Page 73 of Beneath Her Skin

Jake loosens his grip, and I control my breathing, staring blankly ahead. This will be the last time they make fools out of us.

Riley shouts as she’s thrown into me inside what looks to be a dry food pantry. “Seven minutes, ladies. Maybe we’ll come join you when your times up,” Brad chides, before swiftly shutting the door.

The sound of a lock clicks. All you can hear is the muffled sounds of the bass and laughter from outside, as we’re submerged in darkness.

“Let us out!” Riley shouts repeatedly, banging her fists against the door. She tries the door handle, twisting, turning, and kicking it but it’s no use. We’re trapped in here.

“Fuck!” Riley screams, her voice becoming hoarse from the overuse.

I lean back against the only wall that doesn’t have shelves lined with food. By now, it’s definitely been longer than seven minutes. I sniffle softly as the tears I was holding onto finally rain down my cheeks.

Riley spins around, shifting her complete attention to me. She cups my cheeks, her thumbs brushing away my tears. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you,” she whispers, defeat weighing heavily in her voice.

She rests her forehead against mine with a sorrowful sigh. With my last ounce of courage, I decide to take the plunge off the deep end. We’re already trapped in here together, alone, and I don’t know what’s going to happen after we leave this pantry. I just want to spend one fleeting moment with Riley locked in complete bliss.

I lift her chin with my fingers, bringing my other hand to cup her face. The energy in this small room instantly changes, charged entirely with tension that’s waiting to implode.

She slowly runs her fingers down my chest, slower over my breasts, down to my hips and she grips firmly.

I glide the pads of my fingers over her plump bottom lip, and I feel her shudder at my touch.

“Willow,” she breathes against my fingers. “I love you more than a sister. I want to kiss you so fucking bad. Do you?—”

With a whimper, exhilaration spills into every nerve, lighting me ablaze with lust and need. I cut her off, crashing my lips onto hers. It’s my first kiss, I don’t really know what I’m doing. But it doesn’t feel awkward. With Riley, feeling her lips against mine is the closest path to perfection.

Her hands squeeze my hips tighter, pulling me flush against her body. She lifts one hand to the side of my face, deepening the kiss with a groan.

I sigh against her lips when she slips her tongue into my mouth. I follow her lead, our tongues dancing, exploring, possessing one another.

Kissing Riley feels like magic. No… that’s not right. Kissing Riley feels like every star in the sky colliding at once, causing a massive explosion and the end of the world. She is the only world that I ever want to know.

Lost in the moment, our hands feeling every inch of each other’s bodies, and I can’t get enough. Riley palms my breast over my shirt, and I moan softly. A sound I’ve never heard myself conjure before.

“Fuck, Will. Do that again.” She rubs her index and middle finger over my sensitive, pebbled nipple, eliciting the very same reaction as she swallows another moan in her crushing kiss. “You make such pretty sounds,” she groans, her voice intense and raspy.

Blinding light floods my peripheral vision, the sound of snickers and laughter filling the small space surrounding us. “Oh my god! They’re lesbians!” A voice squeals.

The laughter roars to a deafening crescendo.

“Aren’t they sisters?” Someone shouts.

“Fucking freaks!”

“Sister fuckers!”

“Awwww, look at the dyke sisters getting it on. That’s fucking hot, you should have called us in to join you,” Brad jests with a twisted grin.

I stare in horror as the flood of flashing camera lights capture this moment in time forever. Before I can stop her, Riley’s fist slams into Brad’s nose. Blood pours from his nostrils like a gushing waterfall. He rushes to cover his nose, when Riley swings on him again and again, causing him to stumble back.

Amber jumps on her back, pulling Riley’s hair with a shriek. Riley falls backward, slamming Amber’s body beneath her, knocking Amber breathless from the impact. Riley rolls off her, and guns straight to Heidi—the mastermind behind this vile humiliation act.

I start to rush out of the pantry, wanting to do something to try and help, when Brad steps in front of me with a wicked glint in his eyes. “You’re gonna pay for my broken nose, you bitch.”

He grabs me and runs toward the back door, that leads out to a pool that sits next to a raging bonfire. There’s a loud crowd out here, cackling and watching Brad manhandle me.

I watch the flames as they soar high and brightly towards the night sky. Panic kicks in, and all I want to do is scream. I kick frantically, unintelligible sounds race out of me as he brings me closer to the fire. My eyes quickly latch on to what’s next to the bonfire, a wooden stake punctures the ground, surrounded by a smaller, circular fire pit. Kindling, twigs, and other flammable line the circular death trap.

Are they going to burn me alive?

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