Teenage Troubles (Prequel for Teenage Baby)

Chapter 15 | The captors

"It's fine." It wasn't fine but Dominic bit down the anger for her. "I'm sorry I got angry." When silence outweighed, he felt like it was the prod, and he lifted his chin, tried reaching up to her lips. They'd admitted they liked each other but until now they'd never even kissed. Cara wouldn't allow him. He didn't understand why.

Cara knew what he was trying to do, and for the first time, she didn't jerk away or push him off. She cupped his cheeks and lowered her head like she was cooperating. Dominic almost had hope. But then, before their lips could collide, Cara angled her chin aside and quickly kissed Dominic's jaw, the edge of her mouth tantalizingly close to the edge of his.

Dominic scoffed. He looked at her through a frown. "Why do you do this to me?"

Keep him tempted. Cara arched a brow ever-so-subtly and shrugged, letting one finger trace his bottom lip. "Funny how one year ago, you freaked out when you thought I wanted to kiss you."

"We barely knew each other back then," Dom said, eyes subconsciously rooted to her finger on his lip. He forced himself to look at her instead. "But now I know that you like me. And so do you. Why can't we kiss?"

Cara's grin was sly and purposeful. Way beyond Dominic's perception. "We'll do everything you want when we get married."

Dominic frowned. "But that's too long." He leant the side of his head against her shoulder longingly and sighed, eyelids dropping. "We're still too young for marriage."

"What, aren't you committed? You don't wanna marry me?"

It came out a bit too accusing out of her mouth. Dominic felt guilty. He loved her and he'd marry her but not too fast. "Of course I wanna marry you. But... you're only seventeen, Cara. You haven't even finished school yet."

She'd been holding his hand but she let go. A silent warning. "Just say you don't wanna marry me."

"That's not what I meant. Why do you keep insisting on it?"

Cara took a long breath before answering in lies, "Because I'm not like my mom. I don't just have fun with a man and leave. I'm serious about this, about us. Aren't you?"

"I am, Cara. I am." Dominic sighed and relaxed against her. Absently, he reached for her hand and traced the shape of her knuckles. Cara could tell something was worrying him. He snorted all of a sudden, smiling bitterly to himself. "But Dad's gonna beat me to it. Again."

Cara's heart dropped. "What do you mean?"

"I think he's going out with a woman. I'm sure she'll marry him for the money. No sane woman would want an old man like dad. He won't live too long."

Cara pulled him off her with alarming speed. She stared straight at him, worried eyes, furrowed brows. "Why are you chill about this?" If she didn't mind seeming too suspicious, she'd be pulling her hair out. Her money, her plan, her future. "That's your money. Our money. You're just gonna let a bitch come and steal it—"

"I mean, what can I do? I don't care."

"You don't care? Oh, for God's sake!" She made a noise of exasperation. When she realized she'd overreacted, she sighed and cupped the side of Dominic's neck, leaning closer. She mumbled, "Dom, you need to care. How are we gonna give our babies a good life if a bitch just steals our money? This money is your right. You suffered with him all these years, you deserve to at least take all his money and belongings when he dies. Right?"