Page 63 of Corrupt Obsession

Dad got to his feet and squeezed her shoulder. “Go to bed. It’s been a long day.”

Once he left her room, she walked into the bathroom and, for the first time ever, made sure to lock the door that led into Jesse’s room. Jesse had approached her twice, but she shot him down. She didn’t want to risk Mom or Dad hearing them talk and honestly, there was nothing to say. He’d been so sure noone would find out about Tucker, but like Pastor Sonny said, the truth would always reveal itself.

No one could ever find out about her and Jesse. If it got out, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that nothing would ever be the same. If Dad discovered they slept with one another, he wouldn’t kill Jesse, but it could turn Dad and Lynne against one another if they defended their own child. Or maybe they would all realize she was the problem. Her nails sank into her palm. They had to end it now before anyone suspected. Perhaps they could work their way back to seeing each other as friends instead of lovers.

Tears slipped down her face as she brushed her teeth and readied herself for bed. When she walked back into her room, she paused. She had no doubt Jesse would come to her after their parents went to bed. She couldn’t let that happen, even if it was just to talk.

Sniffling, she locked both doors that led into her room. Dad instructed them to leave their doors unlocked in case of an emergency. This was an emergency of a different sort. Boundaries that needed to be set.

She climbed into bed and willed herself to sleep, but Pastor Sonny’s warnings made her toss and turn. It was just after eleven when the bathroom light came on. From the gap beneath the door, she saw a shadow approach and then the sharp snick of the doorknob as Jesse turned it back and forth. There was a pause and then a louder rattle as he used more force. She pulled the covers over her head as Jesse cursed.

“Vi!” he hissed.

She didn’t move. Several minutes later, she lowered the comforter and saw the bathroom light was off. She blew out a breath, turned on her side, and prayed for wisdom and strength in getting them on the right path tomorrow.

Chapter 13

VIOLET

She was brushingher teeth the following morning when Jesse tentatively knocked on the bathroom door. When she didn’t answer, he tried the locked door.

“Violet?”

When she didn’t answer, she heard a thump. She wasn’t sure whether it was his hand or forehead that hit the door.

“Violet.”

The frustrated longing in his tone made her eyes water. She rinsed her mouth and quickly finished up her tasks in the bathroom. She unlocked his door before she double timed it to her bedroom and locked hers.

All night, she rehearsed what she would say to him. She had no idea how he would respond. He heard the same sermon at church yesterday. He had to see the parallels and recognize the risks they were taking—not just with their own relationship, but their family. After sleeping on it, she hoped he’d come to the same conclusion. Bottom line, he meant too much to her to risk losing him. He couldn’t argue with that.

As she dated, she’d been pushing the limits with her wardrobe, but today she wasn’t trying to attract or please anyone. Not Jesse, Tucker, or any other guy. She pulled on jeansand a loose fitted top, put her hair in a ponytail, and put in gold heart earrings. Comfortable, simple, not sexy at all. She just wanted everything to go back to the way it had been before sex got in the way.

When she made her way into the dining room, she found Mom and Dad at the dining table doing devotions. This was usually something that happened on the weekend, not a weekday. Mom was typically in a hurry to get to school and on his days off, Dad was often working on a house project, fishing, or helping the church with something. Apparently, they were planning on being more present, which worked in her favor.

“Hey, honey,” Mom greeted.

She was comforted by Dad’s half smile. All was forgiven. Today was a new day and an opportunity to make good choices. She went into the kitchen to make herself oatmeal and stiffened when Jesse materialized at her side.

“Morning.”

Her eyes flicked up, clashed with his stormy blue ones, and quickly looked away. “Morning. Do you want oatmeal for breakfast?”

“You left something on the bathroom counter.”

“Sorry about that,” she said lightly. “I’ll grab it later.”

“Jesse,” Dad called. “You’re going to talk to Coach Rick today about leaving the team?”

“Yeah,” Jesse said curtly.

There was a startled pause and then Mom asked, “Do we need to talk more about this, son?”

“No,” Jesse said and shocked them all by turning on his heel and walking out the front door.

Mom and Dad glanced at each other and then Violet as she turned to watch his exit. Jesse had never talked back to their parents or showed any disrespect before. His terse tone and display of temper wasn’t like him at all.

“Should I talk to him?” Dad murmured.

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