35. Margo
Chapter 35
Margo
L enora rushes out of the house, down the steps. She throws her arms around me, holding me close. The scent I’ve come to associate with her—orange blossom from her shampoo—envelops me.
Tears prick my eyes. Again .
She pulls back and looks at me. “Robert said something bad happened, and then you didn’t want to come home?”
Caleb didn’t let me out of his sight until I was safely tucked in Riley’s car. Now, Riley stands awkwardly behind me, fidgeting.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to worry you…”
Today, there are new bruises. My stomach looks terrible—worse than yesterday, even—and my neck… there’s no hiding the handprints. Caleb got the marker off my arm, but the bite is going to stay for a while.
I showered this morning, moving slowly. I almost vomited at the thought of reaching up to wash my hair. But then Caleb came in, eyed me, and took over.
The memory of his hands massaging my scalp will keep me warm tonight, that’s for sure.
“My dear girl.” Lenora cups my cheek. “I understand that sometimes it’s better to have a friend’s comfort. Especially since you two have become so close.” She gestures for Riley to come closer and loops her arm around Riley’s shoulders. “Thank you for taking care of her.”
Riley shifts from side to side.
I widen my eyes at her. We’ve been over this .
I’m not sure how Robert and Lenora would react to knowing I was at Caleb’s house overnight. Well, Eli’s.
Does Riley know Caleb stays at Eli’s house? Has she been there?
When I tried to question Caleb about it again this morning, he wouldn’t answer me. I’ve abandoned the topic for now.
“I already called Emery-Rose to report a sick day,” Lenora says. “And I think you should see a doctor. At least to make sure…” Her gaze falls to my stomach. It’s hidden under Caleb’s t-shirt, but it’s like she can see right through it.
I swallow.
“My best friend is a trauma doctor,” Lenora says. “I asked her to stop by on her way in today.”
“So it’s already decided,” I mumble.
Lenora nods. “Better safe than sorry, honey. Riley, you should head to school.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Riley gives me a quick hug, then retreats.
Lenora and I walk into the house. I go to my room and shrug off my jacket, quickly switching Caleb’s shirt for one of mine. I stuff his under my pillow.
I exchange my skirt—couldn’t exactly wear his shorts home—for comfortable pants.
Lenora closes the front door as I come back down. She has my backpack in her hand. “Riley forgot she had this.”
I manage a smile. “Thank you.”
“Couch? Soup?”
I nod and collapse on the couch, grabbing the remote. A day to do nothing but recover? I’m okay with that.
It’s early in the morning. There’s the rest of the day ahead of me.
Once Lenora is done hovering—she brings me water and a creamy wild rice soup—I dig into my backpack. I can’t just sit here and do nothing, as peaceful as that sounds.
I find my phone at the bottom of my bag. Reaching in, I scroll through missed calls and texts from Caleb and Riley. My attention settles on one text from my mystery texter. The timestamp shows that they sent it yesterday afternoon. My hands tremble.
I click on the text before I wimp out.
Unknown
This is the only time I help you.
[image attached]
It’s a photo of Ian towing me across the field. Did Unknown send it to someone to help me? Caleb?
I shudder. I didn’t even think to ask how he found me.
There are too many people pulling strings in my life. It makes me angrier than I could expect.
Lenora’s doctor friend comes over, a portable ultrasound machine in hand, to inspect my stomach. Both women gasp when I raise my shirt. There’s a lot of gentle probing— ow —and she finally rocks back on her heels. She fires up the ultrasound machine and squirts gel on my stomach, like they do for pregnant women.
I cringe at the idea of being pregnant.
“The ultrasound is clear,” she finally says. “It seems like deep bruising. Have you been nauseated? Vomited at all?”
I shake my head.
“If you do, or if the pain travels into your back, call me. If there’s blood in your urine—call me.” She raises her eyebrows and holds out a card with her number written on it. “Do you understand?”
I jerk my head up and down. “Pain in my back, blood in my urine, call you. Got it.”
“Ice on and off. Stay away from strenuous activity.” She cleans the gel from my stomach and packs up her machine.
“Okay.” I force a smile. “Thank you for checking on me.”
They both rise, and I lower my shirt. I cover myself with the blanket again and close my eyes. Still, I hear Lenora’s friend say, “I’d keep her activity down for at least a week. I’ll write a note for you to send into the school.”
I push myself upright. “Wait,” I blurt out. “The dance?—”
“Halloween is still ten days away,” Lenora says gently. “I’m sure you’ll be recovered enough by then.” She raises her eyebrow at her friend.
The doctor smiles. “I’ll come back on Sunday and check on you.”
For the rest of the day, I drift between consciousness and sleep and try to forget Ian Fletcher.
When I wake up, it’s completely dark. The television rolls through end credits of a movie I completely missed, and I’m impossibly groggy. I feel around for my phone, and my hand lands on… skin.
I snap my hand back. Caleb is reclined in the chair adjacent to the couch, his eyes closed.
My heart does this awful thing: it softens.
I must’ve touched his hand, dangling off the chair’s arm.
Slowly, I sit up and readjust. I smooth down my hair, ensuring my shirt is in place. And by the time I look up, Caleb’s gaze is on me.
“Feeling better?”
“Not really.” The melted bag of ice slides off the couch. “Did you…?”
Caleb frowns. “Find Ian? Do anything? No. I’ve been warned not to cause any more waves at school.”
I grunt.
He leans toward me, tucking a chunk of hair behind my ear. “Lenora said you should be good to go for the dance, though.”
I manage a smile. “I hope so.”
“I know it.”
He turns on the lamp. I squint, blocking the light with my hand as he switches seats and slides in behind me. I lean on him while he inspects my throat.
“He’s not going to touch you again. Even if I need to get the whole fucking hockey team to keep him away from you?—”
“Isn’t Ian on the team?”
Caleb rolls his eyes. “Yeah. But not for very much longer. There’s a code of ethics to stand by. Plus, he’s a twat.”
Clearly.
The idea of him being kicked off the team is oddly satisfying.
“Where are Robert and Lenora?”
“They went out. They’ve been hovering, making sure you were still breathing. Or snoring, like you were when I came in.”
I elbow him.
“You’ll be back to school next week,” he promises. “And then the dance. And after…”
He wiggles his eyebrows.
I break into laughter. “What are you going to do, rent a hotel room?”
He grins.
My heart skips. “Did you?”
“Where’s the surprise in that?”
“Haven’t I mentioned that I don’t like surprises?”
He laughs. “No.”
A new movie comes on, and Caleb and I fall back into silence. I actually stay awake this time, getting through most of it before the front door opens. Lenora and Robert enter in a flurry, dropping their bags and shedding coats. They come over to me, feel my forehead, pat the top of my head.
It’s nice to be cared about. Suffocating and completely unfamiliar… but nice.
Caleb rises. “That’s my cue. I’ll see you later.”
Robert and Caleb shake hands.
When Caleb’s gone, the place feels a bit colder. I try not to let it show, though, because Lenora takes his seat almost immediately.
She puts the back of her hand on my forehead again. “How do you feel?”
I shrug. “The same.”
Everything hurts.
She shakes her head. “If you want to tell us who did this, we can go to the school.”
“What?” I would’ve guessed Riley told her. Hell, the whole school probably knows already. The big bully, Ian Fletcher, takes out his anger on Margo. Again.
“We know Caleb found you, but no one will tell us anything.” She wraps her hands in mine. “Please, honey, tell us so we can put an end to this. I don’t want you to feel scared?—”
“I don’t. I’m not scared.” It’s a bald-faced lie. I’m terrified.
She seems to analyze my face. Eventually, she nods. Whether she’s going along with my lie or unable to tell is anyone’s guess.
I carefully stand. “I’m going to go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Feel free to sleep in,” she tells me. “I’m leaving pretty early for work.”
“Okay. Goodnight.”
I hobble up the stairs—at this point, walking doesn’t totally hurt, but I’m indulging my melodramatic side—and slip into my bedroom.
“’Bout time,” Caleb whispers from the shadowy depths.
I jump, and my body greatly protests. Covering my groan with a rough exhale, I flick on the light. He’s sitting at my chair, fingers drumming on the edge of my desk.
“What?” he questions.
I shrug and glance back at the window. It’s cracked, letting in a biting chill. All the better to cuddle, I guess…
“Thought I locked it, is all.”
He smirks. “I unlocked it when I was here on a sanctioned visit.”
I sigh. The idea of not sleeping alone seems pretty damn good right about now. I was going to suffer my nightmares solo, but now I don’t have to.
He already has his shoes off.
I take a step toward the bed and freeze when he reaches under my pillow. “Planning on keeping this?” he asks, holding up his t-shirt.
I snatch it back and cradle it to my chest.
He just chuckles.
I lock my door and drop his shirt on my dresser, then venture closer. Somewhere between the beginning of the school year and now—only two months, shockingly—I stopped being afraid of him. I step between his legs, putting my hands on his shoulders. His eyes are level with my breasts, and he looks at them before tipping his head back and meeting my stare.
“Take my shirt off,” I whisper.
His hands are cold against my skin, lifting the hem of my shirt. He pulls it off me in one fluid motion, ruffling my hair. He tosses it to the floor beside him.
My bra goes, too. My nipples stiffen under his hot stare. His hand hovers between my shoulder blades, keeps me from jerking back as his thumb skates over my nipple. He focuses on the other one, leaning forward and flicking it with his tongue.
I groan.
“Does that hurt?” His thumb is still making lazy circles on my skin.
“I like it when it hurts.” The words slip out before I can stop them. I’d be mortified if I wasn’t enthralled with the way Caleb is touching me.
His eyes narrow. “Be specific.”
A shiver racks up my body.
His palm flattens against my stomach.
It’s a light touch, but my breath catches.
“This?”
I shake my head.
His hand goes down, slipping into my panties. He presses on my clit, and my lips part. His lips tip up in a smirk at my reaction. One finger slides inside me.
“This?”
I put my hands back on his shoulders, if only to make sure I remain upright.
“Caleb—”
“I asked you a question, baby.” His finger pushes in and out of me.
I can’t do much standing in front of him. One of his hands is on my back; one causes chaos inside me. His nail scrapes along my clit.
I shudder.
If I admit it, he might stop. This is just to prove a point, after all.
Three fingers.
His fingers curl inside me. I groan at the new feeling, widening my stance. I close my eyes.
Mistake.
His teeth are on my skin, biting my breast. He doesn’t do anything to soothe me. It’s just a trail along my chest, little spikes of pain. It’s maddening.
“You’re fucking soaked.” His eyes are impossibly dark. “You get wetter each time I do something to your body. So I guess that answers my question.”
I whimper when he pulls out.
“The doctor said no strenuous activities.” He smirks at me.
Bastard.
I grip his shoulders tighter and lower myself onto his lap. His erection brushes my thigh.
“Do you care what the doctor said?” Need and desire overrule common sense.
“I care about you being well enough to fuck you all night long after the ball,” he replies.
My core tightens.
“Like that idea, do you?”
“I—”
“Lie down.”
I do, shimmying off his lap and stretching flat on my mattress behind him. He twists on the bed and sprawls out next to me, so we’re arm to arm. He draws the blanket up over us and rolls onto his side.
He watches me, then reaches down between us. I narrow my gaze, but it isn’t until he lifts my leg and positions himself at my entrance do I release a breathy sigh.
He tips my hips back and slowly enters me. The stretch makes me ache, and I squirm. He holds me still until he’s fully inside me.
But he doesn’t move.
Instead, he exhales and whispers, “Sleep.”
“With you…?”
“I like a little torture, too.” He chuckles. “Just try.”
I could be petulant and throw a fit. Reach down and finish off the job myself—a scary proposition with Caleb wrapped up in me. I could beg him some more.
Yet, I doubt any of that would work.
Still. I close my eyes, and there’s no doubting that he’s right behind me. There’s no space at all between us. He shifts his hips slightly, sliding deeper, and I groan.
“Thank you,” I mumble.
“For what?”
“Chasing away my nightmares.”
He leans forward and kisses my forehead. “Anytime. Sleep now, love.”