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Kylee glances over at me carefully, and I shake my head at her. I don’t need anyone to fight my battles, but I appreciate that she wants to.
Holly ignores me and moves to take a seat, surrounding herself with her friends as they sit on a bench. King is on his phone ignoring them, and I vaguely remember the man who would fight for others. It’s how he ended up getting pulled into Chastity’s battles, I realize now. Has he really changed that much? He looks miserable, playing this pretend game of being a good preacher's son. I miss the old him, with the ripped black jeans, biker boots, and just fucked hair.
Just seeing him in the pressed khaki pants and button down tops with perfectly styled hair is making me ill. I get it, people change, and I know he’s fighting to fit in here. To get rid of his reputation. But at what cost?
“I heard all about the drama you stirred up at the church fair. My mother is still upset that Pastor Roman let such trash into our church. The Daughters of Purity are considering putting together a petition to have you banned,” Holly sneers.
Kylee and I mouth The Daughters of Purity?! You’ve got to be kidding me. Is that a thing? Please tell me it’s not.
I really have been dropped into a backwater religious town. I knew this, I just didn’t realize how bad it was until now.
King glances up and his eyes tighten before he studiously turns his back on me. Message received loud and clear, asshole. And to think, I was just feeling sorry for him.
“Let’s go,” Kylee hisses, grabbing my arm. A playful smile plays along her lips, and I know whatever she says is going to scandalize the girls, even if they don’t know we’re not really together that way.
“Let’s grab some ice cream so I can get strawberries and cream. I want to test an experiment,” she says.
Holly and her friends are raptly paying attention to us as I melt into her arms. I need this comfort, and I won’t deny it.
“I want to see if it matches how your gorgeous pussy tastes,” Kylee says with a triumphant grin.
King’s head turns in surprise, and I grin. Worth it.
“I think I’d be really interested in finding out if it is,” I tease back, linking arms with her.
We may not be together that way, but I’m not against scandalizing Holly and her friends if they’re going to be bullies. One thing I’ve always known is I can be a little petty.
Sorry, Mother. I’m not very good at being good.
I put on one of my new outfits, excited to show Roman that I followed his instructions. I know I shouldn’t care, but I want to please him. He’s been nothing but kind to me since I got here. I walk down the hall and towards the kitchen, where King is talking on the phone. I don’t want to interrupt him, but he still sees me. His eyes scan my new dress and he clenches the phone tightly in his hand.
He hangs up and moves closer to me before stopping abruptly. He closes his eyes, shakes his head, then shoves past me and out the door. I wait for him to come back, but instead I hear his car peeling out of the driveway.
He’s left me once again, alone with his father. We really need to have a talk. Before we started dating, he was a friend, after we got over all the bullying, that was. I sigh and plop down on the chair in the kitchen. I was hoping he would stay home tonight so it wouldn’t just be Roman and me here.
I mean, don't get me wrong, Roman is a nice man, but the way I'm attracted to him isn't good. I don't know if it's because he reminds me of his son, or it's just my daddy issues acting up again, but I'm afraid one more night alone together is going to result in something we won't ever be able to come back from.
I stand from the chair and grab a pan from the cabinet, then pull out the chicken I was marinating when Roman walks through the door. He's already taken off his work attire, and is rocking some jeans and a T-shirt. God. He's so fucking hot. Dark wavy hair, mahogany eyes, and a little scruff on his chin. I’ve also noticed he has tattoos. I wonder what the story there is.
“Hey,” I murmur as I put down the chicken. Leaning against the counter, I raise my eyes in challenge, to see if he’ll notice the efforts I went to in order to please him.
Roman grunts, seeming distracted as he drops a briefcase onto the kitchen table. I raise my brow at that. I never knew a preacher carried a case like a lawyer or businessman would.
“Hey yourself. I’m glad you’re here, I wanted to talk to you about something. If you’re going to have guests in the house, though I'd prefer if you didn’t, you may want to be sure to close the door,” he mutters, as he heads to the fridge to get a drink.
My lips drop. Oh shit. He didn’t… “Did you see us?!” I gasp. “I thought I saw a shadow when I opened my eyes, but this house is always casting shadows. Are you kidding me right now?” I’m feeling a mix of embarrassment and shame.
I know this is his house, and I made a rash decision, but still.
“Look, Tempest,” Roman says tiredly as he takes a sip of his water. “We’re all adults, but I didn’t expect to come into my own house and be greeted by sounds of you coming on a girl’s face.”
Blushing crimson, I gulp at the air. “All the girls from church hate me. Kylee is sweet, but I understand this is your house. I didn't mean to disrespect you,” I say quietly, and glance at the floor.
He sighs. “I understand this is a new adjustment for you, Tempest. You’re this wild child, and I don’t want to cage you, but your mother asked you to tone it down a little. This is your last chance, and I want you to make the best of it.”
Nodding, I look at the chicken, suddenly not feeling like cooking anymore.
“Look, why don’t we go out for dinner? I’ve had a long day, and it would be nice to take a break from cooking,” Roman confesses. “We can also take your new church dress out for a spin. Yes, I noticed. I also noticed you refused to take my money, so dinner is my treat.”
