Read Make Me (Bully Me #2) Online
Authors: C. E. Starkweather
"What about Greg and Kelsey?" He asked, laying back. Kaine shrugged. "We kind of lost touch in college. Last I heard, they were still together. Did you have any serious relationships after you left?" She asked. He shook his head. "I dated a little, but no one I really liked."
"I'm sure you did fine," Kaine assured him. "You never had any trouble in high school."
He snorted. "Really? Because the only girl I wanted didn’t want me back."
Kaine looked away. She hadn’t meant to upset him. She just wanted to remind him that there were other girls out there besides her. "Cam, I didn’t..."
"Why, Kaine? Why did you choose him over me? He treated you like absolute shit, and you fucking married him and had a kid with him. How could you do that?"
She wanted to tell him that what she did was none of his business, but didn’t want to get him angry. "I can’t explain it," she finally said. "I fell in love with him. You can’t help who you fall in love with. It just happens. And he’s good to me, Cam. He loves me and Adam and he’d never do anything to hurt me. He feels awful about how he used to treat me."
Camden grabbed her hand. "I never treated you like that. I loved you before you lost weight. He didn’t give a shit about you until you were thin enough for him."
"That’s not..."
"What did he have that I didn’t have, Kaine? Why couldn’t you love me the way I loved you?"
She shook her head. "I’m sorry, Cam."
His jaw clenched in anger. "I don’t think you are."
Tears spilled down her cheeks. "What do you want me to say?"
He looked at her intently. "Tell me you love me."
She bit her lip. She knew she should tell him what he wanted to hear, but Shane’s face flashed through her mind, and she couldn’t bring herself to say it. "I can’t," she whispered. Camden nodded and got up, leaving the room without another word. Kaine waited for him to come back, but he didn’t. She quietly cried herself to sleep, praying for Shane to find her.
16
Kaine laid in bed, counting the swirls on the ceiling. She had no idea how long it had been since Camden left, but it felt like forever. The room had no TV or books, and she had never been so bored in her life. She looked for a camera, and although she couldn’t find one, she was almost sure she was being watched. She was starving. At least there was a sink in the small bathroom so she could drink. She hummed to herself as she rocked back and forth in bed. She gasped and shot up as the door opened and Camden walked in with a sandwich. "Hungry?" He asked. She nodded, unable to take her eyes off of the sandwich. He sat down next to her. "Tell me you love me."
She tore her eyes away from the sandwich. "Huh?"
"Tell me you love me, and you can have the sandwich. Then you can take a shower. Doesn’t that sound nice?"
It did sound nice. The sandwich was the best looking thing she had ever seen. It seemed like weeks since she had eaten. She looked up at his expectant face. All she had to do was say that she loved him. It didn’t matter that they both knew it wasn’t true. He just wanted her to say it. "I..." She trailed off. She didn’t want to give in. The idea of telling this monster that she loved him made her feel sick. Camden shrugged and he stood up. "I guess I’ll try again in a few days."
The idea of being in that room without food for even one more hour was unbearable. "Wait," she cried. "Don’t go."
He turned around and smirked at her. She wanted to slap the smug look off of his face and briefly considered it, but she wasn’t in any position to make him angrier than he already was. She cleared her throat. "I love you," she said flatly.
He sat back down next to her. "Say it like you mean it."
She let out a breath.
"Look into my eyes and say it, Kaine."
She looked into his eyes. "I love you, Camden," she said with as much emotion as she could muster. He smiled happily at her. "I love you too, Kaine Spencer." He handed her the sandwich as she fought back tears. She felt ashamed for giving in to him.
It doesn’t matter. You didn’t mean it. You know that. You did what you needed to do for Shane and Adam.
She took a small bite of the sandwich. It was the best thing she had ever tasted. "How long have I been in here?" She asked quietly.
"Three days," he said. She almost choked. It felt like weeks. "Eat slowly," he instructed. "Otherwise you’ll get sick."
He watched her as she ate. She ignored him and stared at the wall. "Better?" He asked as she finished the sandwich. She nodded, still not looking at him. "Ready for a shower?"
She nodded again and stood up, letting him take her hand. He led her out of the room and towards the bathroom. For a split second she considered running again, but quickly shot the idea down. She wouldn’t get away, and he would only punish her again.
Kaine turned around in the bathroom, staring at Camden expectantly. "Can I have some privacy?"
He smiled. "Sure, beautiful. I’ll be right outside when you’re done." He closed the door and Kaine turned on the water and quickly undressed. She stepped under the hot spray and let the water run over her. It felt glorious. She washed her hair and took her time washing her body. She stayed under the water until it turned too cold to stand. She didn’t care that Camden was outside waiting for her. She had waited for him for three days. She reluctantly turned off the water and wrapped herself in the towel that Camden had left for her. She opened the door to see him waiting for her. "Have you been here the whole time?" She asked. He nodded, looking at her lustfully. She pulled the towel tighter, wishing that it was longer. "Ready to go back?" He asked. She glanced down the hall. The thought of spending any more time alone in the small room was unbearable. "Do I have to?"
He shrugged. "That depends on you. What do you want to do?"
I want to beat the shit out of you and go home to my family, you fucking bastard.
"I want to sit outside. Just for a few minutes."
He smiled at her. "We can do that."
She couldn’t help but smile back at him. The thought of fresh air was exciting. "Really? Let me just throw some clothes on." She ran back to the bedroom before he had a chance to tell her something stupid like she had to be naked. She threw on a knee length blue dress and clean underwear. She left the room to find Camden standing at the front door. "I’m ready. Let’s go," she said, turning the knob and opening the door. He slammed the door shut and she looked up at him, surprised. "Not yet," he said. "We have to go over a few rules."
She waited for him to continue.
"You hold my hand and don’t let go. If you let go, we’re gonna have a problem."
She nodded nervously.
"Keep your mouth shut. Don’t even think about calling for help. If you scream, I’ll fuck you."
She gasped and backed away.
"Calm down," he said, rolling his eyes. "You don’t have to be scared if you don’t scream."
She bit her lip to keep from crying. She wasn’t planning on screaming or running, but hearing of how he would punish her if she did was chilling. The casual way he threatened to rape her immediately crushed her spirits.
"Ready?" He asked, holding out his hand. She didn’t want to go outside anymore. She wanted to go back in her small, boring room. At least it meant being away from him. Afraid to tell him that she had changed her mind, she reluctantly took his hand and let him lead her outside. She stopped short as she looked around at the woods surrounding the small cabin they were in. Nobody would hear her if she screamed anyway. They were in the middle of nowhere.
"Where are we?" She asked.
"Home," he replied.
"What about your mother?"
"Assisted living." He pulled her towards the middle of the yard. "Sit down." He sat behind her and pulled her against him.
"This is beautiful," she said. "Where is it?"
"I told you, we’re home," he said, nuzzling her hair.
Kaine was silent for a minute. "I’d like to meet your mother," she tried. Camden snorted. "What’s the point? She doesn’t know what’s going on. Plus, do you really think she’d want to meet the girl who ruined her life?"
"What? How did I..."
"Forcing us to move away, making my dad find a new job. You may not have pressed charges, but everyone at the firm knew what happened. I should have been able to finish my senior year, but you can’t go to school with someone who has a restraining order against you, right? And that was the thanks I got for watching over you and trying to protect you from that worthless loser that you married. My mom was depressed. If we hadn’t been forced to move away, my parents never would have never gotten in that accident. My father would still be alive."
Kaine tried to stand up, but he yanked her back down and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I said don’t let go of my hand," he said quietly. Tears spilled down her face. "Are you kidding me?" She cried. "You’re blaming me for what happened? You think it’s my fault that you had to leave?" She knew she should keep her mouth shut, but she was furious. "Did you ever think what I went through? You tried to rape me. You hit me and ripped my clothes off. What would you have done if Shane hadn’t gotten there when he did? Tell me, Camden. Tell me what you would have done and where you’d be right now."
He glared at her. "I seem to recall you liked it when Shane ripped your clothes off. How was that any different than what he did?"
Her mouth dropped open. "How was it different? Are you kidding me?" She cried.
He stood up, pulling her with him. He dragged her back inside and slammed the door. "I told you not to scream."
"I wasn’t screaming," she protested.
He pressed her against the wall. "I think you were."
She shook her head. "I’m sorry," she whimpered.
"Sorry only goes so far," he said softly. "I told you I was sorry for what happened and you clearly haven’t forgiven me. Tell me why I should forgive you."
"I forgive you," she sobbed. "I swear I do. I’m sorry for what I did to your family."
He grabbed her face and stared at her with hard eyes.
"I love you," she whispered. She breathed a sigh of relief when his eyes softened and he let go of her face. "I love you too," he said. "I’m sorry I grabbed you. I don’t want to hurt you, Kaine."
She stared into his clear blue eyes, wondering what she ever saw in him. He was good looking on the outside, but his eyes were cold and soulless. She took a deep breath, hating herself for what she was about to do. "It was like that with Shane," she said softly. "I don’t want it to be like that with us. I don’t want to be scared of you like I was with him."
His eyes widened. "I don’t want you to be scared of me either. I’m not like him, Kaine. I can give you so much more and make you so happy."
She wrapped her arms around him and he froze for a second before hugging her back. She glanced around the kitchen and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the knife block on the counter. She pulled away. "I have a surprise for you."
He looked at her skeptically. She smiled seductively and took a few steps toward the counter then spun back around. She slowly reached under her dress and pulled her panties off, dropping them on the floor.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"Come here," she softly said. He took a few tentative steps toward her. "What are you doing, Kaine?" He repeated.
She hopped up on the counter. "I want you, Camden."
He crossed his arms. "Just like that, huh? Five minutes ago, you were scared of me." He tried to keep his face hard, but Kaine saw the hope in his eyes. She forced herself to keep looking into his eyes. "Since you came back, I’ve been having these feelings. I can’t explain it. When Shane left, I felt free for the first time in years. Like I could finally breathe. I didn’t have to be afraid anymore. I want you, Camden. It’s always been you. Not him."
He scoffed. "So that’s why you got the restraining order? Because you wanted me? That makes a lot of sense."
"I didn’t do that," she protested. "Shane was the one who called the police. I wouldn’t have told anyone. I love you, Camden Lawson. Let me prove it to you."
"You took him back."
"I was scared," she said softly. "I didn’t have anyone to protect me like I do now."
He watched her for a second, trying to gauge her sincerity. "So what now?"
She lifted her dress over her hips and his eyes widened. "Now you fuck me on this counter."
Camden took two long strides to her and grabbed her face, pressing his mouth to hers. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer as he groaned. She tugged at his shirt and he took the hint, pulling it over his head. Her plan was to grab the knife while his shirt was over his head, but it happened too quickly. She gasped as he lifted her up. "My first time with you isn’t going to be on a counter."
"Wait!" She cried as he started walking to the room she was kept in. He ignored her and kept walking, lowering her to the bed. "I have to pee," she said desperately as he kissed her neck.
"You can wait," he muttered.
"I can’t. I have to go now."
Camden sighed, frustrated. "Hurry up."
She slid out from under him and quickly went to the tiny bathroom, closing the door. She let out a shaky breath and forced herself to think. She needed to get out of this room and somehow lock him in, but she had no idea where he kept the key. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if she tried to escape and he caught her, but she wasn’t going to have sex with him. No way.
"Hurry up!" He yelled. She rolled her eyes and came out of the bathroom, shocked to see Camden lying on the bed in his boxers. He grinned at her. "Take off your dress."
She hesitated, then walked to the foot of the bed. "Don’t look," she tried.
"Why?" He asked, annoyed.
"I’m shy. I don’t want you to see me."
"Kaine, stop it. Take off your clothes."
She glanced around, seeing his jeans on the floor next to the bed. She slowly walked over to them and turned around, unzipping her dress. She lifted it over her head, turning around and facing him. His eyes widened and he grinned at her. "You’re even more beautiful than I remember. Come here."