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The small space I’d created between us disintegrated in the blink of an eye. He wrapped an arm around my lower back and pulled me flush against him. His other hand came up and grasped hold of my jaw, preventing me from looking away.
“That pathetic piece of shit should have never laid a finger on you. If I didn’t have a reason to kill him before he would’ve died regardless for touching what’s mine.” His cool tone carried the kind of anger no one in their right mind wanted to be faced with. I would rather he yelled or screamed at me.
“Why are you being like this?” I tried to free myself from his arms and wound up pressed even tighter against him.
“I would never go to the police about you or your friends. I’m not an idiot.”
Despite wanting to claw his beautiful face, I spoke softly. He didn’t leave me much of a choice. We were so close our lips would touch if I breathed too hard.
His lack of immediate response didn’t sit right with me. His eyes hammered into mine like he was searching for something, breaking apart all the faulty defenses I needed to solidify if I was going to survive him.
“You are far from being an idiot that isn’t what concerns me. You’re reckless and headstrong when you let your emotions get the best of you,” he brushed his lips over mine in a gentle caress, “Don’t do anything that would make me have to remove your pretty little head. How would your parents feel if your headless corpse showed up on their doorstep?”
An array of the emotions he just accused me of twisted my stomach and spiraled through my chest. I pushed against him; this time being released with an ease that had me tripping over my own two feet. Judas was quick to reach for me again, ensuring I remained upright.
“Careful. We can’t have you getting hurt.”
There was a genialness in his words that threw me through a loop. I knocked his hand away for a second time and glared at him. “What the hell is wrong with you? Do you want to kill me or fuck me? I’m starting to get whiplash.”
His devilish smile had me wishing I never asked that.
“Aw, bella. I’ve always wanted to do both.”
“How can you admit that so casually?”
“Would you like it better if I lied? Want me to whisper sweet nothings in your ear?
“Just...” I swallowed the words that I was about to say, stopping myself from demanding he stay away from me.
Letting him go wasn’t an option. I knew he wouldn’t follow my demand in the first place, but I also didn’t necessarily want him to. I’d decided to see this through and play whatever role was necessary until I could figure out the truths from the lies. This was about something bigger than our dysfunctional relationship.
Even so, I couldn’t fathom being apart from him long-term. I needed a break sometimes, a few moments to myself so that I could think. I didn’t want a permanent absence.
The raging emotions settled and left me with a sudden heaviness. I shook my head from side to side, walking away from him to go back inside the house.
CHAPTER THREE
I had an uncanny sense of Deja-Vu.
With my satchel on the floor and hands folded loosely in my lap, I recalled the first time I rode in this car. The trip hadn’t been as voluntary as it was now. That day seemed so far in the past.
I was about to ask Judas was he never drove with the radio on when without warning, he jerked the wheel to the left and cut across oncoming traffic.
“What the hell are you doing?” I grabbed the door and held on tight as horns blared and tires squealed, praying to whichever powers that may be, we didn’t get hit.
He pulled into a parking lot somehow avoiding a head-on collision—barely.
“For fucks sake, Judas! Was it too much to wait and use a blinker like everyone else?”
“I like to be punctual. We only have thirty minutes before the first bell.”
I looked out the window to see where he needed to go that was worth risking our lives. “Mary-Kay’s Doughnuts? This is what we almost died for?”
“You’ll understand the risk in a minute.”
Huffing irritably, I released his passenger side door from my death grip. He circled a cute brick building and pulled up to the speaker-box right as a large SUV was pulling off. While he placed an order, I retrieved my cell from my bag and checked the notifications.
I had thirteen missed calls and eighteen unread text messages all from Mom, Audrey, and oddly Brianna.
She and I weren’t exactly chummy despite her needing a friend speech. I couldn’t look beyond her being in Judas’ sordid little posse. She was loyal to him without question. That wasn’t the kind of friend I would be having heart-to-hearts with anytime soon.
