His nostrils flare. “Is that so?”
“Yeah.” I swallow hard, letting my head fall back so I can meet his blazing stare. “But I’m not afraid of you, Jace. You’re just a big mamma’s boy crying on the inside because the big kids don’t want to invite you to play.”
“I ain’t interested in playin’ ’less I know I can win.” His snarl is low and evil. It radiates through my body, turning it to liquid. He wraps his long fingers around my neck, stealing a gasp from my lungs and replacing it with a feral need so fierce I can taste it. He wants me to be afraid. He gets off knowing I find him intimidating, but instead, he lifts a brow, watching me as I come undone. He leans in, hot breath feathering my ear as his free hand glides up my thigh. “You still a virgin, princess?”
“That’s none of your business.” I square my shoulders, trying to seem bold, but my feisty exterior crumbles the moment his thumb sweeps across the apex of my thighs. Chills slither down my spine, but the rest of me is so warm I’m boiling.
“I bet ole Troy hasn’t seen you tremblin’ like this, has he?” Another brush and my knees buckle.
I wrap my hand around his wrist. “Please stop,” I beg, but my hips arch against his knuckle.
He skims his nose up my cheek, his smile growing against my skin. I hate myself for letting him get to me like this. I’ma panting fool, melting against his light touch like an ice cream cone in the sun, and he’s lapping it up with delight.
But he listens to my plea and drops his hold, yet keeps me caged in by his thick arms on either side. Conflict streaks across his face. For the first time, I see it head-on—desire.
A wisp of cool air blows across my burning skin as he steps back. I sag against the wall to catch my breath. “Go back to your room, Ellie.”
Anger swirls in the lust fogging my vision. Why is he trying so hard to push me away? I don’t understand. “We’re not done.”
A sinister expression twists his features. “I’m not only done talkin’ to you, I’m tired oflookin’at you. Everywhere I go, there’s fuckin’ Ellie! I can’t even sneak off to get laid at a party without you gettin’ in my way.”
Hurt clenches my heart, as he shakes his head and turns away. I try to make sense of what just happened, but his heated gaze turns into something twisted and ugly. A hard, mean exterior marring the face of the guy I know he’s hiding inside. He’s fighting a secret battle within himself, and I just can’t figure out why.
“I never asked you to save me, Jace. You did that on your own.” When he whips around to face me, I take a tentative step toward him. “Why’d you do that?”
His lips press in a sneer, his jaw clenching. “Just get out.”
“No, I'm not going anywhere. Why’d you wrestle Troy to the ground when you saw him kissing me?”
“What do you want me to say, Ellie?” This time, when he moves in closer, I don’t allow him to force me back. I stand my ground and wait for his answer. His Adam's apple bobs, and he licks his lips as I wait for him to say what I know is on the tip of his tongue. But I wasn’t prepared for what slips from his mouth next. “If I hadn’t intervened, Troy would have forced himself on you, then left you there.”
My blood runs cold. “How could you make such a strong accusation like that?”
“Because he’s done it before.”
“You’re lying.”
I move to the door, but his booming voice stops before I cross the threshold. “Pam Mackey, Rhonda Fortnight, Tracy Givens.”
I cast a glance over my shoulder. “Who are they?”
He reaches around me and pulls open his bedroom door. “Ask your boy,” he says before ushering me out.
Chapter ten
The guttural sound of Jace’s yell rips me from my slumber. Dazed, I sit straight up, my sleep-fogged gaze darting around the room. At first, I think I’m dreaming, but the scuffle in the hall tells me otherwise.
I get out of bed and open the door to find Cindy draped in Jace’s arms. My brain flashes to the vision of my unconscious mother sprawled out on her bed, and I can barely breathe. “What’s going on?”
“Nothin’. Get outta my way.” He carries her to the bathroom and gently lays her in the tub. A meager whimper slips between her lips. He twists the cold water all the way and lets it fill around her as she lies incoherent.
Tomato-red flush covers her cheeks and forehead. I feel as if I’ve been sucker punched. Helpless, I watch from the doorway as Jace kneels beside her, pushing her damp hair off her face. “It’s okay, Mama. Hold on for me.”
“She’s burning up.”
“Yeah, no shit! Don’t just stand there like a dang fool. Get some ice!”
I spin on the ball of my foot and run to the freezer. I pull two frozen trays from the shelf, then race back to dump them in the bath. “Maybe we should take her to the emergency room.”