Page 10 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

Oh, God. Oh, fuck.

I’m terrified, but now I’m also powerfully turned on. The pounding of my heart recedes a little as other parts of my body throb with radiant heat.

Keeping my head high, I walk with careful steps to the podium and gently take Jenks’s hands. A shock passes between us that’s so powerful, we both jump, but neither of us lets go.

As I look into his eyes, I don’t know what I expect to see. This is the bully who tortured me through high school. The guy who was so mean to me, I often fled to the girls’ bathroom to cry alone. He made me scared to raise my voice at all.

And the guy I couldn’t stop wanting, no matter how hard I tried.

In Jenks’s eyes, I don’t see any malice or mischief. All I see is sorrow, a pain so intense that it can’t be hidden, even though it’s obvious he is trying to bury it behind his irreverent humor the way he always has.

His fingers tighten on mine, and I squeeze back. In that moment, as I’m lost in his eyes, something passes between us, and my curiosity ignites again.

Something’s changed. This is not the same Jenks.

“You may kiss the bride!” Carson announces quite suddenly.

My heart does a flip, then pounds straight up into my throat. Black spots crowd my vision, and I sway a little on my high heels.

Jenks leans forward, so I do, too, turning my head so he can kiss my cheek. My body feels frozen. I cling to his hands in case I actually lose my balance and fall over.

To my surprise, Jenks lets go of my hands and reaches for my waist. Before I can react, he pulls me close and presses his lips to mine.

Trapped in his grip, I can’t react. All I can do is respond. My hands grab his shoulders as he tilts me back a little to kiss meeven more deeply. His mouth is hot and insistent as he kneads my lips with his, making fire ignite within me.

When he pulls back, a little cry of disappointment rises in my throat, a plaintive sound. Jenks smiles, one of his sudden, sharp grins that always means mischief is at hand.

Warmth floods into my body as I begin to imagine what sort of mischief that might be.

Chapter 4 - Jenks

She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

While I wait by the podium with Carson and Bae, I think about how long these words have been the ultimate truth for me. Probably since the very first day I saw her way back in middle school, when she wore big, heavy glasses and blue braces.

As we got older, Alisa only grew more beautiful. But every passing year also heightened the strange, ethereal look to her that made her so different than everyone else. There wasn’t a single boy in school who had a crush on her, unless they were all hiding it.

Just like I was.

Alisa approaches us with her head high and back straight, staring right at me with her glittering blue eyes. They are so pale, they seem more silver than blue, crystal prisms that flicker like cut diamonds.

Her steady gaze and slow tilt of her head enhance the otherworldly air she carries with her everywhere she goes. It’s as if she’s completely out of place, not living in the same reality as the rest of us.

A magical creature who fell through a rabbit hole to land in our stupid, material world, ever in awe of our clumsy society and the ridiculous ways we spend our lives.

The mid-morning sunlight streams down on us, catching on the silver threads of her dress. The inner sheath is a crisp, shimmering white, hugging her curves and leaving her arms and legs bare. Over the top, a long-sleeved, full-length gown wraps around her, cascading in waves of glittering silver filigree.

I clear my throat, trying to catch my breath, but then an icy breeze trickles down from the mountains, brushes by me, and stirs around Alisa. She smiles as the chill settles on her skin and the flowing skirts of silver whip against her legs. The long, pale blond hair that trails down her back is flung out in a wide, shimmering curtain.

Jesus. Save me.

Inside, a cacophony of emotions is clamoring. I’m being hammered with memories from school, the shock of seeing her last night, and the unbelievable wave of happiness that is surging through me right now.

She’s going to be mine!

As Alisa steps up to the podium, she takes my hands. A shock rushes through me, and I tighten my fingers on hers. She just gives me a serene look, her expression light and untroubled.

Her eyes, though… there’s a storm brewing there. A cyclone that could tear the whole world apart.

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