Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 108721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Sensing the darkness lingering on the fringes of my mind, Sebastian uses his free hand and tips my chin up, forcing me to look at him, bringing me back to the present.
“Relax. He's not out here. I would have noticed.”
I’m still angry over seeing him with those girls. I want to hurt him and make him bleed. Why do I care so much? “Noticed? You’re kidding, right? How can you notice anything with your lap covered in girls while you down a bottle of alcohol?” I shake my head in disgust. I know I shouldn’t wear my emotions on my sleeve, but I can’t continue to hide how I feel.
His gaze narrows, and his grip on my chin tightens.”There are very few things related to you, Little Prey, that I don't notice.”
I jerk my chin free from his grasp, and a breath shudders out of my lungs. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
We’ve been on this teeter-totter of emotions, going back and forth. The attitude I’m giving him is nothing like my usual self, but I feel like I've been pushed to the limit. I can’t keep living like this. Every time he enters a room, my lungs tighten, and I forget how to breathe, how to exist. I don’t know if it’s from fear or lust, but the more I try to ignore him, the more I crave him.
Seconds tick on, and I can feel his eyes on me. I can hear those stupid girls in the kitchen talking about their scars and asking how I got mine because God knows he’d never touch someone who looks like me. I let my anger lead me and thrust my arm out toward him.
The scar, still scabbed over from his knife, is visible in the moonlight. “What does this mean? That I’m just another one of your conquests? Did you fuck all those girls?” I don’t know why I’m asking him that when I already know the answer. Maybe I just want him to give me another reason to hate him.
“We both know I don't owe you an explanation,” he whispers, his eyes on the mark like I've bared more than that skin up to my shoulder. He inches closer, and instinct tells me to retreat, but that’s not an option with the massive oak tree at my back.
“No, you’re right. You don't owe me an explanation for fucking every girl on campus.” My tone is hard as I try to ignore my body's reaction to his proximity.
Before I can make sense of what’s going on, he’s got me trapped, caged in, his arms resting on either side of my head. The bottle of liquor bumps against the bark, emitting a soft clink. I shouldn’t do it. I know I shouldn’t but I breathe deeply, letting his cologne fill my lungs. It’s then when all my senses seem to go out the window.
Clean. Home. That’s what he smells like.
My entire body lights up, from the tips of my toes to the tips of my fingers. My core aches, my arousal soaking the cotton of my panties. How am I already aching for him? I want his hands on me so much it takes immense effort not to tip my hips up into his.
“Careful, Little Prey. If I wasn’t so sure you hated my guts, I’d say that sounds a lot like jealousy. Or are you mad that it's not real? That I didn't fuck you before I marked you? Are you upset you didn’t get the complete experience?”
Asshole. I can't hold his gaze when he’s talking so crudely, and I know all it would take is one look for him to know the truth. “I'm not jealous of them. You’re an adult; you can do what you want. Who you fuck has nothing to do with me.”
“Yeah, you say that, but it’s a bullshit response.” He slams his hand against the tree near my face, and I jump, startled by the sudden movement.
“What do you want me to say? That I want you to fuck me? Oh please, Sebastian.” I mock softly. “No, I think it’s pretty clear we can’t cross that bridge. Look what happened after the blow job. You can’t look at me or even be in the same room as me for longer than five minutes.” I trail off, shaking my head in disappointment because, once again, I’ve shown him how vulnerable he makes me.
When will I ever learn?
Never. Which is why I keep finding myself in these stupid situations. I lift my chin and prepare to escape the cage he’s trapped me in, but when my gaze catches on his, I see something there that I’ve never seen before. Guilt. Sadness. It’s only a brief glimpse, but it’s there, reflecting back onto me.
“Fuck. Haven’t you realized by now that it's not because I can't stand to fucking look at you, Ely?”