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Huffing out a breath, I curse myself out in my head. The world doesn’t revolve around me, and my father has reminded me very often of this while growing up. You’d think the lesson would have stuck. “I could never be mad at you,” I insist, shaking my head. “No. I could be angry at a situation, but not you. I allowed myself to get into my head, which made me not a very nice person to be around.”
Chastity walks for a few more strides, chewing on her lip. I want to pull it from her teeth, but I don’t want to scare her. “Do you think you could do me a favor?” she asks softly.
I stare at her, and struggle to answer the question. “Yeah, name it,” I rasp.
“I really like being around you, and I’ve missed talking to you. Do you think you could talk to me next time, instead of assuming?” Chastity gets a devilish smile on her face, and to be honest, it looks good on her. She may not use it often, but she has it down pat.
“Yes. Absolutely, yes,” I tell her. My pinky brushes hers as we walk, and she hooks it around mine while she tips her head back to feel the sun on her face.
Deciding to make good on my promise, I squeeze her finger to get her attention. Her gorgeous hazel eyes meet mine, and there’s mirth inside of them, as if she knows I’m going to shake things up a bit.
“Jonas and Ash have been talking non-stop about the movie marathon you guys had. I know it was for school, but do you think I could get in on the next one? Maybe even this week?” I press. I am wicked jealous I missed seeing Chastity in Ash’s bed for a movie marathon. Except now, I’m using my words for once, because of my promise to Chastity.
She watches me for a beat and then nods. “Yeah, I think I’d really like that,” she admits.
Chastity and I may be figuring each other out, but I know I want to spend a lot more time with her.
She turns to face me and takes a deep breath. “I like to bake sometimes at night. It helps me sleep better. It’s not a movie, but maybe…” she trails off, and I jump in excitedly.
“Yes, I’m in. Tonight?” She stares at me for a minute and I pray she doesn’t turn me down. I’m starting to get nervous, and I know my palms are sweating.
“If I can get away, then yes, I’ll be there,” she finally says, and I try to cool down my emotions. I don’t want to overwhelm her, but she just made my day and I’m squealing inside.
* * *
It’slate and Ash is passed out on the couch snoring, as I slip into my shoes and try to sneak out the door. I don’t want him or Jonas to catch me. They may ask to join, and I want Chastity to myself for once. I’m open to sharing her down the road, but not tonight.
The kitchen is deserted when I walk in, except for Chastity. She looks adorable in comfortable sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. “Can you grab the eggs for me, please?” she asks with a smile and I grin.
“Putting me to work, I see,” I tease her and she shrugs.
“If you’re in my domain, you’re going to have to work for your sweet treats,” she says sassily. Chastity almost looks surprised by her words and blushes. My grin gets wider as I bring her the eggs. I’m glad she feels comfortable enough with me to joke around. She’s always so withdrawn and quiet. I would love to see Chastity completely happy, and this is pretty damn close. Her words make my dick harden, and I swallow, willing it down. I don’t want to scare her with my overexcited cock, even though it’s something I can’t completely control.
I keep the counter between us to hide behind, leaning in so I can drink her in. Her honey-brown hair is thrown up into a messy bun, and I love this look on her. I want to see her half asleep in my arms one day too, and the thought makes me happy and warm. This is a new feeling, since usually only the guys can make me feel like this.
“My father used to tell me that baking was women’s work, and that I shouldn’t try to help,” I begin to tell her. My father isn’t a very nice person, and he's part of the reason I’m at Holy Cross. He has written me off in a lot of ways, and it hurts my heart how Chastity’s grandmother treats her. It reminds me of how cold my father is.
“It’s food,” Chastity says, agast. “Everyone should know how to feed themselves, and while my father was of this mindset, I always made sure not to leave him treats when I baked. It was one of my small rebellions, even though he always made sure I could never forget he was in charge,” she says sadly.
My heart breaks and I swallow hard as I prepare to tell her something not many people know.
“My dad isn’t the easiest person to live with, Chastity. He’s a deacon, and he’s always put God ahead of his family. I understand it’s important to live under the tenants of our faith, and I try to honorHim, but my father is extreme. Any infraction he found meant I was bent over the table, pants pulled down, while he whipped the shit out of me with a belt,” I tell her, keeping eye contact because I always ask her to do the same with me.
Chastity blinks, an angry blush rising on her skin. “But you’re his son,” she exclaims. “I always thought it was only my father who was a raging megalomaniac—” Her eyes widen, obviously not planning to have said that. “I mean…” she whispers, and I shake my head at her.
“You don’t have to censor yourself with me,” I insist. “It’s hard to talk about our parents like this. My mom hid with a bottle in their room when this happened, and it happened often enough that she may be considered an alcoholic. The Church teaches us to keep our private affairs just that, and because of it, I think a lot of people go through things like this. They live a respectable and Godly life in public, but when they get home… everything goes to shit. I don’t want to be like that with my kids, if I have them,” I confess to her. “I don’t know if I’ll ever have them, but if that day comes, I want to be a good father. I want to protect my kids… Something happened when I was an altar boy, and my parents didn’t believe me.”
Chastity’s eyes fill with tears, but she refuses to let them fall. “I don’t like to be touched,” she whispers. “It’s why I lost it when Ash kissed me. I know he didn’t mean to make me spiral, but he threw me into a pretty wicked flashback, and I haven’t made it all the way back from it yet.”
I don’t want to push, but I need to show her I care. Putting my hand on the table, I flip it palm up so she can decide if she wants to take it or not. I need to warn the guys that she doesn’t like to be touched, without going into too much detail.
The guys know all about my past, especially Jonas, so they know not to surprise me or hug me from behind unless I hear their voices first.
Between my father and the priest who decided to take advantage of me, I have a hard time being at Holy Cross. Our actions brought us to this academy, because it was either here or jail. So while I’m grateful for this, I sometimes shiver during Mass. Something tells me there’s some serious darkness in Chastity’s past, and I want to help be a port in her storm.
“I feel like our pasts may be intertwined in ways we didn’t know,” I tell her. “Your dad was a preacher, right?”
Chastity nods, blowing a piece of hair that’s slipped from her bun. Hesitantly, she reaches out and gently squeezes my hand before beginning to crack and whisk the eggs. “My father is a Pentecostal pastor, better known asThe American Assemblies of God. I loved growing up as both Catholic and Pentecostal. I know that sounds odd, but there’s something soothing about rituals to me.” A look passes through her eyes and then disappears just as quickly. “My father was so strict, but he extended it past what was widely acceptable. He would lock me in a crawl space without food or water to pray and…” Chastity shivers, as if shaking off a memory, and I keep my horror from showing. I don’t want her to stop talking to me. “The point is, I found out quickly that I despise the dark, and that’s always stayed with me. So I absolutely understand where you’re coming from.”
