Page 45 of Corrupt Obsession

“There you go.”

She grinned when Dad set a mug heaping with marshmallows in front of her. “Thank you.”

She popped a few in her mouth before she realized Dad was watching her closely. She froze.

“What?”

“When Lynne told me you weren’t feeling good, I thought something else may have happened.”

Her pulse skipped. “Like what?”

“I don’t know.” He took a long draw on his coffee. “I thought, maybe, boy troubles?”

She wrapped her hands around the mug and stared at the quivering marshmallows.

“Vi?”

She met his serious gaze.

“You rarely get sick. Is there something you want to tell me?”

“Tucker and I broke up,” she heard herself say.

She hadn’t realized she’d made a conscious decision until the words left her mouth. She’d been trying not to think past getting something to eat—the primary reason she’d gotten up at this hour. Apparently, her mind had made some decisions while she slept.

Even if Tucker didn’t hate her for Jesse beating the hell out of him, she wasn’t the same person she’d been yesterday. She couldn’t act as if nothing had happened. Jesse was partially right. Tucker had been pressuring her sexually and eventually, she would have given into him, and it wouldn’t be because she had any deep feelings for him. It would be to assuage her body’s needs. Now that Jesse had done that for her, there was no need for her to use these boys as a distraction or outlet. All these months of emotional turmoil had been washed awayby yesterday’s events. She was a new person and had officially stepped into womanhood.

“I thought that may be the case,” Dad said.

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re smiling.”

“Can you blame me?” He held up a hand before she could say a word. “I’m sure Tucker’s a good kid, but I don’t like the way he treated you. He always had an arm around your neck like you were his property…” He shook his head. “You want a guy who looks after you and respects you. Tucker only cared about himself. You can do better.”

She pushed her marshmallows down into the hot cocoa.

“You want to tell me why you broke up with him?”

“No.”

“Maybe you should take a break from dating.” When she gave him a level look, he tacked on, “Or date one of the guys from church, so I don’t have to worry so much.”

“Morning.”

They turned their heads as Jesse entered the dining room with messy hair and a wrinkled shirt. Jesse came straight to her. Her stomach clenched as he clasped her face between his hands.

“You feel okay?” he asked.

She gripped his hand, very aware of Dad watching them. “I’m fine. Just hungry.”

Jesse nodded and kissed her forehead. “I’ll make you something.” He moved to Dad and clapped him on the back. “What about you?”

“I can eat.”

She cut into her melted marshmallows with her spoon, dunked them in cocoa and shoveled them in her mouth.

“Vi said she had boy problems. You know anything about it?” Dad asked.

She choked as Jesse turned away from the open fridge with an egg carton in his hand.

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