CALLIE
I don’t understand.
He is mad.
Why?
I should be the one who is mad.
“Tell people?” I murmur, but anger is rising in me like a tide. “First of all,” I say louder, getting my courage back. “I don’t tell anything to anyone. I only told Katura a short version.” Anger is getting stronger, and now the feeling of hatred is coming back. My chest is rising and falling, almost touching his. “Number two,” I hiss, trying to sound brave, though his large frame pressing onto me is distracting, intimidating, and arousing at once. “That night was all your doing. You were running around with Archer’s crew and becoming just like him, weren’t you?”
Kai laughs mockingly. There is malice in that laughter and in his eyes that come back to mine and glare when his laughter stops abruptly.
He is scary-looking—something I’ve never see in him before. Yet his closeness is intoxicating, charged with macular energy. No cologne, but he smells of salt, and damp clothes, and sand, and sea breeze, and tobacco.
He is still caving me, so close to me.Tooclose. His face inches from mine. One of his dark strands almost touches my skin.
He shakes his head. “I saved you that night, Callie.”
Oh, that’s precious. I frown in surprise, because he doesn’t make sense.
“You were drunk,” he says, his words laced with hate. “Probably high. It was probably your precious boyfriend who spiked your drink.” His voice is low and dangerous, like a growl. “Your best friend was so drunk that she told me to leave you on the sidewalk to sober up. You don’t remember, do you?”
I don’t. But that’s not what I am asking about.
“And yes, I brought you to my room.” Every word is a snarl. “Because no one else gave a shit about you. And then everything else followed.”
Are you kidding me?
“Everything else?” I snort in shock at his casualness.
“Yeah,” he growls. “I wanted to protect you. But the next day, you just had to leave my fucking room, didn’t you? Walk out into the hallway full of frat boys.”
I still can’t believe he is skipping the most important part.
Theworstpart.
“What about the night?” My heart starts beating like mad because this is the first time I’ve confronted him. The anger and hurt have been pinned up in me for a long time.
“What about it?” He frowns.
“The fact that you took your best friend’s girl and brought her home.”
Do I need to spell it out for him?
His gaze darkens. His lips curl into that nasty smirk. “Archer would have fucking sodomized you if I didn’t get you away from him.”
Something turns in my stomach at the words.
It’s confusing.
Because he avoids the obvious.
“Your boyfriend was a dick.” His expression is savage and spiteful. His face is so close to mine that his warm breath grazes my skin. “Because he fucked girls and disposed of them, passed them off to others. And that’s what his plan for you that night was. You were next. Everyone was already talking about it. But no. Callie was clueless, yeah? You were dancing that night like you were the queen of the world. And Archer was already telling everyone how he would have his way with you.Girlfriend.” He snorts. “He was going to fuck you and dump you.”
Harsh.
His words are a revelation and a blow.