AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I felt his eyes on my face and realized that he had to know what I was thinking.
“Okay, so there’s a shower down the hall, get dried off and um, change, if you want.”
“Don’t worry about it, Bug. I’m sure I can make myself at home just fine.”
Cayden’s words sent annoyance sparking back over me.
I rolled my eyes at him, and he narrowed his in return.
“Whatever. I’m going to bed.”
“Yes, go. I’m sorry I interrupted your – sleeping – earlier.” He gave me a mocking smile and rested a long, thick arm above my head, leaning on the doorframe and making me feel tiny. “If you want some help getting a more satisfyingsleep, let me know.”
His words sent my blood rushing back to my face, and a hot, squirmy feeling coiled in my belly.
“I don’t need your help, and I’d never let you touch me,” I started, flustered all over again. No one ever hit on me. It just didn’t happen.
Cayden chuckled, the bastard. “Bug, I don’t do charity. I simply meant I’d point you in the direction of a book or something from the library you can consult. Don’t get worked up.”
I scowled at him. “You’re such an asshole, you know that?”
“I’m well aware, and our earlier conversation remains true – don’t piss me off or you’ll regret it.”
I matched his violently nonchalant tone. “I don’t think I will, seeing as you clearly need to be on my father’s good side. In fact, you better not pissmeoff, or you’ll be the one regretting it.”
He glared down at me, tension thickening the air around us. A muscle worked in the strong column of his jaw. It was criminal how good the guy looked when he was threatening me. Totally unfair, really.
Then he grinned, and ice skated down my spine, chasing away the heat that had been there.
“Lillian… you don’t want to go toe to toe with me. You’re too smart for that. You don’t want to threaten me, Freckles, or go to battle against me. You really don’t. You won’t like the consequences.”
Freckles?
Somehow, in a reserve of strength I didn’t know I had, I summoned a smirk. “Oh really? With that kind of hype, I just know you’ll never live up to it. You don’t scare me, Cayden. Get that through your thick skull.”
He stared at me a moment longer, his blue eyes assessing. His head tilted slightly to the side. “We’ll see, I guess.”
He lifted his arm, no longer barring me from leaving. I backed away, never moving my eyes from his. He followed me out into the hall, leaning against his doorframe. He watched me open my door, and a smirk played around his lips.
“Is that your room? I guess we’re neighbors.”
His smirk only widened as my pulse quickened. It was cold and predatory, more of a threat than any words could be.
“Remember that and be a good girl.”
Lily
By the timeI ventured out of my room the next morning, my dad and his new ace hockey player were gone. Thank God for that. The rest of the night I’d tossed and turned, listening for the slightest sound in the hallway. Whether I was scared that Cayden would make good on his threats, or disappointed that he didn’t, I couldn’t look too closely at.
When I fell asleep, I fell right back into the same kind of filthy dreams I’d had before Cayden showed up last night. These ones were even worse. I’d scribbled them out in my journal the next morning to purge my mind of the depraved images I’d dreamed up. Maybe I’d finally reached the level of unresolved teenage hormones where I’d simply started to lose my mind. It had always been going to happen. Maybe Cayden West sleeping next door would be the tipping point.
Hopefully, by the time I got home today, the entire thing would just be a nightmare I could forget about.
I had to meet my dad after practice on Tuesdays. The team did their drills and coaching in the mornings, so Tuesdays, I went home with my dad. I didn’t have my own car, unfortunately. My parents thought it wasn’t necessary since my dad and I went to the same place every day. I’m sure they factored that into their dream of me attending HHU next year and living at home.
Hey, look at the bright side, that routine can continue if you go to HHU and carpool from home every morning.
I thumped my way down the rink stairs, despondent at the thought of the acceptance email for early admission to my dream school in California–an email that hadn’t materialized. Considering how unpopular I was here, I had no idea why I was expecting that anyone else would want me, never mind my dream school. The admission officer had probably looked at my application and laughed.
