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“Attending class would be my first guess,” I snap back sarcastically, earning myself another cold stare so I quickly add, “Speaking of which, I need to get to math.” I move to leave, hoping I can just get away from him and give him some time to calm down, but apparently I’m not that lucky. I guess I knew that already.
His rough grip finds my skin once more as he halts me in place. “If you think for one second you are going anywhere other than home with me right now you are sadly mistaken. I’ve got to repair the damage that little stunt just caused us.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to refute him, not that I would have bothered, he just drags me towards the parking lot to find his car.
There goes my perfect, peaceful first day.
The drive over to his house is deathly silent as I try to ignore the reddening of his knuckles as he fists the steering wheel too tightly. I know how harsh that grip feels. My thumb traces over my own red skin where he has left his mark and I try not to flinch at the sight of it, a sight I never thought someone like me would endure. I thought I was stronger than this, but he knew my one weakness.Them.
By the time we get back to the house, the silence threatens to drive me insane and I can’t stop myself from slamming his car door and stomping towards his stupid house, legacy be damned, but of course he catches up to me.
His arm reaches around my waist so he can pull me towards him. To the outside world it would look like a loving gesture, but his heated barb is anything but. “Do I need to remind my asset of the stakes?”
I turn around in his hold and smile bitterly as I quip, “Trust me, I never forget.” Does he really think I could? That I would ever allow myself to truly slip and put the guys in danger. They are the only reason I’m even here. How does he know that, but not understand it? Not that I’m surprised, how could someone like him ever understand or appreciate what me and the guys had with one another? It’s impossible, I barely understood it myself.
Do I wish they hadn't come? Of course I do, but there is a small part of me that is thrilled they are here, even if it only means they want to fuck with me. But that’s the part I need to shut down, because they can’t be here, can’t be near me. Not if I am going to continue to protect them. They need to leave.
He grits his teeth at my response as he spits out, “Well let’s not forget what I will do to them if I am not kept happy.”
Bile churns in my stomach as his words wash over me and remind me of that night, of what I could lose if he chooses to let his terror rain down on them. I need to be better at protecting them, especially if they are now going to be so close to me, to us. I rip myself from his grip once more and push into his space for once as I grind out, “I’m here with you, aren’t I?”
I don’t let my question linger, I turn and push inside the house just to create some space between us. I acted unfazed, but I didn’t miss the difference in his words. Not for me to behave, to keep my end of the deal. No. He said keeping him happy. He’s going to change the stakes and there’s not a damned thing I can do about it now. Not with them here.
His forceful footsteps grate on me as he follows behind me and I don’t stop until we get to the kitchen, and even then I reach into the fridge and grab a bottle of water just for something to do. He watches me uncap it and take a sip as I try to calm my racing heartbeat.
Carson continues to watch me and I know this isn’t going to be the end of it, that he isn’t going to just accept the guys turning up here, the embarrassment they caused him. He won’t let it go.
I lean back against the kitchen island and he moves swiftly, caging me in on either side with his arms so I am forced to tip my head back so I can meet his stare.
“Don’t play coy with me,” he threatens in a low growl. “You know those bastards better than anyone. Why the fuck are they here?”
I sigh, looking over his shoulder and out the window. “It’s not like I invited them,” I try to argue. I did everything Carson asked me to do. Everything. It just didn’t turn out the way we planned.
“That’s not what I asked.” His tone stops me from throwing any more snark his way. I turn my gaze to meet his and am shocked by the cold demeanor radiating from him. I’ve never seen him like this. Not this angry. Not this…terrifying. I don’t recognize this Carson. I’ve always thought of him as annoying, slightly creepy, but harmless. I thought his threats would be the worst thing he was really capable of. That he wouldn’t hesitate to ruin the guys, that his anger sometimes gets the best of him, but that he never posed any real threat to my safety.
I’m not so sure about that now. This man towering over me, locking me into place, seems far more dangerous than I ever gave Carson credit for. It’s a side of him I didn’t know he had. All of a sudden, I feel like I may be more out of my league than I previously realized.
I swallow thickly, forcing my doubts away while deciding not to push him any further. “I did everything you asked,” I remind him, a slight tremor in my voice that I wish wasn’t there. I clear my throat before continuing, sounding stronger now. “I cut ties, blocked their numbers, got them arrested, changed schools, and played my part perfectly. Everyone believes I chose you and left them in my past.”
“Then why the fuck are they here?” My words have done nothing to abate his anger. I’ve only managed to make him even more furious.
“I don’t know,” I curse, shaking my head. I’m desperately trying to land on an answer that I can give him. Something that will appease him enough to turn him back into the creepy and annoying version of himself rather than the foreboding monster in front of me. “Maybe I went too far in pushing them away.”
He opens his mouth before closing it abruptly, cocking his head to the side as he studies me with narrowed eyes. “Too far?”
I nod slowly. “The plan was to make them feel betrayed so they would abandon me without looking back.” He nods his agreement, so I continue on, “It’s clear they felt betrayed, but I don’t think they’re willing to abandon me without getting their revenge first.”
“Revenge?” I don’t understand the slow smile that’s spreading across his face, somehow making him seem even more inhumane. “You think they’re here to get revenge on you?”
I nod, confused at his reaction. “You know how they are. They never let any slight against them go unpunished. You did have me get them arrested after all.” I can’t help but remind him of his part in this. He was the one who came up with the plan, the one who set all of this into motion.
A mirthless laugh spills from his lips. A hollow, chilling sound that makes goosebumps rise on my flesh. “How ironic it is.” His words hold anything but amusement as he stares down at me. “They want to punish their precious princess.” He runs the back of his fingers down my cheek in something that almost resembles a caress, but his wicked intent is clear in his eyes. A burning desire to hurt and own me. “You’re here fighting to save them even now when they’ve turned their backs on you. Maybe you should choose me for real.” He tucks a strand of my hair that’s fallen loose from my ponytail behind my ear. “They’ve given up on you anyways.”
I pull away from his touch, as much as I can anyways. “I’m only here for one reason, Carson.” I keep my tone steady as I remind him. Even if I’ve lost everything, I’ll never freely give myself to him. He will never be the one for me. I’ll always choose the guys, no matter what they do. No matter what it seems like. I’ll always keep my promise to them.
“Of course,” he agrees, almost too easily. “The contract.” His voice is noticeably cooler now that I’ve rejected him yet again. I’m wary as I wait for him to finally tell me what he expects from me now that they’re here. “Them getting their revenge on you isn’t no contact, now is it?” he asks, that cold, cocky smile back in place.
So this is how he’s going to turn this in his favor? I knew he would use the terms of our agreement against me, even though I followed his instructions to the letter. He’s going to force me to give him more than I originally agreed.
