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He’s poised to strike if needed.
He sits like a king lording over his court. A few girls mill around him, trying desperately to get his attention. But his eyes are closed and his head is leaned back casually against the trunk of the tree as a cigarette dangles loosely from his lips.
He inhales and I watch as the butt of the cigarette turns red. I watch how his lips pull around the cigarettes, the movement sensual without even trying to be.
It’s while looking at his lips that I notice the bruises running along his jaw and up his cheek to his eye socket. They’re purple and blue and they look like they hurt.
He took a beating.
Deserved, I’m sure.
But I can’t help but wonder who would dare hit him. I felt the tightly coiled muscles of his forearms and the strong grip of his fingers.
He wouldn’t have been easy to beat.
“Thayer, look at Rogue.”
“Where?”
“To my right.”
“Jesus, what happened to his face?” She asks, before pausing. “Actually, who cares. I hope it hurts.”
“It looks like it does.”
“He looks like he gets into underground fights. I think that’s another thing rich people do.”
“Whatever happened, I hope he got the anger out of his system. I’m going to give him this.” I say, raising the hand holding the package as I do.
“Good luck. I’m headed to Physics.”
She waves as she walks off and I turn back towards where Rogue is sitting. I don’t know why I’m nervous. He’s just going to thank me and then we’ll put it behind us.
Easy.
Unease tickles the back of my neck as I head in his direction. Halfway to him, his eyes snap open and he notices me. His awareness of me in that moment is very much like a predator smelling its unsuspecting prey approaching in the wild.
His head lifts off the tree and his gaze tracks slowly down my body, inspecting me like a horse for sale on the market.
He takes in my legs. The curve of my hips leaning into the dip of my waist. My small breasts.
His eyes flare as they look at my neck, and I know he’s remembering his hand wrapped around it like a necklace.
When his eyes come back up to meet mine, they’re ice cold and cutting, like sharp blades on skin. The sadism in them makes me falter, but I don’t stop.
I didn’t come here to deal with this petty shit and I refuse to let it drag out any longer than it has to.
When I’m ten feet away from him, I throw the bag so it lands next to him.
“Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot.” I say with as sweet a smile as I can muster. “I really am sorry about your shirt. There’s a replacement in that bag for you.”
He doesn’t say anything, holding my gaze for a few more beats before flicking his gaze to a girl next to him. She rushes to her knees to open it and hand it to him before scrambling away.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Barely.
His right hand comes up to finger the cigarette in his mouth as he takes a drag. Smoke plumes fall aimlessly from his mouth and I can’t help but stare at his lips.
Somehow, the movement feels sexual.
