When I'm With You (Little Hollow Series, #2)(47)

But after a few weeks I think he started to realize it himself. She wasn’t coming back and that was the last time either of us saw her again. My uncle was furious and he stopped coming around as much which I guess was the only good thing about the whole situation.

I shiver at the memory. She left me, just like that. It was that easy for her to just abandon her only child.

I sit up straighter as the door creaks open, he’s not messing around today. He stalks up to me and grabs me by my tatty hair.

“I saw your old fuck buddy today,” he sneers.

He’s left me confused and I stare at him open mouthed, not knowing what he’s talking about. “He’s trying to turn everyone against me, thinks he can take my position at the club.” He says it like he’s talking to himself. “If he’s going to take away something from me, I’m going to take away something from him.”

He has a crazed look in his eyes as he stares me down.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, I don’t have anything to do with the club anymore!” I shout.

He’s completely ignoring me, in one of his headspaces that he’s just not listening. “I watched you with him, always with him, yet he never made you his Old Lady.” He smirks at me. “He always saw you for the whore you are, you were never worth anything else than that.”

He stalks to the other side of the room and laughs. Now I’m even more confused, I was never with anyone from the club, unless…

“Bear will not turn my brother against me!” He shouts and my suspicions are confirmed. He’s talking about Hunter. “And… he’ll never have you again,” he whispers menacingly. I back away as much as I can into the corner, pressing myself against the wall. “I failed to get in those panties of yours before, it won’t happen again!”

He pounces and grabs my hair, dragging me across the floor, my scalp burning with pain. “You’re a whore, just like your mom. So I’m going to treat you like one.”

I fight with all the adrenaline that is pumping through me, clawing at his hands as he pins me to the dirty mattress that I’ve desperately tried to stay away from. I kick out and writhe underneath him, pausing briefly when I hear the sound of him undoing his belt. No!

“Get off me!” I screech over and over again, never letting my onslaught of fists and legs stop. I can’t let him do this to me, I’ve got away from him before, I can do it again.

I tap my foot to the beat of Hell Yeah by Rev Theory as I fold up the laundry, the beat of the heavy drums flooding through me, energizing me. My boss sent me home early from work today, the salon wasn’t busy like normal so there was no point in us all being there, so I readily ‘volunteered’ to come home.

Dad’s most likely at the club and won’t be back until late tonight so I have the house to myself to get some much needed housework done. The music changes tempo and I start shaking my hips when the beat kicks in to Baby Got Back.

“Nice moves, Sir Mixalot.”

I gasp and spin around, flushing red at the sight of Hunter leaning up against the doorframe to the utility room.

“How long have you been stood there for?” I ask wide eyed.

He laughs. “Longer than you want to know.”

I want to die from embarrassment!

He’s chuckling to himself and I throw a towel at his head. “Sir Mixalot ain’t got nothin’ on me.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t give up your day job just yet,” he laughs out and shields his face from another round of laundry headed his way. “You busy?”

I look down at the huge pile in front of me like that’s a dumb question.

“Well I can see you’re doing this now, but what’s your plans after?” He asks with a hopeful look on his face.

“I’ve got the vacuuming to do then I’m just going to catch up on Breaking Bad.” I shrug my shoulders. “Nothing exciting.”

“So no chance of stealing Cinderella away tonight?”

I shake my head. “Not tonight, H. I just wanna get all this done and be lazy for the rest of the day.”

He smiles. “Can we be lazy together?”

I chuckle and shake my head, picking the laundry up off the floor that I threw at him. “To be honest, I just want to veg alone tonight. I’ve had no time off in a while.”

He looks disappointed but covers it up with a cheeky wink. “Another time then.”

He gives me a quick wave and I cringe at the song that blasts over the speakers next. He spins around, mouth wide open as Avril Lavigne, Complicated, blares out and I scramble to turn it off.

I hear his deep laughter over the song. “You have fuckin’ terrible taste in music!”

I manage to turn it off, dousing the room in deathly silence apart from Hunter’s sarcastic comments about my playlist.

“Alright, out!” I command.

He holds up his hands. “Alright, teeny bopper, don’t hit me with your skateboard.”

I hold back the embarrassed laugh that bubbles it’s way up my throat.

I punch him in his arm. “Shut up, Hunter. You used to listen to her. Now get out.”

“Prove it.” He winks then walks out the front door, leaving me red faced.

I press my back against the door and laugh at myself, it’s just music, why am I so bothered by what he thinks?