Hide (Mommy's House 3)

15

"I missed you," Daniel said quietly. "I'm sorry about the envelope. I don't even know what was in it, I swear."

Bella closed her eyes and let the alcohol run down her throat. It stung, but she loved it. And as the minutes passed, she could feel her face gradually numbing. Her cheeks were tingling, and she could hardly feel her fingers as they wrapped around the neck of the liquor bottle.

She was in Daniel's car, which was parked down the street from the apartment complex. She was surprised how easy it was to sneak past the cop that sat outside. She grabbed a hooded sweatshirt from Cole's closet and snuck through the backyard of the complex, moving quickly through the trees until she spotted Daniel's beat up Mustang.

Daniel's fingertip brushed against Bella's cheek, as she looked over at him with narrowed eyes.

"You're so beautiful," Daniel whispered to her.

Bella took another sip of alcohol. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin against them.

"Why are you being so quiet?" Daniel asked. "You're not just using me for alcohol... right?" he joked - she could hear the smirk in his tone.

Bella stared out the window of the car, taking a deep breath. "No," she lied.

His hand rested on her knee. She took another sip of liquor and watched as his fingers slowly crept up her thighs.

"What happened?" he asked. He was skilled at feigning concern.

Bella lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "Nothing."

"The way you're drinking right now, something had to have happened."

She pressed her forehead against the cold glass of the window. Guilt was suffocating her.

"Where've you been, anyways?" he finally asked, his tone too casual.

She was shocked he didn't ask sooner - it was most likely an attempt at seeming more relaxed to win her back. He'd done that plenty of times before, and she fell for it every time.

"I went to your dad's a few times, but you weren't there," his voice was soft, but she knew that he was growing agitated.

Bella watched his fingers grip her thigh. Her breath hitched slightly, and she brushed it off with a shrug. "I don't know. I've just been... around."

He leaned towards her, and she focused on the way the silver chain around his neck dangled. In the dim lighting of the streetlamp several feet in front of his car, his eyes glistened.

"You with a guy?" he asked, his eyes moving down her body.

"No," she snapped, furrowing her eyebrows as she took another long sip. The burn was disappearing, and she couldn't feel her tongue.

"Isabella, I will lose my mind if you're with someone else," he said quickly, as he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He suddenly reached up to grab her face and forced her to look at him.

"No!" Bella nearly screamed. "I don't even know any guys other than you."

"You expect me to believe there aren't men all over you? Look at you," he said, his eyes continuing to scan her body. He slid his hand around the back of her head and pulled her head towards him.

He pressed his lips against hers, but she didn't move. His tongue parted her lips and moved into her mouth, sliding against hers. This went on for a few minutes, until Bella started to feel a pit of nausea at the bottom of her stomach. His hands pressed gently against her jaw, before they began to slide down her body, moving to the button of her jeans.