It was time for another tactic. “I guess I’ll have to call child services.”
There were bonuses to being a foster child. Such as the protection of someone like Perry.
“Can’t call anyone if you’re dead,” he leaned in and growled in my ear. “And what would happen to your mother, then?”
He did not just go there.
Determination rolled through me. “Leave Charmaine alone.”
A twinkle sparked in his eye as a smirk pulled on the corner of his mouth. That’s when I realized if I wasn’t careful, Charmaine might pay for my mistake. And I highly doubted her so-called husband would do anything about it. I was all she had, and I pretty much just laid her out on a silver platter.
I could already see the wheels turning in Devlin’s head. If he treated me like this, what would he do to my mother? Charmaine couldn’t handle that. She could barely handle getting out of bed. Maybe it wasn’t too late. All I had to do was distract him from his current thought. That couldn’t be too hard.
I don’t know why I did what I did, but before I could think about it, I was up on my tiptoes, pressing my mouth to Devlin’s. It was a quick kiss. Not even long enough to be considered a peck, yet it shocked him just as much as it did me.
A tingle I couldn’t shake away warmed across my lips. I could still feel his mouth on mine. The fleeting touch lingered as we stood there staring at each other.
Devlin’s brow knit, deepening the lines of anger in his forehead. I watched his forearm flex, jaw tick, and got ready for what was about to come. Nothing could’ve prepared me for what happened.
I opened my mouth but forgot what I was going to say when Devlin pushed me back against the wall and slammed his mouth down on mine. This kiss wasn’t quick. Nor was it a soft touch.
It was feral and hungry and full of rage. Devlin’s mouth moved against mine in a demanding manner that I couldn’t resist. Despite what my mind was saying, my body gave in. I whimpered and parted my lips.
One second of his tongue on mine was all I got before the kiss was over, replaced by the tight hold constricting around my throat.
“The next time you touch me,” Devlin hissed in my ear. “I’ll break your fucking hand.”
And then he was gone. Leaving me alone to wonder what the fuck just happened?
Foster care was full of all kinds of fun experiences other families didn’t encounter. Like meeting new people and understanding that they didn’t have your best interests in mind. Or how to pack light because you never knew when you were going to move.
But I gotta say, my favorite experience so far was being locked in a dungeon. Just when I didn’t think my welcome into the Adair household could get any better, Devlin showed me what a cherry on top of a fully fermented and iced shit cake looked like.
Fortunately for me, that wasn’t my first time being locked in a room. It wasn’t even my fifth. There was one home where I knew every inch of my room better than I did the closet Charmaine stuck me in. Solitary confinement was just another day for me. Hell, sometimes I preferred it.
Not many ten-year-olds were given the gift of self-reflection. Besides, when else would I have had the time to teach myself how to pick a lock?
That was something I was sure Devlin didn’t expect. Otherwise, he would’ve searched me for hidden things, like, say, a set of self-made lock picks tucked in my hair.
The Adair dungeon had a decent lock, but I still cracked that sucker in under ten minutes. I came bursting out of there, ready to kick ass, with a whip in my hand. Angus and Devlin were nowhere to be found.
I did scare the hell out of one of the maids, though.
On a side note, movies lied. Whips were not easy to handle. I think I hit myself more than I did the floor. And that shit hurt.
So, I decided to put that weapon of self-destruction away and spent the rest of the night making unanswered calls to Perry. Based on the text I was currently staring at, I’d say he got my many angry messages.
Perry: You need to calm down Sydney.
I shook my head. No wonder Perry was single. When in the history of women have the words “calm down” ever worked?
Me: I am calm.
I managed to get up, shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast without killing anyone. Considering how my night went, I’d say I was doing pretty good. Mind you, it probably helped that no one was in the kitchen when I got something to eat. Devlin might’ve found out what it felt like to have a spoon shoved up his ass.
Perry: You didn’t sound very calm.
That was a fair point, but…
