Harkham's Choice (Harkham's Series Book 2) by Chanse Lowell

him.
    Adam was bawling now. Zach managed to get Adam out of the booth. They found a waiting bench at the front of the restaurant by the front door. Samara joined her family. They huddled there with him in a protective way, whispering soothing things in his ear, quieting him down.
    Mari’s chest heaved as blood crashed in her ears. Sweat poured down her back. “Yes, you would believe all the lies you’ve heard about me. Good for you—you’ve added gossiping to your repertoire so you can make bitch of the year status. Maybe they’ll give you matching sashes and tiaras that gleam with moron-stones, sculpted in your fake images.”
    “We know it’s true,” Kendra said loud enough for Adam to hear. “You love shoving your fingers up every anus you come in contact with and taking monstrous dildos up your own.”
    Well, Mari could be louder. She hollered, “I’ve never been with animals, and why don’t you call my dad yourself and you can hear all about how untimely his death was?” She didn’t bother to deny having her fingers inside of men, because that part was true. And dildos up her ass? Yeah. She did that, too. Who cared? Why did it matter?
    “You did it on a dare! Rory told us—you were with his dog,” Tara said, then barked a laugh.
    Mari hauled off and slapped her again. “Shut up, you fucking hag! I’ve had enough!”
    “It’s not our fault!” Kendra’s shrill voice rang out.
    She looked over her shoulder, and Adam shook as his hand was reaching out for Mari.
    Her heart clenched at his tear-streaked, blotchy cheeks.
    “You are going to leave him alone. He doesn’t want either one of you.” Mari could hear a manager panicking in the back, trying to figure out how to contain this fight.
    Mari left those two plastic bitches in their seats and headed straight for Adam.
    “Come with me,” she told Adam, clasping his hand. She flipped her head to the side to motion for Zach and Samara to either go deal with those two girls or to leave altogether.
    “Where are we going?” he asked, tears in his eyes.
    “To the bathroom.” She yanked him up, dragging him along with nothing but a steady pace.
    She had to share the rest with him. No more letting other people scare him about who she used to be or abuse him because of her.
    Mari opened the single bathroom for the ladies’ room, pulled him inside and locked the door.
    Her lips crashed down on his. She backed him up against the wall and was as aggressive as possible.
    She groped his ass until he whined with high-pitched breaths.
    He was panting so fast she worried he’d pass out. She had to be quick and get this over with.
    She pulled back only enough so that her mouth was at the corner of his, and he’d hear her clearly.
    “You don’t really know me.” She gripped him hard between the legs. He yelped and jumped. “You have no idea what kind of demon I am.” Dread made her stomach turn to a block of ice, but this was for him. She had to protect him from herself. “A lot of what those slutty, trashy girls said was true.”
    “You’re good—always good to me. I know all about you.” His eyes were so soft, it made her fingers go a little lax.
    “Then you find out right now how awful I am, and you’ll learn the rest of what you didn’t know. You’ll tell me to stop, you’ll say it hurts, but I won’t stop. And why wouldn’t I do that?” she said through her grinding teeth and tamped down that sickening feeling in her core.
    “I . . . God, I don’t know,” he said, his head lolling back and forth. Every few seconds he’d look down at her hand stroking him and squeezing as hard as she could. He’d suck in some air and look at her with so much desire and longing.
    “Because I’m not good. You’re gonna come so hard, and you’ll have a hard time walking when I’m done with you. But you know . . . Nobody’s gonna think you hurt yourself. They’re gonna know I had you back here, that I did raunchy things to you, because I’m gonna