Page 48 of Bigfoot Boss
“That’s really cute.” I picture him tiny and curled up under the blankets with his parents.
“I think a lot of those books were the reason I was so determined to join human society.”
“You seem really close. How often do you talk to them now?”
He shifts behind me, so his voice is angled toward me. “We only see each other a few times a year, but I talk to them almost every week.”
“I like that,” I say. “I wish I had family that close.”
“You don’t talk to your parents?” Sacha asks.
He must sense I’m uncomfortable because one of his hands strokes along my arm.
“You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to.” His voice is gentle and understanding, which only makes me want to talk more.
“My parents had me really young, probably too young. My dad was in and out of my life, and rehab, until I was around twelve. Then he disappeared pretty completely. I hear from him every now and then. He’s been in prison the past six months, so phone calls have increased. My mom was the one who really raised me, mostly by herself. I could always tell she sort of resented me. Dad wrecked the picket fence life that she always dreamed of for herself. I think I reminded her of him.” I pause to take a ragged breath, glad that I’m not looking at Sacha’s face while I talk. He moves closer until his nose tickles the back of my hair.
“Take your time, Beast.” His thumb traces a little pattern over my arm, and his odd nickname settles my stomach for some reason. I lean back into his warm body.
“This isn’t a story that I tell a lot of people,” I admit, “I got accepted to college, no scholarships, but I was so happy to go. It was great. I was having a wonderful time. I spent a lot of my breaks with friends, and when I went home for summer, my mom had found a man to live with. She was pregnant, they’d moved in together, they were freaking engaged. She hadn’t told me about any of it. Their new house didn’t even have a bedroom for me. I spent that summer couch surfing with friends. My mom texted me a lot, said she wished we could spend more time together, but she never actually made time for me.”
When my voice cracks I stop speaking. Sacha doesn’t say anything, but his hand sneaks around my waist to give me a comforting squeeze.
“I found out about my baby sister, and my mom’s wedding from social media posts. She didn’t even invite me to the wedding. I’m not even sure her new husband actually knows who I am to her. All it took was me going to college, just an hour’s drive away, and she started a new life as soon as I was out of hers.”
Sacha presses a gentle kiss to my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Beast. You didn’t deserve any of that.”
I groan as my tears start to fall. “I’ve been on my own since then. We’re basically no-contact now. I haven’t seen her in a few years, I don’t get invited to family events, and I only met my baby sister once. She had another child after that. I’m not even sure where she lives now. I still follow her on Instagram, but she doesn’t post as much as she used to.”
“Beast, that’s terrible.”
“But I think she’s happy. I guess. I hope she’s happy. Is that weird to say?”
“I hate what she did to you, but I understand why you still want the best for her. You’re a kind and generous person.”
“It’s just, she’s still my mom you know?”
”I know, my sweet Beast.”
“I think that’s why I like helping animals so much. Fostering kittens to make sure they are cared for, to make sure they find the right homes in this world.” I am having a hard time speaking above a whisper. “And sometimes it’s hard to trust people. When they say they care about me.” He sucks in a long breath that glances past my ear and scoots himself a little closer.
“I do care about you, my Beast. That isn’t going away.” He pulls me tighter into his arms, his hands circling my waist under the blanket. He stays there, holding me, until the tears stop falling. Safe and comfortable, I fall asleep in his arms while my pillow is still wet with tears.
27
SHATTER SOME WORLDS
Bailey
I wake wrapped in him, surrounded by his warm arms, his broad chest, his easy breath, and his hard body. One particularly hard part of his body presses against my thigh. My leg trapped between his legs as he tugs me close in his sleep. When I try to gently pull, away he tugs me back in with a low, warning growl.
“Stay. A little longer.” His voice is heavy with sleep. His hand sneaks across my body, his thumb dancing under my pajama top.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“I’m savoring the moment,” he murmurs against my neck, putting his hot lips on the bare skin that he can reach. His gentle kisses have my newly awake muscles melting against him as his thumb reaches the underside of my breast. “You said you would give me the weekend, and it is still the weekend.”
I don’t know how to admit to him that maybe I was wrong. Maybe I want more than the weekend. I wasn’t supposed to catch feelings like this. I wanted to come back from this trip satisfied that I didn’t want him anymore, and sure that hewouldn’t want me anymore either. I was ready to take his money, and we’d both walk away happy.
