Copyright © 2019 by Ally Vance

  Editing by Sheena Taylor

  Cover Design by Pretty in Ink Creations

  Ebook Formatting by Ally Vance

  Paperback Formatting by Just Write. Creations & Services

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems without written permission from the author, except for the brief use of quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is completely coincidental.

  DISCLAIMER

  This story is set in England where the legal age of sexual consent is sixteen years old.

  O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!

  Walter Scott, Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field

  PLAYLIST

  30 Seconds to Mars - A Beautiful Lie

  Taking Back Sunday - Liar (It Takes One To Know One)

  Atreyu - The Crimson

  Korn - Twisted Transistor

  30 Seconds to Mars - Buddha for Mary

  Skillet - Savior

  Disturbed - The Animal

  My Chemical Romance - The End

  Set It Off, William Beckett - Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing

  Skillet - Monster

  Slipknot - Vermillion

  System of a Down – Forest

  Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3s8bdS8XuWKTdt2inKxl21

  PROLOGUE

  Lillian

  Perfection is a heavy weight to bear. If only they knew the true depths of the rot festering inside my father’s soul…the darkness hidden beneath his outwardly attractive appearance. Maybe, if they knew the truth about my family, then they wouldn’t be so quick to invite him into their homes and lives. In the eyes of this community, my father is an honest, sinless man, but what they all see is a fucking lie.

  Landon Gray knows the truth. But he’s just like me: trapped and corrupted by the harsh rules this town enforces on us all. He’s just as broken down beneath the weight of expectation that demands we remain pure of heart and soul. He’s my other half, for better or worse…bound together by the game of truth and lies we’re forced to play every day of our lives.

  It feels like it’s been a long time since we were innocent, young children playing together in our front gardens. Our parents encouraged the friendship, and when my mum passed away, leaving me and my dad behind, I began to spend more and more time with Landon.

  The biggest lie Landon and I ever tell is the one about the true extent of our friendship. When we first sealed our fates together with our bodies and souls, we’d no idea it was only the beginning of our spiralling journey into a dark madness with no way out.

  As we grew older, Landon rebelled against his parents and our community’s way of life, and eventually we were told not to see each other any more. Of course, it didn’t work; it only pushed us closer together. I was the angel, and Landon was the devil...one of us pure, the other corrupted. If only they knew the truth. Lucifer was the most beautiful and brightest of the angels, yet he fell. The only difference between us was that no one would ever know I’d fallen, because every truth that departed my tongue was a carefully concealed lie...all but one.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Lillian

  “Lillian!”

  Great, my father is calling me. It's Sunday and time to go to church. It's time for me to pretend to care and don the mask of innocence I'm forced to wear in front of everyone. I hate everything about this tight-knit community of wolves in saint’s clothing. No one knows the truth, though; the truth about what goes on under my father’s roof, and how every single member of our congregation is completely fucking blind to it.

  “Lillian!” he calls again, sounding closer and angrier.

  Letting out a weary sigh, I answer before he gets to my room, “Coming, Dad!”

  I quickly throw the covers off and climb out of bed; my bare feet and toes sink into the soft carpet covering the floor. Hurrying over to my built-in wardrobe, I pull out a modest dress while casting a longing glance at the darkest corner where I hide the outfits I'd much rather be wearing.

  “Are you ready yet, baby girl?” My father’s voice coming from the other side of my bedroom door makes me jump, and my heart beats just a little faster. Don't come in.

  “I'll be down in a minute, Dad. I'll meet you at the car,” I tell him, praying he goes back downstairs.

  If one could be molested by a gaze, my own fucking father has done it over and over again, and he shows no sign of stopping. Everyone thinks we’re such a perfect family: the sweet daughter and the holy father. It’s all a fucking lie. If only they knew what really lay beneath the surface. Hatred brews in my soul. I’ve no love left for the man who raised me, or the God who has failed to protect me. I bite down on my tongue when I pray for salvation; the only one who can truly save me is myself. If my mum were still around and had any inkling of where my father’s thoughts linger, I’m sure she’d castrate the monster who sired me.

  It’s only recently I’ve realised why he encouraged the connection between me and Landon as we grew older. It was all a clever ruse to hide the fact that he lusted after his own fucking daughter. But Landon and I are entwined together by more than a lifelong friendship, and it makes my shadowed soul sing. He is my truth among the lies.

  Landon did everything in his power to intervene when my father started showing an unhealthy inclination towards me, and our relationship nearly paid the price. My father told Landon’s parents that I could no longer see him, because he was a bad influence and was corrupting me. But I've long since been corrupted, and it wasn’t by Landon.

  One day I'll make my father pay for his sins. I’ll expose the lies he tells to protect his filthy secrets; those seemingly innocent touches and lingering hands. I've seen the way he watches me. He's never violated me in any lasting way, thank God. But I’ll be turning eighteen soon…I’ve a feeling it’s only a matter of time before he acts upon those perverted desires of his. When that moment comes, I’ll make him sorry he ever fucking entertained the depraved and sickening thoughts I can see hidden in the depths of his eyes.

  Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart. I pull on a plain burgundy cap sleeve dress, a pair of black pumps, and quickly brush my hair before tying it into a neat ponytail. Everything must look perfect with the lie kept firmly in place. I open the door to see my father standing on the other side with his back against the hallway wall. He’d waited…I suppress a shudder when he looks me up and down, slowly appraising the plain outfit I’m wearing. I cast my gaze downward, not wanting to see the way his eyes darken, or the subtle leer twisting his face.

  I’m not afraid of him…at least, that’s what I tell myself. I know which battles to fight and which to pass by, and I’m choosing to ignore the ticking time bomb living under our roof for as long as possible. I know what will happen if I cut the wrong wire.

  “Let’s go, baby girl,” he says, trailing the backs of his fingers down my bare arm, and I ball my fists, tamping down the urge to slap the endearment from his filthy mouth.

  I haven’t been his ‘baby girl’ for a long time, not since I turned sixteen and the loving, fatherly looks became lecherous, and the gentle, caring touches started to linger for longer than they should.

  “Okay, Dad,” I quietly reply, and his name turns to ash on my tongue, leaving nothing but an acrid taste in my mouth.

  There’s no sweetness in lies.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Lillian

  Time drags slowly by as Pastor Frollo preaches his weekly sermon, then asks us to retake our seats while he guides the community in prayer. Nearly every member of the small town of Stonewood is gathered in the church, I’m feeling suffocated by their presence and my father’s proximity to me. When we take our seats, my father brushes his leg against mine and rests his hand on my knee, squeezing it before trailing his finger against my skin beneath the hem of my dress. I stiffen in my seat, not daring to breathe while his hand is on me. After what feels like far too long, he finally removes it.

  No one interferes. No one sees the true intent behind his touch. All they see is a loving father sharing a moment of peace and bonding with his daughter in front of God. We act out our roles well, and no one will ever suspect what lurks behind the face of this angel, and the devil in his Sunday best.

  As we prepare to leave the church after the service, my father places his hand on the small of my back. It takes all my careful control to keep the mask in place and not flinch away from his touch where people can see us. While the other members of the congregation move past us, I force my lips into a smile as fake as the life I’m living. They don’t think anything of that hand, but to me it feels like a brand…an unwanted claim I’m struggling to refute.

  When we finally leave the building, I inhale the fresh air, and moving swiftly away from the stifling presence standing behind me, I breathe out a sigh of relief. A motorbike revs nearby, drawing my attention, and I look for the source of the noise with a genuine smile curling up on my lips. Landon’s here.

  I start to head over to him, but my father grabs my wrist, halting my progress. After scanning the car park where everyone’s now heading to their cars or leaving the grou

nds, I round on him with a glare and wrench my arm away.

  “Lillian,” he warns with a low growl, and I scoff, shaking my head.

  “I fucking dare you to stop me, Dad. In front of all these people, I dare you,” I challenge when he reaches out again to grab me.

  “Young lady, don’t you talk to me like that,” he replies, attempting to sound authoritative.

  “Don’t try to parent me, Dad, and don’t come after me,” I hiss, bitterness lacing my tone. Then I turn and run across the lot, my plain black pumps thudding against the concrete.

  “Lillian Claire! Get back here, now!” he bellows, and I can hear him chasing after me, but I don’t turn around.

  I don’t care that I’m wearing a dress; I don’t care that I’ll have my bare legs exposed when I straddle Landon’s bike. All I care about, in that moment, is the fact I’ll be getting away from the house and from him for a few hours at least.

  As I approach the bike, I call to Landon,“Get me out of here.”

  With a jerk of his head towards the pillion seat behind him, Landon indicates I should hop on the back and says, “Let’s go, babe.”

  Grinning, I step forward, kiss Landon quickly on the lips, hike up my dress, and clamber on. Wrapping my arms around his warm body, I press my face into his back and inhale the familiar smell of man, wind, and leather: a scent that’s unique to Landon. Home is here with him, not the joke of a place I inhabit with my father.

  “How was it today?” Landon asks when we’re out of earshot. His warm husky voice washes over me like a balm.

  I roll my eyes at him even though he can’t see me, and I tighten my arms around his waist. “The usual,” I respond.

  The heat from Landon’s body and the vibration of the bike between my thighs make my blood rush with anticipation. Whatever may or may not happen in some undetermined future doesn’t matter. In this moment, it’s only us, the bike, and the wind whipping past us as Landon expertly weaves through the minimal traffic, heading out of town to our favourite spot near the river.

  It’s a quiet, private place where we come to sneak away from overbearing adults and escape the reality of our lives. Landon’s parents have never fully forgiven him for turning his back on their faith, and my own father is a demon beneath the facade of a good man. My father’s touches seep through my skin like a poison while his transparent thoughts leave nothing to the imagination.

  “What happened today, Lil?” Landon asks when we finally arrive and move through the overgrown branches to our little hideaway.

  I look away from him, but the thing about Landon is he never lets me hide from him.

  “Tell me,” he urges, gently turning my face back towards him, so he can meet my eyes.

  “Nothing happened. It doesn’t change how I feel, though. Every time we pass in the hallway at home, every simple brush of skin, and every look lasting no longer than a heartbeat. I feel him everywhere, Landon. Nothing has happened, but nothing changes, either. It’s like everything is stagnant in that house. I’m the one who’s changing. I’m aging while he seems to forever stay the same.” The words tumble from my mouth, making me feel both elated and ashamed.

  I shouldn’t have to feel this way in my own damn home, but I don’t want to lie or upset Landon. I’ve only ever told him the truth…unless an omission is considered a deception. It’s something we always promised each other ever since we were children. It’s hard to keep my promise, though, when I know how much it upsets him that he can’t do more to protect me.

  “I want to get you out of there,” he says, biting his lip roughly.

  My eyes are drawn to the movement; it causes my heart to stutter, and I involuntarily lick my own. Landon lets out a groan and flops back on the cool grass, pulling me down with him. I curl up against him, enjoying the closeness we share.

  “I know, and I love you for it,” I reply softly.

  “What kind of hell shall we raise today, Lil?” he murmurs, kissing my head that’s now resting on his shoulder.

  I lift my head and grin at him. “How about we just stay here and forget the outside world exists?”

  He pulls me closer, and his lips collide roughly with mine, “Hmm, I think we can do that, Lil.”

  I moan against his lips and move, so I’m straddling him. Landon’s hands grip my bare thighs before he slowly runs them up beneath the hem of my dress. The material slips higher, exposing my pale skin. We’re both breathing heavily as the moment builds between us. He brushes a finger lightly over the front of my panties, causing a little whimper to escape from me.

  “I don’t care about anything other than being with you right now,” I whisper, then gasp when Landon tugs my underwear down and dips his finger into my wetness before bringing it up to circle my clit.

  “So wet for me, Lil,” he groans, grinding against me while he continues to rub my clit.

  “Make love to me,” I beg, crying out when he applies the right amount of pressure.

  Landon lets out a low growl, holds me by my thighs and rolls us over, so I’m lying beneath him. I shimmy out of my panties while he fumbles with the button of his jeans, freeing his swollen cock. After rolling a condom down the hard shaft he lines himself up with my wet pussy and sinks slowly into my body until there is nothing but a breath of space between us.

  “Damn, Lil. You’re so perfect,” he groans, moving slowly in and out.

  Landon makes me feel whole and safe, and when we’re here, I can’t be touched by the monster who lives under my roof. When we’re together and Landon’s holding me, I don’t feel tainted by his touch, and I don’t feel unclean. I feel cherished...loved in the right way.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Kellen

  Lillian knows of course. How could she not? She’s an intelligent, beautiful girl, and the delicate innocence radiating from her leaves me salivating. It’s impossible not to touch her whenever she’s within reach. I’m at war with myself. The father in me knows this is wrong, but the man in me doesn’t seem to care. It’s immoral to have such cravings for my own flesh and blood, but I can’t seem to stifle this furious need I have to sample a taste of her.

  She hasn’t come home yet. That wayward child of mine needs to learn some respect and to get it through her head she can’t go running off with Landon. Their closeness is a mounting problem I need to bring to an end. I regret ever encouraging the friendship between them. But there’s no denying it may prove useful to me in the long run, should I lose control. No one would ever suspect me when that kid has been seen hovering around my daughter.

  There’s no point calling her phone. Ever since I bought Lillian her first mobile, I’ve drilled it into her that it’s not to be taken to church; I didn’t want her distracted by it. As usual, she left it behind when we went today, and it’s locked with a password, rendering me unable to get into it to check through her messages. The only reason I let her have one in the first place was to keep up appearances as the doting father and for the added benefit that I could keep track of her whereabouts via the in-built GPS.

  There’s only one good thing about her disappearing off today, and that is it’s given me the opportunity to snoop through her room. I haven’t found anything new; I already know about the secret stash of clothing she keeps hidden at the back of her wardrobe. I trail my fingers down the lush velvet of the dresses, imagining the way they would hug Lillian’s soft curves. She’s my only child, and she’ll be my damnation, one day. Her sweet scent wafts from the clothing when I disturb them, and I inhale deeply. A low groan escapes me and blood rushes south to my dick. I drop a hand to my swelling cock and squeeze it through the fabric of my suit trousers. Grinding my teeth together, I start to rub my hand up and down the shaft, hoping to ease some of the ache.

  Lust takes over, and I loosen my belt, unfasten the button and zip, and free myself from the confines of my trousers. Air escapes in a whoosh when I fist the length, pumping my dick slowly. I should be sickened by this, but all I can feel is a twisted sense of excitement as I stand in Lillian’s walk-in wardrobe, surrounded by her clothes and her enticing fragrance.

 

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