Page 13 of Voracious

Ewanleans forward, head poking between the two seats of his son’s car. “He’s right. And so isTobias. You’ll see her more than you think, okay? If it’ll make you feel better, we can go stay at the lodge inStranraerfor a week.”

She nods. “I’d like that.”

Mum pats her eyes with a tissue and turns to me again. “So what’s the plan for you?”

I raise a brow. “Drive home?”

For an old woman, her slap to my arm is a tad stingy.

“Are you going to tellLuciellaabout Stacey?”

“When Stacey wants to, yes,” I reply.

Ewanspeaks next. “Have you made it official yet?”

I sigh and run my hand down my face. “I tried, but I freaked out. I will though.”

“What if you ask her on her birthday? She’s nineteen next week, right?”

“Yeah.”

She’s twenty-three days older than me and won’t let me live it down. She keeps saying she feels weird fucking someone younger than her. It always earns her a spank and being tickled into a fit of coughing.

“I’m taking her out on the boat – is that alright?” I askEwan. He taught me how to drive a boat years ago, and I have the perfect image in my head of taking Stacey into the loch and asking her then. “On Saturday.”

“Sure,”Ewanreplies. “Ah! Pull intoMcDonalds.”

I do, and we munch our food, setting aside a Big Mac for Stacey. But by the time I get home and get to my room, she’s asleep on top of the bed with one of the dogs cuddling into her, the other asleep at the foot of the bed. She’s got blankets over her and is cradling theDobermannpup into her body.

The small one’s head pulls up, ears flopping. He hurries over to me and licks my cheek when I pick him up.

I take a picture of Stacey and the pup, putting the meal, my phone, car keys, cigarettes and lighter on the bedside unit before pulling the duvet aside and climbing in with them, keeping the other pup between us. Somehow, I fall asleep, and if I had to give up everything in the world for this, I would.

I’d give it all up for Stacey.

5

STACEY

It’s been weeks since I got back from America, and although Barry and his colleagues are everywhere, neither of my brothers notice them. When Kyle drives me to the studio, he doesn’t realise the SUV nearby is watching us, and when I attend functions with Nora and her sons, no one sees the suited-up men and women keeping their eyes on me.

We were at a family party in Dunfermline – Nora’s sister hitting fifty – and Chris kept his hand low on my back when his mother and brother weren’t looking, but I knew Barry could see. When I went to the bathroom, Chris followed and waited outside like a possessive boyfriend, then forced me to take his hand when he wanted a drink from the bar. I knew better than to fight him.

That night, Kyle went to his girlfriend’s house, Nora vanished and I was left with Chris. He’d been punishing me ever since I got back from America, so I was at the point of listening to whatever he said. I downed drinks, swallowed pills he forced into my hand and didn’t fight back when he beat me. Or when he crawled into my bed hours later and held me until he fell asleep. Fighting makes it worse. It only makes his cock hard and his smile wide.

When he tries to kiss me, I refuse, accepting the punches to parts of my body hidden by clothes. When he tries to touch me, I sink my nails into his wrist, accepting the way he cuts off my air until I pass out.

All I can do is accept the pain.

Barry can’t see what happens in the manor. I’m thankful. Imagine the war it would cause if Chris knew about my week with Kade and that he had bodyguards trailing me?

“You’re not going to class tonight.”

I look up from my book, staring at an angry Chris standing in my doorway. “Why? I have to go. I’m an instructor.”

“You’re going for a drive with me.”

“Are you going to hurt me?” My voice doesn’t even shake when I ask.

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