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“In the glovebox in my car. And there’s some in my locker at school.”
I process what he just told me and come up with a plan to make him pay for everything he’s done. An anonymous call to the police and the principal. I’ll tell them that Ian hides drugs in his locker. That should do it.
Well, almost.
“Ian, you’ve been a very bad boy,” I tell him. “And I’m going to have to make you pay for what you’ve done to those girls.”
“Yes, please, make me pay,” he practically begs. “Punish me.”
“I will,” I promise with a sly smile. “Starting with dancing.”
He slants back, blinking dazedly. “Huh?”
I unloop my arms from around his neck and look him dead in the eye. “You’re going to dance all weekend long. Even when you go home tonight, you’ll keep dancing until Monday. Got it.”
“That’s what you want me to do? Really?” He gapes at me.
I nod, putting more distance between us. “Yep.”
He gulps. “Okay.” Then his feet start to tap and his arms begin to flail as he works to keep up with the pulsating tune of the song blaring.
I walk away, a smile creeping up on my face. “Ready to get in your swimsuit so we can chill in the hot tub?” I ask Jane. “It’s starting to sound more and more appealing.”
She nods, but wariness masks her expression. “I don’t know how you get guys to listen to everything you say. It’s the craziest thing.”
“They don’t listen to everything I say,” I lie as we finish the rest of the walk to the pool house.
“That’s such a lie. You have everyone wrapped around your little finger.”
Is that how she sees me? “I don’t do it on purpose.”
She raises her brows, giving me a really look.
“Well, unless it’s for a good cause,” I add. “You heard what Ian said. He deserves what’s coming to him.” But as I say it, guilt settles over me. The darkness inside my chest is gone and a giant voice has replaced it.
“You’re kind of like a vigilante.”
“Not really.”
“Sometimes you are. You’re always watching out for everyone. So just own that you’re a good person, okay?”
I nod, even though I’m not a good person. While I can justify what I did to Ian, I can’t justify the sick, twisted pleasure I get out of knowing he’ll suffer through the weekend. Then come Monday his life could be ruined. And I sure as hell can’t justify what I did to Max.
Stop thinking about him!
When we reach the pool house, Jane pokes her head inside. “There’s only one stall in here.”
If I were here with Steph or Kara, we’d probably just go in together. But Jane never changes in front of us.
“You go first,” I tell her.
Nodding, she slips in and shuts the door. I step back into the shadows and peel my black tank top over my head, kick my sneakers off, and slide my shorts down my legs. I want to glance over at the dance floor at Ian and see if he’s still dancing, but I’m too afraid to find out the answer.
“Oh look, just in time for a show.”
The deep, male voice comes out of nowhere and startles me so badly I trip over my feet. I stumble forward with my shorts around my knees and bang my elbow against the side of the brick pool house. The skin tears open and I bite down on my tongue in pain. I’ve never felt anything like it. Pain. So much pain.
Is that the first time I’ve felt pain before?
“God, that hurts,” I groan, cradling my elbow in my hand. I stare down at the gnarly gash on my smooth skin, blood seeping out. I’ve never seen anything like it, on myself anyway. “It looks so… disgusting.”
The guy steps out from the shadows with a smirk on his face. “Don’t be so over dramatic. It’s just a cut.” His eyes drag up my body, lingering too long on my bikini covered chest. “I’m sure you’ve had a ton of them before.”
“Of course I’ve had cuts before,” I lie. The truth is, I’ve never have. Not once. Not even so much as a paper cut. I know it’s weird, but I’m just not accident prone.
“Mmm… hmmm,” he nods his head as if agreeing with me, but his condescending tone suggests otherwise. “I’m sure you have.” He smirks again. “I mean, why would you lie about something so stupid?”
I’ve never had anyone talk or look at me this way before, and I’m unsure how to react.
“Look, I don’t know who you think you are, but I—“
“Cameron,” he says, cutting me off.
“Huh?”
“You said you didn’t know who I am,” he explains, amused. “I’m Cameron. I just moved here from Sin City. I like long walks on the beach, even though I live nowhere near the beach. I’m a Gemini. And a fantastic lover. And I love to dance. There, now you know who I am.” He rakes his hand through his short blond hair then crosses his arms, watching me intently.
I blink at him, too stunned for words. His emphasis on love to dance doesn’t go unnoticed. Did he notice what I did to Ian? That he’ll be dancing all night because I asked him to?
That’s not that strange. Girls ask guys to dance all the time.
But guys don’t usually dance solo by themselves for forty-eight hours straight, do they? You know you’re different, Remi. Always have been.
“I feel sort of bad for the poor bastard. He didn’t even know what was coming,” Cameron remarks, studying my reaction closely.
“I’m sorry, but I have no clue what you’re talking about.” I play dumb, but I’m nervous and fidgety.
With his eyes fixed on me, he points over his shoulder at Ian jumping up and down in the middle of a group of people. “You don’t, huh?”
I shake my head, but my pulse soars. “Nope.”
“Hmmm…” He thrums his finger against his bottom lip. “Then how about I show you?”
Before I can tell him that I don’t want him to show me anything, he dips his head, puts his lips up to my ear, and whispers, “Dance with me, Remi.” He shifts back and offers me his hand.
I don’t want to dance with him, but I find myself letting him lead me to the dance floor. I feel like I’m floating, my feet not even touching the ground. In the back of my mind, I know this isn’t right, that I should slip my fingers from his, but it’s
like I’ve lost control over my body.
“Wait, I can’t dance. I’m in my bikini,” I argue lamely as we reach the middle of the dance floor.
Underneath the light, I can see that he’s around my age and that he’s gorgeous, with blond hair, gauges in his ears, silver metal in his lip, and a tiny scar on his jawline.
“You look hot,” he assures me, then places his hands on my waist.
I want to be repulsed, but my body reacts, melting into him. I set my hands on his shoulders as he pulls me against him. His body heat engulfs me as we start to move slowly, even though the song playing has a fast, upbeat tempo.
“We’re moving too slow for this song,” I mutter, but then rest my head on his shoulder.
He chuckles. “All right, how’s this?” Within a snap of the finger, the song switches to “Wires” by Athlete. “Better?” he asks.
I nod my head up and down, surrendering to him even more, somehow knowing I’d do anything he asked me to do. The feeling is terrifying, like standing at the edge of a cliff, waiting to be pushed. “What did you do to me?” I whisper, terrified out of my mind.
He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, his breath hot against my skin as he whispers, “Showing you what it feels like.”
“Ian deserved what I did to him.”
“I know he did.”
“Then why are you punishing me? Is it…” I bite on my bottom lip. No. Don’t say his name.
“No, it’s not because of him.” He says it as if he knows exactly who I’m thinking about. “What happened to Max wasn’t your fault. And I’m not punishing you,” he attempts to reassure me, but then sighs tiredly. “Remi, I’m here to help you understand and prepare you for what’s about to happen.”
My mind spins in confusion. None of what he’s saying makes sense. “What’s about to happen? And how do you know my name?”
His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes as he brushes his knuckles across my cheek. “I’m so sorry, beautiful. I wish I could change what’s about to go down, but a curse is a curse, and even I can’t change it.” His hand travels down my neck, my side, finally resting at my waist. Then he jerks me against him so tightly I can barely breathe. “Just know that it will get better. At first, it might not seem like it, but I promise you it will. But you have to be strong, okay? Don’t give up. Be strong. Don’t let them break you.”
