Page 11 of Free to Run
Alison
That was mortifying.
I sit at our huge farm table, the spoon for the pasta salad in my hand forgotten, as Holly patiently holds the bowl for me.
I swore Keene had been looking at me in front of the family like he wanted to rip off my dress and tear my panties to shreds with his teeth. I could almost anticipate him dragging me off the table I was dancing on earlier. Knowing exactly how his cock feels driving into me probably isn’t good for our family dynamic. Or the slick wetness now coating my panties. Keene looking at me like I should be gagging for it has changed everything. I’m tired of feeling the way I do when I’m around him. I’m not his easy lay.
Corinna kicks me from under the table, shooting me a look. “Heads up,” she mouths and nods at Phil, who’s watching our end of the table with interest. Crap. I refuse to be the one interrogated during a family dinner by our big brother. Quickly putting some pasta on my plate, I grab the bowl from Holly, who’s the last to be served. Standing, I walk toward the island when a hand grabs my elbow. I look down into Keene’s all-knowing eyes.
“If you don’t mind, Alison,” he murmurs, reaching for the spoon. His hand slides over the inside of my arm to take the handle. I know he feels how he affects me. My heart rate trips as his fingers dance along my skin. Because of my position, no one but me can feel the back of his long finger graze lightly over my puckered nipple as he roots around the bowl with the spoon. For fuck’s sake. It’s pasta salad, not an archeological dig.
I cock my hip impatiently, waiting for him to finish. “Could you lower the bowl a little?” he asks, his voice innocent, his face anything but. I lock my jaw and tilt the bowl slightly away from my body. If he keeps this up, this pasta salad may end up on his head.
The minute the spoon hits the bowl, I give Keene my back as I walk away and place the bowl on the counter, before heading back to my seat at the table. I have no idea what new game he’s decided to play, but it’s wreaking havoc on my mind and my body. Somehow, I have to shut this down.
“That was interesting to watch,” Corinna purrs as I sit.
“Shut up,” I mutter back, while Holly snickers next to me.
“He’s a fine piece of ass. I still can’t believe you tapped that.” Corinna glances down the table at Keene. Her mouth keeps moving as if I haven’t even spoken.
“Twice,” Holly pipes up.
I glare at her. How the hell does she know that?
Corinna whips her head around so fast, her hair whacks me in the face. Holly is outright laughing. Fortunately, there are so many of us around the table, the musical sound of Holly’s laughter doesn’t catch anyone’s attention.
Namely Phil and Keene.
“You didn’t say it was more than once!” Corinna hisses at me.
I glare at Holly, but she only shrugs.
“When?” Corinna demands, getting louder. When I see a few heads turn our way, I know I need to shut this conversation down. Can’t someone spill something on the table? I look down at my wine, but before I can tip my wrist, Corinna says, “Spill it.”
“I was trying to, but you stopped me.”
We both burst out laughing, and Holly joins us. Not for the first time, I think of how blessed I am that Phil, Cassidy, and Em found us and got us away from the hell of our lives. Instead of being permanently scarred for what my father had tried to do, I was graced with four sisters and a brother. I adore them, even when they’re being annoying.
Removing my hand from my wine glass, I reach over and touch the amaryllis tattoo on the inside of Holly’s left wrist. Strong, self-confident, pride—our family motto. We strive to live up to that.
Which is exactly why I have to shut Keene down. How can I continue to disrespect myself by falling deeper into the pit of nowhere with him?
I reach for my glass again as Holly tells Corinna, “She doesn’t want to talk about it.”
“How do you know, then?” Corinna demands.
I’m curious about that myself. Holly merely shrugs. “I was taking a picture of her at her desk as she was reading something. She had this look on her face that was…intriguing. When I developed the picture, I zoomed in. It looked personal, so of course, I read it.”
I choke. Corinna toasts Holly, smiling the brilliant smile that’s dropped hordes of men to their knees. “I’m so pissed you didn’t tell me, but I’m proud of your stealth and skill.”
“It was only last week, Corinna. It’s not like I’ve had a lot of time to tell you,” Holly grumbles.
Ignoring both of them, I refill my wine glass. Abstractly, I wonder if I can grab a couple of straws from the kitchen and drink straight from the bottle.
Turning to face me, Corinna orders, “Start talking or I’m telling Phil.” With horror, I lift the bottle straight to my lips, causing them to howl with laughter. Corinna grabs my arm before the bottle reaches my mouth. “Jesus, does he suck in bed or something?” Unfortunately, her voice carries over the lower conversations, and suddenly, all eyes are on me.
Holly and Corinna mutter simultaneously, “Shit.”
