Page 99 of For Fillies and Monsters

He smiles then, a wicked tip of his perfect mouth against my skin, and his left hand snakes up my back, along the column of my neck, and lands at the base of my scalp. “You’d be the most breathtaking badass with short hair. I’ll worship the ground you walk on. But I wouldn’t be able to do this, and I think you’d miss it more than me even.” Before I can fully register what his wicked words mean, his fingers grip my hair, yanking my head back with a painful pull.

Painful, and yetdeliciouslynot painful.

His teeth sink into the crook between my shoulder and neck, another point of pain and pleasure sending waves of arousal coursing through my veins. His teeth bruising against my soft flesh, his tongue following the bite—soft and loving over the mark.

A mark.He wants to mark me. And I hate to admit how badly I want to be marked by him, claimed by him.To be his.

He releases his hold on my head, my eyes boring into his through the mirror. My face is flushed a deep crimson,pink staining up my neck and over his mark. He smiles wickedly back at me, and shrugs, stepping back and brushing an imaginary speck of dust off his shirt.

“Wear your hair up, down, or shave it, baby. I don’t care. The choice is up to you.” He winks and walks out of the bathroom.

I look back at the mirror, my chest heaving against the top of my dress, the mark on my neck cherry red, and I know the only way to cover it up would be to wear my hair down. He’s testing me—to see if I will run and hide as I have done before.

I don’t want to hide anymore.

So, with a deep sigh, and a hairdo I loathe, I flick the light off in the bathroom and head out to the small townballwithMy Beast.

“Hey!” Dale squeezes my elbow with a loving pinch, as she rushes by in a deep blue flowing sundress. It is the most dressed up I have ever seen her, a new facet to the country charm that is being the small-town agriculture teacher. Dale has her impossibly long hair loose in thick waves around her body, shining in the harsh lights of the sales barn. Her signature dark makeup is on, and I note the great detail put into making the lines perfect on her round, tan face.

I wish she didn’t feel the need to always present the perfect mask I know she wears. It has to be a heavy burden, and part of me grieves the fact that she does not yet trust me enough to see beneath it. I am grateful to even be a part of her life and light, but I wantmore. I’m greedy that way.

Only, is that even greedy?I share so much of myself with her; I feel like she should do the same.That’s the right of a best friend, isn’t it?

“Dale—” She looks nervous and fidgety, her eyes darting around the room like a doe in a den of lions, and I ache to comfort her. Everyone here loves her; I’ve seen the way parents and kids look at her with awe and adoration.Surely she knows that, right?I shoot her a small smile and place a reassuring hand on hers that still grips my elbow, now almost painfully. “You okay?”

She jolts. “Oh, yeah! Just ready for this to be over.” Dale shoots me a full-watt smile, but it lacks its usual luster. I will ask her about this, about what is bothering her, but not right now. Tonight does not feel like the right time; she has a talent of making it always feel like not the right time to unburden herself. And that in itself is heartbreaking.

I will do better. She deserves better.

Deciding to be encouraging for now, as to not scare her off, I smile wider at her. “You look beautiful.”

“Girl, so do you! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress! Or with a hickey. I like it, though. It really suits your porn star lips.” My mouth drops open—that was untrue—at least, the part about the dress. Judgemental eyes turn to us, their glares searing through my skin as they always do, but Dale doesn’t even seem to notice. She’s looking around me, her dark eyes still scanning the room.

She squeezes my elbow once more before dropping her hand. Blowing out a shaky breath, her eyes widen for a second before she looks away, a dark stain splattering across her cheeks. But before I can say anything—I’m sure because she knows I will—she’s walking away, waving over her shoulder. “I gotta go round up more kids. Enjoy dinner and the auction.”

Rolling my eyes, I slump into the chair behind me with ahuff. I feel so defeated when it comes to Dale, especially because she has come to know almost every dark thing about me. The scale is wildly unbalanced, the uneven weight making me feel unsteady in my role as her friend.

“Love you!” Dale blows a mocking kiss at me, and then skirts away in a cloud of navy and silky black waves.

“I’ve always liked her,” Gus jokes, sinking into the chair next to me. I reach up to cover the mark, now like a brand on my neck.

“I know,” I hiss. Gus’s fingers interlace with my own, tugging my hand down into his lap.

“You look even more beautiful with my mark on you for everyone to see. Who gives a fuck what they think? I’d bend you over this table and fuck you senseless if you wanted.”

Gus’s filthy words send a hot bolt to my core, and I whirl on him, pinching his arm through his shirt.

“This is a kids’ event!”

He responds with a boyish grin, and I annoyingly press my thighs together, unable to control myself. He is too fucking hot with that smile and dark curls framing his face.

I’m such a goner.

“They’re Ag kids. They’ve seen plenty of animals do it.”

“Gus!” I whine, but he places a tender kiss on my bruised neck without acknowledging my discomfort.

“Do you mind if we sit with you?” A girl’s voice sounds to my left, and I hesitantly turn toward her. A petite girl, no taller than five-four, stands with a pale hand resting on the back of the chair next to me. Her ashy auburn hair is piled into a tight, slicked bun atop of her head, and she’s wearing no makeup, but a deep pink blush stains across her high cheeks and nose, just below a pair of warm golden-green eyes.

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