Chapter 62
The fear that crawls up my spine paralyzes me.
1 dig my nails into my palm so I can wake up if this is a dream.
The pain runs through my arm. This is not a dream.
༢)
“Get off me.” I plan to say it with firm authority, but it comes out as a weak whimper that makes something wild glint in Lucas‘ eyes.
He presses harder into me, and a gasp sticks in my throat when I feel something hard press into my lower belly.
He smirks as he throws my words back at me.
“No.”
“Please.” My lip wobbles. Get the fuck off me, you pervert.
sick
Lucas kisses his teeth. “Begging? You know all my kinks, April.”
When he leans in closer, my eyes widen, and something shifts in my brain. This is really happening, and if I stand here quivering like a little bitch. Lucas Ashford is going to take my innocence in the worst possible way.
So, without thinking, I raise my knee as hard as I can, and I’m rewarded by his sharp groan. The breath I take when he staggers back feels like the first one in forever.
Lucas swears, doubling over as he clutches his groin. “You bitch,” he spits, his face contorting in pain.
My lip twitches slightly, satisfaction running through me. “Thought you said you like a little struggle.”
His eyes flash with anger that makes my bravado instantly evaporate. He growls and moves towards me with so much potential ferocity, a scream builds up in my throat.
Before it climbs out and alerts everyone nearby to what is going on, a voice cuts through the atmosphere.
“April?”
I turn towards the sound of my name to see Peter step into view, a bunch of items from the scavenger hunt in his grip.
I move away from Lucas towards him. “Hey!” I greet breathlessly, resisting the urge to throw my hands around him and sob in relief.
Peter frowns at me and then looks behind me at his brother. Lucas has straightened, and his usual blank, polite expression–which I now know is an elaborate mask–is back on his face.
“What’s happening here?” Peter asks, more curious than suspicious. He must not have seen anything that happened. He must also not know about his older brother’s extracurricular activities.
Before I can say, ‘Your brother just tried to sexually assault me in these woods,‘ Eliza comes into view.
“Found it!” she gasps, waving the map. “It’s the bridge at the-” She comes to a skidding halt when she sees Peter and Lucas.
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13:05 Fri,
Chapter 62
“Uh… hi.”
My palms start to sweat. This is too much.
“Liza,” I say. “I think I’m going to go lie down for a bit. You think you can finish the hunt on your own.”
She nods, concern etched over her features. “You sure you’re okay?”
I nod, forcing a smile I know doesn’t reach my eyes. “I’ll see you back in the room.”
My smile turns a little more genuine when I look at Peter. He doesn’t know what he just did, but I’ll never forget.
I leave the woods without looking back.
“April?” I jolt when I feel an elbow gently nudge me. I look at June, blinking in confusion.
“It’s your turn,” she whispers.
“My-” I look around the campfire, and my face flushes when I realize everyone is staring at me expectantly.
After heading back to my cabin, I somehow managed to block out what happened and fell asleep. I woke up to the sound of excited chatter and came out to find everyone gathered around the campfire.
I had no legitimate excuse–none that wouldn’t raise questions, anyway–not to join in.
So I sat between June and Eliza as all the girls and the heirs played game after game. We played charades and story chain, and now we’re playing two truths and a lie.
Each person says three things about themselves. One is a lie, and everyone must guess the lie.
I swallow tightly, racking my brain for something to say. “Um…” I almost got raped in the woods. “I can do a handstand on only one hand.” Lucas Ashford is a sexual predator. “I’ve eaten an insect before.” Lucas Ashford is a sexual predator who likes to corner girls and assault them. “And I’ve never been out of Chicago before.”
Valerie scoffs. “Well, the lie is obvious. I bet you’ve never even seen the inside of an airplane.” She and her last remaining minion snicker, and I roll my eyes.
In a way, I’m grateful for the surge of irritation that rushes through me; it’s much better than the fear situated in my chest from the fact that Lucas is sitting right across from me.
“Actually, I took a model UN school trip to New York.” I smirk at her. “If I tried to do a bandstand, I would break my neck.”
She rolls her eyes. “Whatever; you’ve eaten an insect before and that’s gross.”
“I’m pretty sure you’ve had more gross things in your mouth,” Peter cuts in, innuendo dripping from his words, and Valerie’s face turns red, her mouth clamping shut.
“My turn,” Eliza pipes up, and I let out a breath of relief when the attention is no longer on me.
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13:05 Fri, Oct 3
Chapter 62
:.
The game continues with my head down. I force myself to focus on the words being said around me, not the images replaying in my mind.
My head snaps up when I hear a familiar warm voice. “I can speak five languages,” Nathan says. “I’ve never cooked a meal for myself before. And I’ve swam in the Pacific Ocean.”
“The first one,” Bea pipes up. She’s seated next to him, and if she leans forward any more, she’ll fall right into his lap.
Nathan shakes his head. “I cook for myself quite a lot.”
“You can speak five languages?” Bea asks, clearly impressed.
A small smile twitches on my lips as he nods.
“Which?”
English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, and Italian
“English, Italian, French, Spanish, and Mandarin.” He frowns slightly like he just realized something, and his gaze snaps to mine, making me stiffen.
“Actually, I represented my Model UN club in high school“-he cocks his head to the side, still looking at me“-in New York.”
My eyes widen as I realize what I just let slip. Shit.
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