Page 66 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

“Hmm,” I reply. “Have you come to begin your inspection?”

“I most certainly have. Are you trying to make this difficult for me by using all those bubbles?”

“On the contrary,” I say, giggling. “This is part of the experiment. How do I look in bubbles?”

Jenks kneels by the tub, folding his arms and frowning. “You look fucking spectacular.”

“You can’t even see me from there,” I laugh.

He nods. “This is just my initial impression. Further research will be required.”

“Obviously,” I answer, suggestively wiggling my eyebrows. “Would you like to use a more hands-on approach?”

Jenks grins, rolling up his sleeves and reaching towards me. He picks up some bubbles and rubs them between his hands.

“Should I start somewhere specific or just dive in?”

I raise my leg, putting my heel on the edge of the tub. “You can start right here. Then I’ll consider other areas if your study is incomplete.”

“It will be,” he says breathlessly.

Jenks puts his hands gently around my ankle and starts sliding his fingers up my leg, massaging lightly with his fingertips. He caresses my calf, runs his hand up to my knee, then sweeps back down to my ankle, rubbing the joint in firm strokes.

“Oh my God, that feels amazing,” I moan, leaning back in the water.

“Really? That’s great, because I could be here for a while.”

I sneak one eye open, just to see his cheeky grin. He gives me a dramatic wink, making me giggle.

He’s a different man entirely when his mischievous nature is truly fun and generous, instead of being born of pain and fear.

“Yes,” he says, and I realize I didn’t guard my thoughts well enough. “It’s okay,” he adds, still stroking my leg. “I don’t want to stop being party-boy Jenks. It’s fun running around in stupid costumes, making people laugh.”

“I shall fear no cringe, for I am very silly,” I put in, giggling.

“I should have that on a T-shirt,” he laughs. “But seriously, I do love my parties, cooking for my friends, and playing music. I regret every hurtful thing I ever said—not just to you but to other kids. Hell, even to myself. My inner monologue has been pretty negative.”

“I know,” I whisper.

Jenks lets go of my leg and leans over to kiss me. Before anything else can happen, there’s a knock on the door.

“Must be dinner,” he says. “I’ll go get it.”

I lean back in the tub, relaxing into the water a bit longer. I’m starting to feel pretty hungry, though, so with a sigh of regret, I pull the plug and get out.

The bath will still be here after dinner, then we can continue playing our game.

When I walk out into the living area, wrapped in fluffy towels, I see Jenks standing at the table. Platters cover the surface that haven’t been opened yet, and Jenks is staring at his phone as if it just shot him.

Oh no.

“It’s Bae,” Jenks says. “He wants us back. Like, now.”

“Can’t we even stay tonight?” I ask a bit plaintively. “It’s so late now. We should at least eat dinner.”

“Yeah, I think that’s fine, but Bae is pretty adamant he wants us back tonight. Let’s have something to eat, then we’ll get our stuff together.”

I sit down opposite Jenks while he uncovers the plates, feeling a bit sad and deflated. I don’t enjoy the beautiful food asmuch as I should, and I sink so quickly into a mood, it surprises me.

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