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She looked healthy.
Vibrant.
I waited a few more minutes, happy to watch while I finished my bagel.
“You remember we’re supposed to be starting on that house today?” I asked.
Charli slumped down and sat in one of the patio chairs while she chugged some water. My eyes went to her slender neck, where rivulets of sweat slid down pale skin, disappearing beneath the collar of her shirt. I found myself imagining the way the droplets probably curved down her breasts and soaked her sports bra, too.
Damn. One kiss and I was already getting in deep, wasn’t I? I’d even had a dream about Charli last night—where I’d tied her hands over her head and taken her from behind until she begged me for more. Then I stopped just before she came and told her she should’ve never believed I’d care about her. Except, in the dream, I hadn’t wanted to stop. I’d only done it because it felt like feeling anything except hatred for her was a betrayal to my dad.
“I remembered.” She set her water down and got back up.
“Hey.” I tossed the last bite of my bagel at her ass to get her attention.
She shot me a suffering look.
“Did you break things off with Clit?”
“Clint? And yes. I did.”
I nodded. “Good. I knew you were smart.”
I started back inside, but before I got through the sliding door, I felt two small hands shove me from behind.
I stumbled forward and my toe caught on the lip of the floor leading inside. I ended up skidding down to my knees. When I got back to my feet, she was staring me down with all the ferocity of an angry squirrel facing off with a wolf.
“You pushed me.” There was a dry note of incredulity in my voice.
“How can you be so cold?” She shoved my chest again, but I didn’t budge this time. “You got what you wanted. You’re always going to get what you want, aren’t you? I broke things off with Clint. I’m forced to live in your house, of all places. My personal life is a mess.”
“And now you have feelings for me.”
“What?” Charli sputtered, her mouth hanging in open disbelief. “You’re seriously unbelievable.”
Her lips looked so red and tempting. Her cheeks were still flushed with exertion and sweat was dripping from her chin. She looked alive and strong. That was it, wasn’t it? Charli looked strong as hell, no matter how much I threw at her. I couldn’t stand to see her thrive, because I’d let myself break on the inside. And why should she get to survive unscathed?
I lifted her hair, exposing the scar on her forehead she kept hidden so well. “You feel sorry for yourself because of this?” I asked.
She tried to slap my hand away, but I didn’t let her. I gripped the back of her neck, holding her there so I could take in every swollen, too-white line of scar tissue. “You think this is a heavy burden to bear?”
The patio door opened. I realized I was holding Charli close while she squirmed, and how I was practically drunk from the closeness of her body. I wanted another taste of her, and it was stripping control from me.
“Cassian? What are you two—” Walter’s nasally, obnoxious voice sounded so weak.
I let go of Charli, who took a big step back and glared at me before shoving past me and heading inside.
I was left alone with Walter, who thrust his hands in his pockets and smirked. “Can’t force ‘em to love you, Champ.” As if he wasn’t sure he’d been obnoxious enough, he shot me a wrinkly wink, too.
I blinked. There were a few things I could say or do—including lifting his scrawny ass over my head and throwing him through the windows. Instead, I went inside without a word.
I knew one thing: I wasn’t dragging my ass out to build a house for community service hours today. Charli could handle that herself.24CharliCassian wanted to believe his own story. He wanted to think I’d fallen for him, or that I was some helpless, weak-minded thing who couldn’t fight against instinct.
So I’d made a point of avoiding him ever since our backyard encounter a few weeks back.
We still crossed paths on our way out of the house at times, or when his mom tried to play peacemaker and forced us to have dinner as “one big family.” After the bitingly uncomfortable silences, even she seemed to finally be getting the hint that he and I hated each other.
Breaking things off with Clint had cut me off from the majority of my social group, too. It was just like Cassian had wanted.
Now I was mostly alone, except for when Zoe went out of her way to spend time with me or when I ate with her and Marne at school. I spent most of my free time studying, training, or getting hours at the build site. I was surprised Cassian hadn’t taken advantage of his threat to show up at the site with Sophie, but I also wasn’t keeping tabs on him. For all I knew, he had been trying to catch me here and failing. Either way, he’d missed his chance, because once I finished up tonight, I’d have my ten hours completed.
