Less than Perfect - S. J. Evans (best e reader for manga .TXT) š
- Author: S. J. Evans
Book online Ā«Less than Perfect - S. J. Evans (best e reader for manga .TXT) šĀ». Author S. J. Evans
, and set her head on her knees.
Struggling to find her voice, she said, āAre you sure you want to get wrapped up in this? Itās really nothing you should have to worry about. Youād probably be better off not knowing.ā
He shifted, kneeling in front of her, wiping a stray tear off her face. She gaspedāsilentlyāas his cool skin brushed hers, pulling her to look him in the eyes by an invisible energy. āHey,ā he whispered, gaze so steady, so deep, so intimate
, Skye couldnāt decide whether or not to look away. āI want
to know. I want
to help.ā He smiled then, a warm, inviting smile, untangling the knots in her stomach.
Whatās happening to me?
she thought, bewildered, cringing at the way her body was reacting to not only his touch, but his smile, his eyes, hisākindness
. She couldnāt grapple with the force of energy that sent coursing through her veins by one mere look in his direction. Nor could she grapple with the pull in her heart that was telling her to stay clear of getting any bit closer to him. There was something about the man kneeling before her; something didnāt quite add up in her mind.
Before she could stop herself, she blurted, āWhy are you still here?ā And thinking she needed to correct herself, clear her question up a bit, she added, āI meanāyou couldāve gone home. You didnāt have to spend all this time here, with us
.ā She hoped the urgency in her voice wouldnāt set him off; hoped that he wouldnāt take it the wrong way; hoped that she hadnāt made a huge mistake asking him and avoiding the previous conversation.
After a moment deep in thought, he cleared his throat and said, āBecause I donāt really have all that much of a home to go back to. Usually I either stay with Jules, or, when heās gone, at Rachelās. The only other place I have to work with is in an apartment occupied with people Iād rather not spend amounts of time with, no matter how long or short. And after everything that had happened to youāall the hurt you enduredāI guess I just didnāt have the courage to leave you, to leave and go back to a place I knew I wouldnāt be wanted. Part of me hoped I could be of worthāor help
āif I stayed at your place. So here I am, sure that I mustāve made the right choice somewhere along the way.ā Watching her carefully, he moved to sit beside her, legs stretched out, shoulder mere inches away from hers.
She had to blink a few times, straining to think straight at what heād told her. She knew that Victorās home life hadnāt been all that great, but having actually heard
the grief behind his words, she felt incredibly worse about ever having brought the subject up. Maybe sheād been curious, and slightly frazzled about why heād stayed so long, but now she only regretted thinking that way. Victor really was a good guy, not
the bad guy she was trying to write him off as.
Shamefully, she turned her face away, mumbling, āIām sorry, Vic. IāI didnāt know.ā Her mind blurred with cloudy images of Jules, far away, just out of reach, trembling with sorrow. She couldnāt handle the pain that prodded at her heart, raw and icy, taking all of her pent-up anger at Julesās absence and hammering it out of her system. She couldnāt stay angry at him, no matter how hard she tried, because the only thing she wanted to feel was him
āall of himāback in her heart; the pure, lively energy of his love breaking apart all of her heartache. Blinking away what she thought was a tear on her lash, she sniffed, realizing the moment she looked up and felt water touch her forehead that it wasnāt a tear in the first place. It was a raindrop.
Bowing her head, she let out a small whimper and curled into herself, yearning for warmth in the cold raināyearning for Julesās
warmth around her. She needed him. She needed him just as much as she had before, if not more, and she was tired of searching to no avail, waiting desperately for him to show up when he never did. Right then, in that exact momentācurled up on the ground, beside an intriguing new friend, fumbling through her thoughtsāshe finally figured out what she had to do, where she had to go.
If there was only one place left that Jules could be, it would be at the waterfall in the woods. The place they first became something more than just friends. The same place theyād almost had their first kiss at.
Somewhere deep down in her heart, she felt it; felt the way heād looked at her underwater, felt the pull of his presence there, so loud, so oppressing
, it was almost too much to bear. Jules wasnāt as far as she thought he was, and by an incredible, unexplainable force of energy, he was calling for her.
Bolting upright, she stumbled to find her footing on the wet ground, managing a rushed, āI know where he is, Vic. I know where Jules is.ā
He hopped to his feet, brushing his jeans off. āYou do?ā He raised a brow at her questioningly, surprise imprinted on his expression.
She managed a small smile, feeling the pull of Julesās whereabouts in her heart, feeling an uncontrollable surge of electric course throughout her entire body. Whether Jules wanted to see her or not, he was going to. She couldnāt bear to be apart from him any longer, and she only hoped he felt the same wayādespite what heād told her up in her room.
āI do.ā She grabbed his hand, tugging him forward. āFollow me.ā
WITH HIS BACK pressed against the wall, Johnny watched as Rachel finally began stirring from her deep, heavy slumber. A smile crept up his lips, chills of anticipation crawling along his spine. The sooner Rachel knows how things are going to work, the sooner the plan will come into play
, he told himself. And the sooner Iāll have my beautiful Princess back in my hands.
Rachelās eyes fluttered open sleepily, her drooping head rolling up a little.
āSo glad youāve finally decided to grace me with your waking presence,ā he drawled, watching her carefully as she came into consciousness. The moment she looked at him, her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath, ready to scream. He noticed, and quickly overpowered her, clamping a hand over her mouth. āDonāt scream,ā he whispered against her ear. āIt will only bring you pain, and plenty of it. Understood?ā
He waited as she nodded her head, stiffly, before removing his hand and moving to stand in front of her. āGood girl,ā he crooned, a sick grin slithering upon his face. āIād hate to have to hurt such a young, pretty face like yours.ā He brought his face close to hers, stroking her hair out of her face, fingers brushing her skin in a way he was sure made her uncomfortable.
āWhat are you going to do with me?ā she whimpered, shrinking away from him. When he looked at her, he saw the fear in her eyes, mixed with loathing and disgust. It pulled at his insides, reminding him of the way Skye looked at him, and made him even more anxious to see her. My Princess
, he thought to himself. Sheās really going to be mineāall mine. Soon.
āNothing.ā He chuckled, pulling her chin up so that she couldnāt look at anything but him. āIf you cooperate, that is. But if you even think
about not cooperatingāwell, let me just say that youāll regret it. Not only for your sake, but Skyeās too. One wrong move and she suffers.ā He watched her intently, dark eyes burning into her soul. He could feel the tension coming off of her in waves, fear and disgust towards him eminent in it.
Her breath caught in her throat and she shied away from him, trying in vain to keep the distance between the two of them further than it was. āDonāt hurt her,ā she croaked. āDo whatever you want with me, but please
ādonāt hurt her. Sheās been through enough.ā
āYouāre a sweet girl, Miss Harper,ā he said, voice low as he drew closer to her, their faces mere inches apart. āBut that kind of sacrifice wonāt work in this situation. Because in this situation, youāre either going to help me lure Skye here, safely
āor I kill everyone who gets in my way, including you. Okay, dear?ā
Shuddering under their close proximity, she carefully tugged on her bound hands and grimaced at how pointless it was. Avoiding Johnnyās gaze, she closed her eyes, whispering, āWhy are you doing this?ā
āWhy am I doing this
?ā he repeated thoughtfully, scrunching his face in concentration for a quick moment. In the next, he pulled Rachelās face in his hands aggressively, rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks roughly, shook his head, and growled, āBecause she belongs to me! Sheās always
belonged to me. And no matter what I have to do, or who I have to go through, Iām going to take her back.ā He lowered his voice. āSheās supposed to be with me, no one else. I own
her.ā
Shaking her head, Rachel opened her eyes, stared him down. āShe doesnāt belong with you.ā She pulled on her bonds again, fidgeting under his cold glare. āYouāyou donāt deserve her.ā
Infuriated, he clenched his jaw, gave her hair a painful tug, and pinned her by the shoulders, haggard breath bathing her face as he came in contact with it. āOh but I think I do,ā he whispered harshly. āIn factāI deserve her more than that delinquent Julian. Heās not good for her; but I am. I can give her everything she could ever wish for. I can make everything better.ā
āNo, Johnny,ā she snapped. āYouāre wrong. You
are the one whoās not good for her, because all you ever do is hurt
her. And if you really wanted to make everything betterāyou wouldnāt be doing this. You wouldnāt be trying to take her away from everything and everyone she cares about. Instead, youād let me go, leave her alone, and turn yourself in. Thatās when youāll be giving her everything she could ever wish for.ā
āYou donāt know what youāre talking about.ā He squeezed her shoulders, the pressure of his fingers bruising her. āSkye belongs with me
. I
can make her happy.ā
āHappy
?ā she scoffed, spitting at him. āSheāll never be happy with you, Johnny! Youāre nothing but sick, repulsive filth! And you can go to hāā
His hand silenced her, striking her face with incredible force, driving it to the side. He stepped back, chest heaving, hand shaking; his rage had passed its boiling point. He couldnāt look away from her; surprised by her sudden outburst, he stared at her, trying to figure out what he would do to her next. He didnāt want to hurt her again, but he wasnāt about to let her get away with her disrespect either.
āYou shouldnāt have said that, Rachel,ā he sneered, stepping towards
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