“Yes.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and lit it with the strike of a match against his heel. Smoke rose up around his face, and he reminded her of Clark Gable.

A slight wave of dizziness rolled over her, and she leaned against the shiny black roadster to steady herself. Malcolm was beside her, staring at her as if she was the only person in the world for him.

“You’re very beautiful,” he said.

She raised her fingertips to her warm cheeks. “No one has ever said that to me.”

“That’s because the boys in this town are blind fools,” he said.

She pulled her shoulders back a fraction. “That’s nice of you to say.”

“It’s true.” He inhaled and then dropped the remainder of his cigarette into the dirt. He exhaled as he ground the glowing tip into the soil. “I’d like to kiss you, Sadie.”

The music and the lights of the party faded, and she felt as if she were a million miles away, and it was only just Malcolm and her.

“Why do you want to kiss me?” She wanted him to tell her she was pretty again.

He moved in front of her and tipped her chin up with his fingers. He smelled of tobacco and a faint aftershave. She stared into his dark eyes and moistened her lips. She’d said she wanted a kiss.

“You want just a kiss?” she asked.

“That’s all.” His voice was smooth, and he was staring at her lips.

“And then we go back to the dance?” Her voice sounded distant and far away.

“That’s right.”

Before she could answer, he lowered his lips to hers and pressed slowly against hers. A heady rush washed over her, trailing down from her lips all the way to her toes. She knew now why Ruth liked kissing her boyfriend.

“Was that nice?” His lips were close, and she could feel his warm breath on her face.

“Yes,” she said honestly.

“Want to do it again?”

The temptation was strong—but not enough to override her mother’s words about staying out of trouble.

“Afraid of what your mama would say?” His tone was light, as if he was teasing an old friend. “You must be her baby girl.”

“I’m not a baby.”

Boyish dimples appeared when he grinned. “I know you’re not.”

Just to prove it, she kissed him on the lips. It was a quick peck designed more to prove she was grown up.

He pressed his hand into the small of her back and this time covered her body with the full length of his own. He felt hard all over, and she could sense an urgency in him that was as thrilling as it was unsettling.

“I want to show you something,” he said.

“What?”

He took her hand in his and tugged gently. She resisted at first, but the challenge returned to his dark gaze, so she followed just to prove she was her own woman. Malcolm opened the door to the back seat of his car and nodded for her to get inside. When she hesitated, he pushed her gently.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said.

She angled her body forward and sat on the smooth leather seats. They were nicer than her truck but not as fine as the leather seats of the Carters’ Pontiac. She scooted toward the other side as he sat and closed the door.

Inside the car, his midsize frame seemed to grow larger. He laid his hand on her thigh. She pushed it away.

“You want me to kiss you again?” Malcolm asked.

“No.” But she did not really mean it. She liked kissing. It was just that the car made her feel trapped, which made her nervous.

“I think you do want me to kiss you, Sadie Thompson.” Without waiting this time, he leaned forward and pressed her back against the seat. He kissed her lips and slammed his tongue into her mouth.

This time her head spun, and she was certain this was far more kissing than she had bargained for. She tried to sit up, but his weight kept her back pressed against the seat.

His hand trailed over her thigh, down to the hem of her dress. He tugged so quickly it was halfway up her thigh before she could protest.

“I don’t like that,” she said as she pressed her hands against his chest.

“Sure you do. Or you wouldn’t be here,” he said.

“I want to go back to the dance.”

“I’ll take you back in a few minutes. Don’t you like being here?”

His fingers slid up under her skirt, and he fumbled with her drawers. She tried to push his hand away. “Stop. I don’t like it.”

“That’s because you’ve never tried it.” He rose up slightly, reached for the center button on his pants, and was on top of her again.

Her head swirled. The music outside was so far away she wondered if it had stopped. “I don’t want to try anything else.”

He covered her mouth with his. “You asked me to kiss you. And that’s what I’m doing.”

What happened in the next few minutes stunned her entire body and soul. He tugged down her underwear and reached for the most intimate part of her. Desire had abandoned her completely, and all she felt was shame. “I don’t want this.”

In her struggles, her skirt twisted up by her waist, and she could see her bare legs glowing in the moonlight.

He pushed her left leg to the side, and for a brief flash she saw his most private parts. He shoved inside her with a hard push, and she cried out. Pain seared her body as tears pooled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

He moved inside of her, back and forth, tearing at her insides. The tempo quickened, and all she could do was draw within herself and try to convince herself that she was not going to die. He went rigid and then collapsed against her.

She stared over his shoulder out the car window at the stars. For some reason, they all looked different now. They had been pretty before, but now she found their sparkle annoying.

“Ready for another dance.” He sat up and fixed his pants.

She scrambled to a sitting position and tugged her skirt down. “What?”

“It’s only nine o’clock. The night is young. Let’s dance.”

He opened the car door and stepped out. He lit a cigarette. “Better hurry. The longer we’re gone, the more questions you’ll face later.”

Her insides ached as she scooted across the seat and stumbled to her feet. When she found her voice, it sounded far off and foreign to her. “I’m going to tell Miss Olivia.”

Malcolm grinned as he straightened his tie. “You’ll not tell a soul. No one will believe you. And if someone did believe I would sleep with you, there would be plenty of people who would tell the sheriff about the green dress you wore. No girl dresses like that without wanting a man’s attention.”

“I didn’t want that!” she shouted.

“Shh. Of course you did. Otherwise you would not have gotten in the car. And I’d be careful whom you tell. It’ll make you look like a whore, and you’re already in trouble with Edward. The Carters will run you out of town without a second thought.”

Outrage burned inside her as she stared at his smug face. “This was your fault.”

“No, darling. This is the kind of thing that happens to troublemakers.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

LIBBY

Sunday, June 14, 2020