I don’t know what to say. I’m struggling not to cry too hard to speak anyway. These boys owe me nothing, have no obligation to be help me or even be kind to me. And yet, here they are, taking care of me in the way Lennox does, and my stepdad in the way Maddox does.
I swallow hard at the thought, fear gripping my chest and making it hard to breathe. Lee has guns—lots of guns. Maddox isn’t the only one who knows how to kill.
fifteen
Rae West
I balk just inside the door, trying to turn back. “He shouldn’t go over there alone,” I blurt out, the fear overwhelming me. “Lee will kill him!”
“He’s fine,” Lennox assures me, his arm tightening around my shoulders. “You’ll sleep here tonight, and you’ll hear him come back, and he’ll be fine. He knows what he’s doing. I promise.”
I’m breathing hard, fighting the urge to freak out. But I’m trained in the art of keeping quiet and not disturbing things, so I swallow the terror and press my nails in until the pain settles my spinning thoughts. I let Lennox pull me into their small, cozy house without further protest. It’s as old and drab as mine, but the kitchen is painted yellow, and the curtains are white with little yellow flowers on them. There’s a little altar set up in one corner of the living room with candles and a crucifix, dried flowers and faded pictures with the corners curling inwards propped up between other things.
“You boys ready for tamales?” sings a cheerful voice, and Valeria comes dancing into the hall from the kitchen before pulling up short when she sees us.
A short, rapid-fire exchange in Spanish ensues, during which I stand there awkwardly wondering if he’s telling her what happened and where Maddox is. Surely she’ll send me home and demand that I send her son back in exchange. But after a minute, she goes back to the kitchen, and Lennox leads me down the hall and into the room with the two twin beds and the painting on the wall.
He closes the door behind us and smiles down at me, and my heart flips as I realize we’re alone this time. In his bedroom.
“Look at you, you’re soaking wet,” he says, that soft smile still on his lips. He reaches up and pulls off my beanie, dropping it to the floor. He cups my face, skimming his thumb lightly over the red mark on my face from Lee’s palm. That one won’t leave a bruise, though it’s swollen and hot tonight.
Lennox slides his hand back, threading his fingers through my hair and wrapping his hand around the back of my head. Then he pulls me in, angling his face down to meet mine. My heart stops. His kiss is slow and sensual this time, nothing like the one in the hall at school. This is a real kiss, one that sends waves of pleasure rocking through my body. His lips move against mine, increasing and decreasing the pressure in a rhythm that makes my toes curl and my hands rise to touch him of their own accord. I run my palm up his back, feeling the heat and lean muscle beneath his wet t-shirt.
He gives a soft moan, and a rush of heat floods my center. I fist my hand in the back of his hair, and he growls and grips my hip, pulling me flush against his body. I gasp in pain, and he must take it as pleasure, because he pushes his tongue inside. He rocks his hips against mine and angles his mouth to go deeper. He tastes me, slow and sensuous.
I think my knees will give way, but he tightens his hold on my hip. I wince, brought back to the battered state of my body by the pain. I forgot it for a moment, forgot everything but Lennox’s lips, his tongue expertly guiding me, his hand cradling my head and holding me tight to him so his tongue can slide deep inside my mouth, fucking it slowly and thoroughly.
“Lennox,” I gasp, tearing my mouth away, suddenly scared. He’s too good at this.
“Rae,” he says, lifting his other hand to the other side of my head, holding my face while he drops his forehead to mine. “Let me make you feel good.”
“I don’t know,” I whisper, scared to say yes, scared to say no.
He runs his finger down the side of my nose and over my lips, rolling my bottom lip down. Groaning, he leans in and nips it, drawing my lower lip between his teeth and biting down gently. Warm tingles of pleasure race through my body, and between my legs throbs with pleasure the way my bruises throb with pain. He drags his tongue along my lip, holding my face more roughly and tugging my lip between his, sucking at it for a second. Then he pulls away, his tawny eyes hazy with heat.
“Fuck, this mouth,” he groans, thumbing my wet lip with paint-stained skin.
When I don’t answer, he chuckles and drops his hands, stepping back from me. I curse myself for being such a naïve little virgin that I froze with nervousness.
“Let’s get you out of those wet clothes,” he says, reaching for my shirt. When I tense, he pauses, gripping the bottom hem. “Vení,Rae. I won’t do anything you don’t want. Just relax. I know you’re not ready to be fucked. We’re just going to get you in some dry pajamas.Si?”
I nod, relaxing and reaching for my shirt. I pull it up, but he sees me wince at the movement and covers my hands with his, stopping me. “Let me.”
“I’m fine,” I say, still not quite able to let go and let someone take care of me.
“You’re not fine,” he says softly. “Stop trying to do it on your own. I’m here. I’m going to take care of you now. So let me.”
I nod again, too nervous to speak as he slowly peels my wet shirt off and drops it on the floor. He stares at my body, not with horror at the marks but with hunger. Then he peels off my sports bra, which is tight and makes me suck in shuddering breaths through the pain at having to wriggle out of it.
When that’s off, he swears under his breath and steps back again, holding my body between his hands and studying me from behind his glasses. My nipples pebble with cold, exposed to the air and damp from the rain. Lennox moves his hand in, skimming his thumb over the tight tip. I shiver, and his eyes blaze with heat again.
“Dios mío,”he groans, dropping to his knees. He peels down my damp jeans, leaving my underwear in place, and then he kneels up, laying soft kisses over the bruise forming on my ribs, red and purple. He moves over, kissing down the ones Lee left on my side, my hips, my belly. He slows there, his thumbs caressing my sides as if to calm me. I’m shaking with nerves, with fear and excitement. I’ve only just had my first real kiss, and now I’m almost naked in front of a boy. It’s nothing like in the gym earlier.
“Lennox,” I manage, my voice coming out with a slight croak.
“Trust me?” he asks, holding my hips and looking up at me. His warm breath comes quick, skimming over my skin and making more goosebumps rise. I can’t see his eyes behind his glasses with the light reflecting off them, but after a second, I bite my lip and nod.
Lennox leans in, his mouth lingering as it gently worships each inch of bruised skin. At the same time, he moves one hand lower. I quake when his thumb skims over the front of my panties. Tingles race along my limbs and swirl between my thighs as the blood rushes there, pulsing with hunger. His mouth moves lower, and he tugs the side strap of my panties lower, kissing from my hipbone inwards.