Page 25 of Corrupt Idol

She wasn’t prepared for the hand on her thigh to go to her hair and grip. As she opened her mouth, his lips collided with hers. His other hand spread across her cheek, concealing from passersby that she was fighting the kiss. He went deep, shoving foreign flavors in her mouth, effectively canceling the taste of caramel that lingered on her tongue.

“I can give you what you need,” he said against her mouth and bit her lower lip. “No one comes between us.”

Her hand hit his chest, nails digging in when he refused to let her go. “There is nous.”

“There’s always been an us, you’re just too fucking stubborn to see.”

“Let me go.”

“For now,” he whispered and gave her cheek a gentle kiss before he released her.

Immediately, she leapt to her feet. As she strode away she heard, “Coward.”

That stopped her in her tracks, but she didn’t turn around. She stalked to the bathroom with her hands clenched into fists. She slammed herself into a stall, sat, and buried her face in her hands. How the fuck was he always getting the better of her? She was supposed to be cutting him down to size, making him squirm, and feel remorse for everything he’d done. Instead, he was still pulling the strings and needling the fuck out of her. How was that possible? She was rattled, there was no denying it. She had shut down tons of assholes. What made him different from the others? To start, no one dared what he did. Jesse was unpredictable and had a huge, unfair advantage. He had known her since she was thirteen and used everything he had learned over the years against her. Motherfucker. She had to be better than him, but how? Everything was happening too fast for her to plan an attack. He was doing what he did best—keeping her off balance and on the defensive. Bastard.

She wasn’t sure how long she stayed in the bathroom, but by the time she emerged, most of the seats in their section had been emptied as everyone boarded the plane. She didn’t look at Jesse as she grabbed her bag. She texted Abel, Reese’s fiancé, who would pick them up at the airport and got an immediate reply as she waited in line. She was very aware of Jesse standing beside her, cool as a cucumber. She wanted to rake her nails down his face.

The wait to get on the plane seemed to take forever. When she reached her row, she was miffed to see it wasn’t a three-seater. She’d been hoping to negotiate with the stranger to sit between them. No luck. She needed a damn break from Jesse, but once again, there was no escape. She collapsed in the window seat while he took the chair beside her. She was on a plane for the second time in three days with her step-brother beside her. Never in her wildest dreams had she pictured this scenario.

Change entered her life with the force of a freight train. She was in the boxing ring trying to duck the worst of the blows, but she was bruised and bloody and struggling to stay on her feet. How much time did Lynne have? What would happen to her father after Lynne passed? He retired a few years ago and had spent most of his time fixing up the house, biding his time until Lynne retired from teaching second grade. They had pins on the map in their room of their future road trips and now… Now, everything had changed in such a way that she still had trouble wrapping her mind around it.

Lynne was the only mother she’d ever known. She had only a vague recollection of her biological mom who left in the middle of the night when she was two. No note, no warning. Just, here today, gone tomorrow. Dad never said a word about her leaving. She took her cue from him and acted as if she had never existed. Since her father was a firefighter, he relied heavily on the church community to look after her when he was working. She hopped from home to home until Lynne came into their lives.

Before Lynne, she had no idea how to be a girl. Dad raised her the best he could, but he was clueless where females were concerned, so he had no advice for her. She was a tomboy and definitely not popular by any means.Lynne taught her how to dress and showered her with love and affection, which she couldn’t get enough of. Jesse mirrored his mother. It was natural for him to put his arm around her or cuddle with her on the couch while watching a movie. He used to play with her hair so much that Lynne taught him how to braid it, which he used to do before school.

She glanced at Jesse who was watching a man trying to stuff the already full overhead bin with one more bag. His features were so heartbreakingly familiar. He was her best friend before he became her enemy. It hurt to look at him.

The first four years with Jesse and Lynne were magical. The four of them fit together as if they had always been. They went on trips and since she and Jesse were only a year apart, she had someone to look out for her in school. Everything seemed idyllic. Lynne was a beacon of light and the best step-mom she could ask for and Jesse was the best big brother… until he wasn’t.

He turned his head and speared her with those sky blue eyes that made her feel as if she was being dissected. She sat back and closed her eyes as the flight attendants launched into their safety demonstration and the plane began to move.

Her eyes burned with tears as the past played behind her closed eyelids. They used to spend every waking hour together. His charisma guaranteed that he was popular in school. He brought her under his wing and made her feel like she belonged for the first time in her life. They did everything together—drives to school, camping, church, family trips, and everything in between. His friends were her friends and vice versa. He was her everything and before he flipped the script on her, she thought he loved her just as much as she did him. How wrong she’d been.

He was her boogie man, the monster under the bed, and yet here he was in broad daylight. He had been so cruel and heartless, ignoring her wants for his own gratification. He turned her idealistic future into ash and cast dark shadows over everything she did. She had no drive or ambition, couldn’t hold down a job, and had a hard time connecting with people. She didn’t do commitment and found it hard to trust anyone. How could she after what she experienced with Jesse? She hadn’t been able to shrug off the past and move on as he had.

Her knee bounced as she tried to control her emotions. When a large hand landed on her thigh, she froze. Her eyes popped open. She swiped at her brimming eyes as she smacked his offending hand.

“Don’t touch me.”

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s right?” she sassed back.

“You’re worried about your move?”

She clenched her teeth as the plane left the ground, making her tummy flip. “That’s the least of my problems.” She brushed away an errant tear. “How long have you known Mom has cancer?”

“Six months.”

She jolted. “Six months? Why didn’t you tell me?”

He held her furious gaze. “You wouldn’t have answered my call.”

“That’s not the point.”

“What is the point?”

Her hands balled into fists. “I should have been told.”

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