Who the hell does this guy think he is?
Stupid question.
“I don’t need your permission,” I snap. All the good vibes filling me are now long gone. A mixture of frustration and anger rush through my veins.
“I own your ass,” he reminds with a smirk. “You need to ask permission for everything.”
“Go to hell.”
“Don’t worry,” he wraps his hand around my ponytail and forces my chin up. “I’ll be there if I have to spend the rest of my life with you.”
The poisonous barb is a direct hit. Pain explodes throughout my chest before radiating to every cell of my being. As impossible as it is, I swallow down the hurt, refusing to let him glimpse the damage he so effortlessly inflicts.
Why does the ugly comment even surprise me? I should be used to it by now.
“Then why go through with it?” I force myself to ask calmly. “Tell your father to tear up the contract.”
When his grip tightens on my hair, I wince and keep my attention fastened on him. I’ll be damned if I give Kingsley the satisfaction of cowering before him like a scared little girl. Maybe everyone else in this school treats him like the self-appointed king of Hawthorne Prep, but I refuse to fall in line. He’s nothing more than a bully.
His mahogany-colored gaze sifts through mine. I get the feeling he’s able to see way more than I’m comfortable with, and I shift on my chair.
With a grin, he shakes his head. “Nah, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” Even though I knew it was a long shot, disappointment bursts like an over-inflated balloon. “If you don’t want me, let me go.”
Heat leaps into his eyes as he traces my lower lip with the tip of his index finger. “What? You think because I don’t like you and no longer trust you, it means I don’t want to fuck you senseless? Unfortunately, that’s far from the case. Now that I’ve had a taste of that sweet pussy, I need more. And I’ll have it whenever I want.”
A shiver of unease scampers down my spine. As twisted as it is, arousal ignites with his admittance.
His gaze glitters as a wicked grin flashes across his face. “What’s wrong, baby girl? Getting turned on?” He pauses for a beat. “Got an itch you want me to take care of? Beg for it and we’ll see what happens. Who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky.”
“No, thanks. Not interested.” When I shake my head, pain radiates throughout my scalp and I flinch, instantly stilling as I remember the tightened grip he has on me.
His warm breath drifts across my lips as he tilts my head. “Too bad I didn’t realize what a little liar you were from the get-go. I would have done a better job of guarding myself against you.” His lips twist with bitterness. “You live and learn, right?”
“I’m not a liar,” I gulp, forcing down the nerves as his jaw clenches, fury igniting in his eyes.
“The hell you are,” he snorts. “I was honest with you, Summer. I tried to make this shit situation work and here you were, screwing me over from the very beginning.”
His fingers tighten on my hair and my chin rises a few more inches until my throat is bared. A whimper escapes from my mouth. A potent concoction of fear and excitement crash through me, dampening my panties.
“You accused me of playing games and it was you all along.” The smirk that settles on his lips is full of menace and cruelty. Hatred vibrates off him in heavy waves that threaten to suffocate me. “Don’t think I’ll be fooled so easily again.”
“That’s not what happened,” I whisper.
“No?” His brows rise. “Then explain it to me.”
My tongue darts out to smudge my lips with moisture.
His gaze drops to the movement as rage mingles with desire. The intensity that wafts off him is almost frightening. “Do you have any idea how much it sucks to want you?”
Ignoring the question, I say, “I didn’t know my parents were looking for a way to break the contract.” Desperation and sadness surge through me.
Any lust that had crept over his features disappears as his expression turns threatening. “Bullshit! You were aware of it from the beginning,” he barks.
I flinch and shake my head as his words echo off the cavernous walls. I wrack my brain, trying to remember if I passed by any students or teachers on my way through the library. Panic engulfs me. Even if there are people occupying the space, none will dare to stop Kingsley. They’ll turn a blind eye and walk away.
“I found out a few days before you did.”
“And you said nothing?” His eyes narrow. “Not a damn word?”
Guilt floods through me as I admit, “I couldn’t betray them.”
“So you betrayed me instead?” The smile that flickers across his face doesn’t quite reach the frigidness of his eyes. It’s disconcerting how much the chilled look makes him resemble his father. “Then again, it wasn’t really a betrayal, now was it? You were always looking for a way out. You led me to believe you were committed.”