of plane tickets to LAX and back in a day. By the time Drew crawls to the nearest police station, I’ll be back home before Bailey even notices I’m gone.

I’m seriously considering it . . . until I see the way Bailey’s hands shake.

“What did he say?”

I clench my jaw, watching the tears in her eyes with a hatred I didn’t know I possessed.

“Come here,” I mutter roughly and hold out my hand. Slowly, she walks to me, lightly placing her shaking fingers in mine. I tug her onto my lap and she straddles me, softly laying her head on my shoulder.

I hug her to me and I’m not entirely sure it’s to comfort her.Part of me wonders if it’s to comfort myself. Keep myself from going to find that little prick, Drew and beating him until he can’t remember her name.

“What did he say?” she repeats, pulling back to look at me.

I should tell her.

But I don’t.

I grab the phone and delete the picture and the message and block the number.

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