Page 47 of Break You

She cut me off. “You’re trying to get me to warm to you, like the two of us are similar in some way, before somehow finding a way to use everything I tell you against me.”

I bit the inside of my lip to try to stop from laughing. I was only partially successful. I waited a few beats before speaking. “Ha! Have you ever considered seeing a professional for your paranoia? I know you probably won’t believe this, but everything I said in that message was 100 percent true. You don’t have to like it, or me, but we do have to do this assignment, and I gave you my word I’d do it properly so…” I shrugged. Her laughter was a surprise, erupting from somewhere deep inside her, and carrying over the general chatter circulating around the green. “What’s so funny?”

“You are! Giving me your word, like that’s a thing... Ha! Your word doesn’t mean shit to me.”

Rocky

I watched him closely as he reacted, as I had throughout our interaction, trying to make sense of where his head was at, regardless of what his mouth was saying. His poker face was pretty good though, and I found it difficult to get a read on him sometimes. He'd seemed relieved when I was yelling at him, which couldn’t have been right. Other than that, he appeared to be genuine in what he was saying, though I didn’t take that at face value either.

“You don’t have to believe me, but it is what it is.” I met his blue, blue eyes as he spoke, and caught my breath as he held my gaze. Neither of us moved or spoke for the longest time, and the tension between us was sky high.

This time it was my turn to shrug. “Anyway, that was all I had to say. I have to bounce.”

“Why the hurry?” I didn’t miss the desire in his eyes as they swept my body hungrily. Nor did I miss the way his voice deepened and dropped to just above a whisper.

“Not that it’s any of your business. But I have to go home to get ready for work.”

He looked down at his luxury watch. “Really? It’s not even 3 p.m. Are you working at the bar?”

“Again, none of your never mind, but yeah, I am at Rollergirl tonight. So?”

“So, you have hours, yet...” He let the end of the sentence hang in the air between us, his intent clear.

“Not really. I have to get home to shower and change.”

“How long can that possibly take?”

“Well, let me see Little Lord Ownitall. Unlike you with your on-campus penthouse and no doubt a castle or some shit off-campus, I have no choice but to live off site, because I can’t afford anything else. And not just a little off, but waaaaaaaay off. And now that I have no car, it’s a mission getting back and forth between here, there and work. So yeah...”

“Where’s your car?”

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms across my chest, partly because he was annoying me, and partly because as he took another step forward, I wanted to put a barrier—no matter how flimsy—between the two of us.

“I don’t know. Probably stripped for parts and recycled by now. It never came out of the pound.”

“Why not?”

“Ugh. I have neither the time nor the energy to go through that with you right now. Just file it under ‘poor people problems’ and move on.”

His eyes darkened and his jaw tightened.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Really? I thought you were smarter than that, Cross. Did I misjudge you?”

“You must have, because I’m gonna need you to spell it out for me.”

“Figures. I’m guessing you’ve never been short of the cash you needed for anything, right? Never had to save to afford something you wanted. Never had to go without something you needed. Never wished something was within your reach knowing it never would be. There were fines outstanding from my mo—from the previous owner. I didn't have the money to pay them, so the car has been seized. I’m rolling on eight wheels, the bus, and the subway for the foreseeable future.” I thought about the luxury car still sitting outside my apartment, almost wishing my moral compass would let me use it. I shook my head as though to dislodge the thought. “So, if you'll excuse me. Like I said, I need to make tracks.”

“I’ll give you a lift home, then to work.”

My head shot up to meet his eyes. “What? Why? No! I mean no thanks. I’m fine to get mass transportation.”

“I didn’t suggest you were anything other than fine. I have my own motives for wanting to give you a ride.”

His body was flush against mine, and not that I needed an explanation of his meaning, but when he said the word ride, he thrust his hips toward me and the unmistakable bulge of his erection pushed against my body.

I really wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but as he traced a line up my neck with his index finger, then squeezed the back of my neck hard, the words stuck in my throat.

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