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“What’s going on?” I addressed my dad. He ignored my question, instead introducing Prof. Patel to Raine’s aunt and making a point of saying how Pam was single. Looking more closely at Raine’s aunt as she stood there giving Prof. Patel a coy smile, it suddenly dawned on me. This was a set-up. Glancing over at Raine, I saw she looked as uncomfortable as I was, wringing her hands and grimacing. Good.
“Carter. Sanjay mentioned that your essay is due next week. I don’t need to remind you how important it is that you keep your grades up.” I was aware of the deathly silence that suddenly filled the space. How fucking dare he call me out like that in front of everyone? But he wasn’t finished. “I’ve spoken to Pam, and we’ve agreed that Raine will study with you tonight. Maybe her good influence will have an effect.” He gave me a smile that was completely fake, his eyes daring me to disagree with him. “You may as well make a start now. You can study in your bedroom. The door is to be kept unlocked. Do I make myself clear?”
“Sounds great,” I managed. “Raine?” It wasn’t worth disagreeing with him. Even though he never got physical with me, he liked to tear me down with his words. That was even worse in a way—he had a way of getting inside my head, twisting me up.
Turning on my heel, I headed up to my room, assuming Raine would follow. I heard the sound of her boots on the wooden stairs behind me, and my jaw clenched. Those boots…she must’ve known they’d be an unwanted reminder of our time together. And now I had to spend time with her in my fucking bedroom, my one safe space.
I pushed the door open, and she followed me in. As I turned to face her, I saw her eyes darting around everywhere, taking everything in. Her gaze landed on my bed, and she pulled her lip between her teeth, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. She cleared her throat, tearing her gaze away.
“Carter?” She spoke in a soft, hesitant voice.
“Stay the fuck away from me.” The burning anger and betrayal I’d felt ever since she tricked me had intensified, and as much as she’d avoided me, I’d also avoided her, because I was at the point where I didn’t trust myself not to completely lose control. I needed to blow off steam, but my partner in crime, Kian, had been distracted all week, and Xavier didn’t like to get his hands dirty. Meaning, I had no outlet for the rage inside me.
She ignored my warning growl, swallowing hard and stepping closer. “What am I supposed to do? Your dad’s expecting us to study.”
What was she supposed to do? Well, my dad would have plenty to say if we didn’t study, and no doubt Raine would be happy to tell him if we hadn’t done any. Although…maybe I could persuade her, now she knew what I was capable of. Then again, I did need to get a good grade on this essay to keep my spot as the team captain.
Mind made up, I pointed towards my desk. “Sit there and don’t fucking touch anything. Don’t even move. I’ll be back.” Before she had a chance to say anything, I left, heading back downstairs to pick up my bag from the hallway where I’d dumped it earlier. I paused, hearing my name mentioned. Moving closer to the door to the formal living room, which was slightly ajar, I waited, listening.
“He’s just not interested in putting the effort in. He can’t be bothered to try. It’s pure laziness on his part.” My dad’s words had me balling my fists at my sides, my jaw clenching so tightly that it was giving me a headache. “I hope Raine will be a good influence on him. You must be so proud of her, Pam.”
“She works hard.”
Typical comment from Pam.
“She’s very conscientious. A girl that Carter could only dream about ending up with one day. If only he would pick someone like Raine as a girlfriend, instead of those brash, in-your-face girls that he seems to bring around.”
“Carter is only concerned with the superficial. You know this,” my dad responded to my mum.
A throat cleared, and my dad spoke again. “Apologies, Sanj. We shouldn’t be discussing this with you here.”
Their conversation turned to other subjects, and I moved away, suppressing the rage. Fuck, I needed to burn it off. I pulled my phone from my pocket.
Me: The bowl. We’re fighting. NO EXCUSES
Kian responded instantly.
Kian: OK. I’ll text when I’ve set it up
I blew out a heavy breath. Knowing that I had an outlet for my anger helped to dull it to a low simmer. I responded with a thumbs up gif, then headed back to Raine. Pushing the door open, I saw her slam my desk drawer shut, and she spun around to face me with guilt written all over her face.
“What are you doing?” In two strides I was standing in front of her, staring down at her. I gripped her chin in my hand. “Answer me.”
She stared up at me, her eyes wild and afraid.
“Stop giving me that look, Raine,” I growled.
“What look?” Her voice came out as a shaky whisper.
Releasing my grip on her chin, my hands went to her waist, and I effortlessly lifted her onto the edge of my desk. Placing my arms either side of her, I lowered my head to look directly into her eyes. “That look you’re giving me right now. That look that makes me want to do bad things to you.”
Her mouth fell open. She swallowed hard, but she held my gaze. “You don’t deserve to do bad things to me, Carter. Not after what you’ve done.”
I lifted my hands from either side of her, pushed her legs apart, and stepped in between them. This was a bad idea. Really, really bad. She made no move to stop me, frozen in place. I needed the rage back. “I don’t deserve to? What about what you’ve done, huh?”
“Me? I think it pales in comparison to what you’ve done.” Her voice shook, but she bared her teeth at me.
“First the slap, now talking back to me. Do I need to remind you of your place, Plain Raine?” At the same time as I growled the insult, I pressed my hips into her, unable to stop myself. Her breath hitched. My eyes lowered to her heart-shaped mouth as she licked her lips, preparing a comeback.
