Page 54 of Merciless

ELIJAH

DAY 4 OF THE BET

A pained groan escapes me as I adjust myself in my pants. I haven’t been this hard until Eden. I was so close to winning her over and fucking her.

“Hey, Eli.” A blonde twirls a lock of hair as she struts toward me.

I cast a glare at her before leaning against the wall beside Eden’s door. A few more girls in the busy hall toss sideways glances at me. All of them share the same lustful hope that I’ll show them attention.

I couldn’t give a single fuck about them. Not right now. Not when there are only days left after spending four of them trying to win over Eden’s affections.

My head thumps against the wall as I relax further. I slip my hands into my pockets and curl my fingers into my palms.

I’m so tempted to open the door and finish what we started. Not for the sake of the bet, but because I can’t stand the pain of being so close to coming and being denied.

I smirk, despite my sour mood.

She kissed me. I didn’t even have to try hard to tempt her. And she wanted to play clueless with me, like I was the one who started it first.

“Eli,” another woman calls.

I grit my teeth and fist my hands in my pockets.

No wonder my brother prefers solitude to surrounding himself with people. I normally have no problem with being in the limelight, but right now, I despise it.

The door opens, and Eden steps out. Even in her school uniform, she’s absolutely divine.

I drink in the skirt hugging her wide-set hips, the hem barely reaching the school’s allowed length. Her top and jacket fit snugly around her breasts and stomach—a tease of what I want to see. Eden tucks a lock of black hair behind her ear and avoids looking me in the eye as she stops by my side after closing the door behind her.

“Are you ready?” I say.

She nods.

“Good.” I push away from the wall and rest my palm on her lower back. “I’m famished. We’ll get breakfast before we do anything else.”

“You didn’t want to try making your move?” she mumbles while we walk down the hall.

“Pardon?”

She peeks at me. “The girls who were hanging around you?”

I force a smile. “Why would I try to make a move on them?”

“Because you have quite the reputation.”

I slow my steps and turn my head toward her. “And which reputation is that?”

She’s silent for a moment. I’d kill to know what’s going through her head as she looks at me with furrowed eyebrows and a questioning expression.

I hold back an amused grin.

“The reputation that says you sleep around.” She tilts her head. “Which other reputations do you have?”

“I don’t think you want to know.”

“Because it might disgust me?” She rolls her eyes.

I hum a response, leaving it at that.