Page 78 of Withered

He grins and kisses my lips. Wet kisses trail along my collarbone and shoulder. He traces the outline of my breasts, and my body is on fire, blazing with scorching heat. I am burning with an unusual desire; my stomach is fluttering, and the feeling is wetting my core.

Jake pinches one of my nipples over my bra. My lips let out a loud moan, and Jake groans in unison, creating a perfect rhythm.

The jingling of the keys interrupts our moment, and we both freeze. My eyes widen, and Jake curses, “Fuck.”

I stand up and hastily put on my shirt. The front door swings open, revealing… Dad?Oh my god.

“This will be good.” I hear Jake say it, and I give him my best glare.

Ican’tbelieveit,but he just ruined the moment for me. “Hey, Dad, what are you doing here?” I ask, out of breath.

“Hi, kiddo,” he greets me, then turns to look at Jake. “And who is your friend?” He asks, looking back and forth between us.

I turn towards Jake. He stares at me and moves closer to Dad.

“Hello, Mr. Evans,” he says, extending his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Jake Henderson.”

Dad shakes his hand and asks, “Henderson? Our neighbor, right?”

“Yes, sir,” Jake says, and Dad nods.

“Where is Mom? And you didn’t answer me; what are you doing here?” I ask.

Jake smirks at me as Dad answers, “Your mom is at the hospital, and I’m here to get a file.”

“You’re not staying?” I was a little hurt.

“I am sorry, kiddo. You know work,” he says the hurt is evident in his eyes.I hate that look.

“It’s okay.” I nod, faking a smile.Yes, work.

“What’s wrong with your hair?” He asks, his brow furrowed. His gaze returns to Jake, who is still staring at me.

I fix my hair by running my hands through it.

Before I could come up with an excuse, Jake cut me off, saying, “I am afraid that’s my fault, sir.”

My eye widens in fear.Oh my god, he’s going to tell Dad?

He continues, “I was teasing her about something, and she threw a cushion at me. That led us to a cushion fight.”

Dad shakes his head as he glances around the living room, buying the lie, “Kids.”

I let go of a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I follow his gaze and look around the room. Some cushions are indeed sprawled on the floor.When the hell did that happen?

“What were you both up to? It’s nearly 10:30 now,” Dad asks.

Oh, no.“Studying. We’re both paired as yearlong biology lab partners. So, we were just studying,” I say at a rushed speed.

“Okay. You both do your work. I’ll grab the file and leave,” Dad says this and goes into his room.

“Studying? Really?” Jake mocks.

“Cushion fight? That’s the best you came up with,” I tease him.

Footsteps approach us, signaling that Dad was approaching, and we pause. He enters the living room again, kisses my forehead, and waves us bye, leaving us both alone.

“Your dad seems cool,” Jake says.

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