Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)

by Chloe Walsh

Reaching up with one hand, Johnny cupped my chin and used his free hand to gently sweep my hair off my neck. He didn’t ask permission if he could touch me. He just did it. Then his fingers were tracing the fingerprints left by my father, his featherlight touch making my entire body tremble. "Someone touched you," Johnny whispered in my ear, placing his fingers on the marks. "I want to know who." The air escaped my lungs in an audible gasp. Unable to stop myself, I sagged against his chest, eyes glued to our reflection in the mirror as he stared right back at me, blue eyes scorching holes in my soul, waiting for an explanation I could never give him. "Tell me who put their hands on you," he coaxed, as he stood behind me, my face in his hand and his fingers on my throat. "And I'll make it better." Think, Shannon, think… "Well?" Hurry the hell up… "Shannon?" "I got smashed up in P.E," was all I came up with. Johnny didn’t respond. He just continued to stare at my neck with a dark expression. Panicking, I hurried to add to my lies, "It was my fault. I got in the way of the boys during soccer and four of them ended up crashing into me." Slipping around Johnny, I walked back into his bedroom, putting some space between us. "I ended up on the bottom of a pile-up. Happened just before you came in." Shaking my head, I forced a small laugh. "It was total carnage." Johnny hovered in the bathroom doorway, expression tight, eyes sharp and intelligent. "So, one of the lads in your class...