Chapter 53

• NICK
• SHE’S NERVOUS. I can feel it, her fingers squeezing mine so tightly as I lead her upstairs. I’d planned to take her in my room, in my big bed like a big girl, but the temptation to take her innocence in pretty pink sheets is too much to bear. She takes a breath as she steps through the doorway, and her smile is so bright, trying too hard to be confident. Her raspy breath gives her away.
• I close the door behind us and my beautiful girl faces me as I flick on the lamp. Her hands are clasped in front of her, so unsure.