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William watches me intently. “I need to hear yousayit, Goldilocks.”
My hatred for him surges, more intent now than it’s ever been. I’ve never wished harm or misfortune to fall on anyone, but I sure as hell hope it finds him. A slow death from a fiery explosion sounds too good for the bastard right now.
Clearing my throat a couple of times, I finally tell him what he wants to hear. “It’s a deal.” My eyes blaze into his. ”As long as you don’t tell Max anything, nor lay one hand on Vanessa in any form.If you do, all bets are off.”
William smirks at me, knowing my weaknesses as soon as I say those words. “It’s a deal, Goldilocks.” His face grows serious. “But let me leave you with these words of wisdom.He’snot good enough for you and willneverbe. You are under the delusion he’s perfect, but Max Devlin has skeletons in his closet. They will be your downfall.”
What the hell does he mean about skeletons in Max’s closet being my downfall?
I keep my face impassive, knowing that I’ve shown enough weakness around him. Revealing anything else will certainly lead to him exploiting and manipulating as only he can.
William is still invading my personal space as his gaze travels over my body, then locks on mine. I cringe as his breaths fall against my cheek. “No one is as perfect for you asIam. Once Max is through splintering you,I’llbe the one to pick up your broken pieces.” He stares at me intently, his eyes probing to see the effect his words are having on me, then he steps back, releasing me. “Remember that.”
The sounds of feet on the trail behind me nearly make me weep. Now that I know there are others nearby, my fury gets the best of me. Leaning forward, I hiss, “I was neveryours. Ever.And I’ll never fucking be yours!”
Hurt rolls through his eyes as his hands clench into fists, but he quickly squashes it, sneering at me mockingly. “Keep telling yourself that, Irelynn.”
As the sounds of the runners’ voices and laughter draw closer, my voice is scathing as I deliver my parting shot. “Just remember, you had to get me wasted for me towantyou. Max has never, ever had to ply me with alcohol to get me to fuckhim.” My eyes flash and I step around him to resume running on the trail, but William’s arm reaches out, wrenching my arm to stop me from leaving.
“You fucked him?” His ice-blue eyes widen momentarily, the color draining from his face. He recovers quickly, the hurt dissipating beneath his trademark smirk as he shakes his head. He glances at me pityingly, as though I’ve made a colossal mistake.
I don’t say a word. Instead, I yank my arm from his grasp, my stare fevered, hatred flowing from every cell of my body.
The truth is staring him in the face as he searches mine. I don’t need to say anything.
He takes a step back, slowly shaking his head, as though he’s disappointed in me. “Mark my words, Irelynn. His secrets willruinyou.” He gives me one final, hostile glare before spinning around and running in the opposite direction.
I run behind the strangers, my legs feeling weak, my heart racing. I can’t ignore the compulsion to look back, to make sure he won’t grab me again, but I no longer see him. Despite the warm sunshine cutting through the trees, goosebumps cover my body.
I need to get the hell out of here.
Ignoring my body’s protests, I sprint, my feet flying over the trail, passing the people I was behind. The desire to escape these woods and return to the safety of my apartment causes me to keep up the frantic pace, my lungs and legs burning, begging for reprieve.
A tiny seed of doubt courses through me as I break through the tree line, my apartment building in my sights.
What did William mean about Max having secrets that will ruin me?
Chapter thirty-one
Irelynn
August28,2018,9:00a.m.
Jumping into the shower, I viciously scrub William’s touch from my skin, desperate to see Max. I haven’t stopped trembling since I ran inside my apartment, locking the door and throwing myself against it, tears running down my face.
Stupid of me to go for a run alone. Max warned me.
Rinsing off, I wrap a towel around my body, stepping from the shower. After drying off, I swipe the towel over the mirror to remove the condensation. Studying my pale reflection, I remove the hair tie holding my hair up in a messy bun.Long sleeves and some makeup should fix this.
Hurrying into my bedroom, I grab a pair of dark blue skinny jeans from my closet and a thin, long-sleeved red shirt. Spotting a pair of black heeled sandals on my closet floor, I grab them. Dressing quickly, I sit to buckle my strappy shoes, admiring my red toenails. Heels always make me feel more confident and after the morning I had, I can use a healthy dose of it.
Heading back to the bathroom, I plug my curling iron in and set to work on my makeup. Admiring my handiwork, I turn my head from side to side.
Bronzer really does work wonders.I touch up my curls, then hurry from my bathroom.
I load my backpack with the materials I will need for class, slinging it over my shoulder just in case. If I can spend time with Max and head straight to campus, rather than come here, I’d much rather do that.
Ten minutes later, I’m ordering a variety of donuts, as well as three coffees. I know what Max drinks, but I don’t know about Darin, so I just order a regular coffee and ask for cream and sugar on the side.
