Tormented: A Bully Romance Anthology Read online

  I clench my teeth until I hear a pop. This is exactly why I’ve kept my distance all through high school. Why, even though I never participated, I never stopped the comments thrown at Jules by my brother and his friends.

  They torment her now. It would be a thousand times worse if they knew how I felt about her. It would be open season on Jules Montgomery, and my father would lead the charge. They will rip her apart and fucking burn the pieces.

  I clench my teeth even harder and glare at Sam.

  “Fuck you. I helped the girl out because I’m not a total dickhead like you two. There was no way I’d make it back to Parkerberg in that snow. It was either the cabin or my truck and I wasn’t about to sleep in there when the cabin was close.”

  I hate every word that comes out of my mouth, but I can’t put a target on Jules. We’re three months from graduation. Three fucking months till I’m free from all the bullshit.

  Sam and Luc are going to state, but I want as far away from this town as possible. When Chase said he was applying to a bunch of colleges west of the Mississippi, I jumped with him.

  My father has no idea I got accepted to Claremont already. Chase and I took a chance with early admission. Thanks to my grandparents, I have a trust fund big enough to walk away from my father. But I need to wait until graduation so I can walk away from him and Parkerburg all at once and never look back.

  My father could do a lot of damage to Jules in three short months and I can't let it happen. Maybe after high school? Hell, I have no idea what her plans are for the future. Her family has been in this town for as many generations as mine. Maybe she wants to stay.

  “She’s a fucking guest for the night, so stay away from her and in the morning she'll be gone.” I glare at my brother, then Sam, and grab the tray with Jule’s food. Hopefully, the soup didn’t go cold while I was dealing with the bullshit.

  Chase follows me out of the kitchen but stops at the bottom of the stairs.

  “I’ve heard them talk trash about that family for a couple years, but that’s some next level fucked up shit right there.” He scrubs his hand over his face and glances back where low voices come from the kitchen. “If it wasn’t a fucking blizzard out, I’d recommend you drive her back tonight. “

  “If it wasn’t a fucking blizzard I never would have brought her here in the first place.”

  “You go take care of your girl, man. I’ll make sure those dickheads don’t set a foot upstairs.”

  I pause at the foot of the stairs. “Thank god this will all be behind us in a few months.”

  Chase grins. “Fuck yeah. Cali here we come.”

  The tightness in my chest eases and I carry the tray upstairs. At the door to my room, I hesitate and my pulse kicks up. I listen but don’t hear anything, Jules must still be in the bathroom, so I quietly open the door and inside.

  I freeze after the first step. Jules sits on the bed, looking so small in my clothes, on my bed. I swallow the lump that lodges in my throat.

  “Hey.” I keep my voice soft so I don’t startle her, but I still see the way her shoulders tense. I want to go back downstairs and punch my brother for doing this to her. “I brought you some soup.”

  The light outside the windows has faded and there’s just the bedside lamp on, which bathes the room in a soft glow. I set the tray down next to her and move to the chair next to the fireplace.

  “Do you want me to turn it on? Are you cold?”

  “No thanks.” A smile teases over her lips. “That shower is amazing.”

  “I’ll throw your clothes in the wash when I go back down. I didn’t know what you liked, so the soup is chicken noodle. There’s some crackers and a water, but if you want something else I can get it for you.”

  I rest my elbows on my thighs and lean forward, clasping my hands together. Every muscle is coiled so tight I ache.

  “Roman, I’m fine. Thank you. For all of this.”

  Every time she says my name, my chest tightens and it’s hard to fucking breathe. With other people around at school, I can fight all the feelings, but alone with her, in my room, is messing with my head. I can’t stop looking at her.

  Every ounce of willpower is fighting against the urge to claim her as mine and fuck everything else.

  Now isn’t the time. She’s vulnerable and tired and my asshole brother is downstairs. I push to my feet and move toward the door.

  “If you need anything, I’ll be in the room across the hall with Chase. Lock the door behind me if it makes you feel safer Jules. I won’t be offended. In the morning, after breakfast, I’ll take you home. Might be a couple days until you get your car back though. By now it’s probably buried under a few feet of snow.”

  She sits still on the bed, her hands clasped on her thighs but I can feel her stare on the back of my neck. My hand shakes when I twist the knob.

  “Good night Jules.”

  I can’t look at her. If I do, I might give in and go to her. I know I’m not strong enough to resist.

  “Good night Roman.”

  I close the door behind me and then lean back against it, my heart pounding in my chest. I want to go to her, I can practically feel her through the thin wood, but I can’t.

  As I force my feet to move, I drag my fingers through my hair.

  I have a feeling this is going to be the longest night of my life.

  Chapter Five

  Jules

  At some point in the night, the power goes off.

  It’s the slowing hum of the ceiling fan that wakes me at first. When I open my eyes, it’s pitch black and I can hear the wind howling outside. It’s why I turned the fan on in the first place. I hate the sound of the wind, but not as much as I fear the dark.

  I reach for my phone and my hand hits an unfamiliar surface. I can’t see my hand in front of my face and I fight down the first waves of panic. As I search around blindly, nothing is familiar. The bed is too soft, the comforter thick and smooth. Even the smell is wrong.

  I trip and half fall out of the bed, crawl on my hands and knees trying to find a way out.

  Where is the door?

  Somehow I find myself in a corner and I push my back against the walls. There is nothing but blackness and wind battering at the windows. Cold has started to seep into the room, crowding out the warmth. I close my eyes, suck air into my rapidly deflating lungs, but nothing helps.

  In the dark, I’m back there.

  The smell of musty rotting wood begins to fill my nose and I curl my knees up against my chest. Pressure pushes down against my chest and my harsh breathing fills the dead air. I whimper and push my face down, cradle it in the crook of my arm.

  I can’t get small enough.

  Damp earth brushes my skin, the feel abrasive and cold. Wind howls outside, shaking the small drafty building until I’m sure it’s going to fall apart on top of me. Though I can’t see them, I know sharp pruning shears hang over my head. In the dark, I can almost see them breaking loose from their hook and plunging into my body.

  I shake so hard that my teeth rattle. No one can hear me over the storm. No one knows I’m locked in here. Light dances along the edge of my vision, but it’s not the kind that will help me see.

  Something crawls over my naked foot.

  I scream.

  I hear a crash and curl my arms tighter around my knees. A sweep of light rolls over me and I cringe away, huddle closer into the corner. Light means pain.

  “Please no more. I’ll be good I promise,” I whimper. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” I chant the apology over and over, waiting for the feel of the belt. The fists. Whatever they feel like hitting me with, it’s never the same. I never know what to expect.

  Voices filter through the pounding in my ears.

  “What the hell? Jules?”

  “The fuck is wrong with her?”

  A body hits the ground next to me with a loud thud. Strong arms wrap around my waist and I’m pulled onto a lap. A sob wrenches from me and I fight against the hold.
<
br />   “No. No!” I scream. It never helps but it’s my body’s natural reaction. “Don’t touch me. Please, I’m sorry.”

  I thrash blindly and the arms fall away. All I can make out are shadows, bodies all around me.

  Harsh breathing fills the air and I curl into a tight ball. Boots. Will they kick me this time? Steel toed missiles that bruise easily. My tongue feels thick and my words are spongy, but I keep saying them over and over.

  I’m sorry.

  I don’t know what I did this time. Forgot to clean? Didn’t have beer in the fridge? Looked at them wrong. I never know until they tell me after I’m black and blue.

  They aim at places that can be hidden.

  There’s a lot of skin that can be covered.

  “Fuck man, this is some fucked up shit right here.”

  “I’ll be good.” I whimper at the anger I hear in the familiar voice. “Please don’t.” I cover my head with my hands and duck even lower, curl in on myself as tightly as possible.

  “Someone fucking beats her?” a low voice growls. “I’m going to fucking kill them.”

  “Rome, take a deep breath man. She can feel your rage. You need to calm down.”

  “Calm down? Look at her. Fuck, how did I miss this? How was this going on and we never saw it?”

  “Dude, she’s a Montgomery. No one looks very close.”

  I cower away from that voice. It’s one I know. One I hear at school, tormenting me every single day.

  “Fuck off, Sam.”

  “No one at school touches her,” he growls. “Even I wouldn't hit a fucking girl, no matter who she is. This shit is happening at home.”

  Venom spills from his words.

  I start to shake harder.

  “Shut the fuck up.” A body moves closer and I hear a back slide down the wall next to me.

  “Jules, it’s okay. It’s Rome. No one here is going to hurt you I swear.”

  My body gravitates toward the voice that makes me feel safe.

  He gently pulls me closer, so that my head rests against his warm chest, holds me there by a firm yet gentle grip. The fast thumping of his heart against my ear starts to take away some of the fear.

  I’m not alone.

  This isn’t the shed.

  It starts to come back with each inhale.

  A cabin. Snow. Roman Heartland.

  Reality returns in small bits, eating away at the raw fear. I can’t stop shaking though. It’s still too dark and I can feel the black fingers of panic still crawling around the edges of my mind. A soft whimper escapes my lips and I press harder against Roman.

  I don’t want to go back there.

  “Fuck. Jules, talk to me. Please.”

  His voice cracks and he shifts pulling me even closer against his body. Wrapping himself around me even as I feel him shaking. Or is it still me? Warmth envelopes me, sinks down and pushes away the chill. I don’t know how he did it, but he pulled me from the darkness.

  “Roman?” I croak finally. My tongue feels thick and sticky.

  His fingers stroke along my jaw. I can feel his frantic heartbeat against my cheek.

  “It’s okay, baby. You’re safe. I’m right here.” The way his hand slides up and down my back, the soft words he whispers in my ear, eases the panic. I’ve never had anyone to lean on like this, and I know it won’t last, so I grab onto it with both hands.

  I blink away the darkness and realize that there are flashlights pointed at the floor near us. Behind them are three shadows but I can’t make out the features.

  Everyone is eerily quiet. Tears burn my eyes when I realize who just witnessed my truth. The Heartlands and their crew have been trying to break me for years. I just gave them the ammo to take me down.

  “What was that, Jules?” Roman asks against my temple, tightening his arms around me like he already knows the answer and is afraid I’ll fly away.

  I shake my head. I can’t tell him. It’s my failure, my embarrassment to bear. Feet shuffle and the lights bob before settling.

  “I’ll get her a drink,” someone, I think it’s Chase, says. One circle of light moves away and then there’s silence again.

  A throat clears above me, then someone hunches down and I’m looking at Sam. The way the light and shadows play over his face makes him look like the devil.

  “Who the fuck hurts you?” There’s steel in his voice and I cringe.

  “Back the fuck off, Sam. You don’t get to ask that question.”

  Roman tenses under me and then his hand is at the back of my head, pulling me tighter against his chest. I bury my face in his neck and inhale the crisp scent of his soap.

  “Both of you out. Make yourself useful and find out why the generator didn’t kick on.”

  The hand running up and down my back soothes better than any words.

  “Shhh, you’re okay. Fuck Jules, you scared the shit out of me, baby.”

  He presses his lips to my temples and I’m not even sure he realizes what he’s doing. I’m not sure why I’m letting him. I try to pull back but he tightens his grip. “Just give me a few more seconds. I don’t want to let you go yet.”

  I’ve never felt wanted like this before and it’s both uncomfortable and comforting. We stay the way, just breathing until feet sounds on the wood and a glass is set on the floor next to us.

  “Everything okay, Man?”Chase still sounds a little shaken and I want to apologize for my outburst. When I have nightmares like that, there’s never anyone who cares around.

  “We’re good. I’m going to stay for a while. Can you close the door when you leave?”

  The lights flicker and then the bathroom is suddenly illuminated, throwing light into the bedroom. No longer hidden in the dark, no longer unseen, I push away from Roman’s chest and he lets me go.

  Both boys watch me warily as I push to my feet.

  My lips are dry and I avoid eye contact.

  “Kay, goodnight Jules.” Chris moves quietly from the room. He hesitates at the door before pulling it shut behind him. I can’t move, even when Roman brushes his finger under my chin.

  “Jules?”

  “I can't,” I whisper the answer to his unasked question. Talking about it will only make it harder to look at him because the pity will be there. The judgment. I can’t take that from him. Not when he’s been so nice to me tonight.

  He sucks in a breath. “Okay. Do you want me to leave?”

  My gut reaction is no. I’ve never felt safer than when he had his arms around me but it’s temporary. It’s false. A girl like me can’t have hope. The best I get is the chance to get out of this town and away from the people who hurt me.

  A chance to maybe start over new.

  Graduation is in just a few months.

  I open and close my mouth, but the words won’t come out.

  Roman’s shoulders drop and he pushes to his feet, then holds out his hand for me. When I’m standing, so close I can feel his heat, it takes everything not to lean on him. Soak up his strength.

  He guides me to the bed and I sit because my knees are getting weaker by the second. Roman cups my cheek in his hand and brushes his thumb over my jaw. His eyes are too searching as he stares at me and I lower my gaze. I feel his lips on my forehead, a lingering touch, and then he’s moving away.

  “I’ll be here if you need me, Jules.”

  Panic coils in my stomach but not because of the dark.

  “Roman.”

  He stops halfway to the door and I watch his head drop forward, see the way his shoulders tense before he exhales and turns slowly. When his gaze meets mine, I see the want burning in his eyes. The desperation to fight what’s happening between us because of who were are.

  I can’t explain it, but I feel it coiling inside of me too. My pulse flutters in my neck and then speeds up, making my skin flush.

  Our families don’t define us.

  For the first time in so long, I have the opportunity to make my own choice. I know that whatever I decide, Roma
n will honor. We may never have this chance again. In a few months, everything changes and life will move on, but right now, in this moment, it’s our turn.

  It’s that knowledge that has me reaching out.

  That knowledge that makes my heart pound wildly in my chest as I open my mouth and whisper...“Stay?”

  Chapter Six

  Roman

  “Stay.”

  In the dim light, I can see the vulnerability in her eyes. I want to reach out and pull her into my arms and never let her go. Fuck, this girl has completely wrecked me.

  I swallow against my dry throat and nod. I want to keep her safe and to do that I should stay away, but I’m not sure I can anymore. Not when she looks at me like that.

  The sound of our breathing and the wind howling outside fill the space, neither of us moving.

  I hold my breath, wondering what she’ll do when she slides off the bed and walks closer. Air stutters in my lungs. Then I feel it, a soft touch on my jaw. I swear I feel the feathery whisper all the way down to my soul. She drags a finger along the stubble and as my eyes adjust to the dimness of the light, I can make out her silhouette.

  My heart thunders against my ribs, forcing a staccato in my eardrums.

  She moves her fingers down my arm and tangles them with mine, leading me toward the bed. Fuck. My dick swells and shoves against the material of my sweats. There’s no way she’s going to miss that.

  But she’s driving and no matter how far she takes this, it’s enough for me. Just being here, this close, knowing she trusts me enough to ask me to stay, that’s fucking everything.

  “Sit?”

  I climb onto the bed and move until my back is against the headboard. Her feathery smile tells me I’m good. When she crawls onto the bed and then straddles my legs, I fight back a groan.

  She’s on my thighs, but I can feel the heat between her legs so close to where I ache. Jules shifts her upper body closer and cups my face between her hands.

  Only inches from my lips now.

  “Why are you being so nice to me, Roman?” she asks.

  The look in her eyes guts me. Wide open vulnerability shining too brightly, but there’s something else. Something that is a little more desperate, unrestrained.