Only he doesn’t have to put a single finger on my body to take my breath away.
He’s doing that with his bloodshot eyes and his bruised face.
“Tell me.”
His words are rough and raspy but still commanding.
And there’s no doubt that if I don’t tell him, he won’t let it go.
It’s better to just give him what he wants.
But I’m not doing that without taking some precautions first. So I go for his t-shirt again. I fist it at his ribs tightly. Withbothhands. Then, “I’ll tell you. But you have to promise me that you won’t lose your shit and go after him again.”
His gaze flickers down to my hands on his body.
To my puny fists that, if we’re being honest, won’t do much to hold him.
But I have to do something. I have to make sure that he doesn’t attack Brad again.
“Promise me, Reign,” I prod.
He looks up. “No.”
I pull at his t-shirt. “Reign, you have to promise me. You —”
“Because a promise is an oath and I’ll break it.”
“You —”
He licks his split lip. “Don’t wanna break an oath to you.”
I don’t say anything after that.
And neither does he.
I guess there’s no need.
There’s no need for words when a rush goes through my body.
A hot rush.
So hot that my skin stings with it.
My body aches with it.
And my mind is flashing. With memories. With things of the past.
Usually, I fight it.
I fight when they surface, but right now I don’t have the strength.
Right now, I let them come.
As I study the red flecks in his eyes. As I count his eyelashes.
And breathe in his summery, sunshine-y, watermelon-y scent.
“He meant actually propositioning me,” I whisper to Reign. “When everything happened, when we… when Lucas broke up with me, the news spread everywhere. At the manor obviously, but also at school. And so… So guys would come up to me and ask me out, leave notes in my locker, that sort of thing. But not in a nice way. In a bad way, a mean way. Kind of like coming on to me because I was this… this slut who cheated on her boyfriend with his best friend and so they thought I was fair game.”