Page 37 of Alamort

“You’re a fucking prick.” I whisper. Afraid my voice will shake, showing my fear. His arms encircle me, putting a hand large enough it spans my waist. Then pulls me aggressively towards him, closing the little space we had. He leans down. The smell of fresh mint washes over my face as his breath mingles with mine. His eyes darker than they were before, as he lazily studies my face approvingly before glancing down at my gaping shirt. A mischievous look plays in his eyes. His lips hovering less than a centimeter away from mine. Giving me the illusion that it’smychoice.

Clumsily, leaning forward, pressing my split lip into his. They’re full and softer than I expected someone else’s lips to feel. I’ve never kissed anyone before. I give him the bare minimum, a peck before pulling away. His eyes narrow, shaking his head.

“No princess, I want to feel the hatred you’re not trying hard to hide. I want a real kiss.”

My breath catches at his low, sensual voice sliding across my skin. His hand slides up my neck, stopping at my pulse and squeezing briefly before he cups my jaw, tilting my head up towards him. The action contradicts the hardness in his eyes.

Do it and get it over with. Wetting my lips, I push forward with the last of my courage, crushing my lips to his. His tonguelicks the seam to coax them apart. Hesitantly, I part them slightly to allow his tongue to explore. I follow his lead and our tongues intertwine, filling my mouth with the sweetness of mint and the buzz of excitement. His movements become frenzied, taking over the kiss. Hands grip my thighs, lifting my feet off the floor. Automatically, my legs wrap around his waist to keep from falling. Using his body to press me against the wall, my thighs try to squeeze shut to relieve the aching that’s building. Something hard presses into my center. He's hard. For me. A moan escapes me when he rubs it against my pussy, making my panties wet.

Bennett pulls away panting, looking down at his jean clad hard on rubbing against me, “Fuck, that’s so fucking hot,” he growls.

That’s when I start overthinking. He knows I’ve never done this. I don’t know what I’m doing. Does my breath smell bad? Why should I care? This was a deal. Panic seizes me when I realize this is just a game. His game.

Pulling his head toward me by the messy strands, I bite his lip. Hard. He drops me immediately, recoiling. His eyes widen at the sight of blood from his injured lip.

Nodding, satisfaction fills me that we have a similar wound.

“That was your kiss. Take it or leave it.” My arms cross over my chest. He laughs and shakes his head.

“Okay.” He steps out of my way, allowing me to leave the bathroom. Before I make it out the door, he reaches out and softly grabs my elbow.

“Do yourself a favor and don’t go to the dean about this.” Wanting to give him a piece of my mind and tell him where he can put his advice, he cuts me off before I can get a word out. “He’s the dean’s nephew. This isn’t the first time he’s done something like this.” My jaw snaps shut. I nod my head, the message loud and clear. Because of who Oscar’s uncle is, there won’t be any consequence for his behavior. It runs in his family.

In an attempt to shield myself from prying eyes, I pull the torn fabric around my shivering body. There shouldn’t be many people out since everyone is in their first period of the day. My feet rush to carry me to the safety of my room, where I release my pent-up emotions through soft cries and regret. A pity party to wonder why this shit always happens to me. When can I just…be?

Bennett

Family meeting. Now.

It’s uncommon for me to respond to texts from the guys, yet alone send a group text. But what I walked in on warrants a meeting. Don’t get me wrong, I hate Priya for what she did in California, and I want her broken just as much as Crew and Saint. But rape? Even hers goes against everything we stand for. We torture and kill people like that for a living.

Oscar is lucky his uncle is on Crew’s payroll, otherwise he would’ve been dead long before this incident. He’s always been a pushy shit, pestering girls when he wants something. He’s never been on our radar because his activities never interfered with our agendas. My thumb absentmindedly rubs my lip. Oscar has over stepped and put his nose where it doesn’t belong. Near Priya Carter.

My mind goes back to when I heard her scream in the bathroom. I stood there, listening. I thought she’d handle it on her own. The sound of that sob was so gut-wrenching that I’ve only heard it once before. She sounded every bit of broken that I wanted her to be, but not at that expense.

The last time I heard something that horrifying was when my mom had brought some John home for work. She thought my brother and I were sleeping, but I wasn’t. I heard everything. Each piercing cry, muffled whimper, and desperate prayer echoed through the room. As a young child of 8 or 9, I lie motionless, tears silently streaming down my cheeks, unable to react. Promising my mother retribution for the pain he caused her. I didn’t know there were some things that could never be healed. Until I lived through it myself.

The side entrance to the barn is within arm’s length. It’s the entrance only the guys and I use. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean its location is unknown. Amber’s crazed voice reaches my ears before I’m able to hustle inside.

“Bennett!” My shoulders draw up to my ears, shielding the precious organs from hearing loss. I know what this is about.

Turning around on one foot to face her, I put on a cheery smile, “Amber!” She’s brought her eerie replica, Ember. Ember Callahan. Same shade of blonde, same makeup, their school outfits even styled and paired with the same black Louboutin heels. Good thing Ember doesn’t talk much, if at all.

“Don’t start with me, Bennett Demonio! What type of bullshit was that?” My eyes flinch against the screech. Is she a fucking banshee?

“What?” Playing dumb will only piss her off further. She gets in my face.

“I saw you kissing that freak, Bennett!” I smile in her face. Amber is a lot of things, beautiful, wealthy, jealous, and predictable. Shrugging off her observation only sets her blue eyes blazing with rage. She raises her hand to slap me. My reflexes are faster than that. After all the time we’ve spent together, she should know. Then again, most of that time is spent looking at the back of her head.

My grip tightens on her wrist. “I let your crazy ass get away with a lot, Amber. Telling the school I’m ‘yours’ when I let you know up front what this was. But if youeverattempt to put your hands on me again.” I pause, letting the threat soak in. Her lip wobbles, but there are no tears. She plays this game as well as I do.

“I did it for you.” She whispers.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I knew what I was doing, getting Priya to kiss me. I timed it perfectly so Amber would walk in. Stirring the pot. We didn’t see any reactions worth mentioning, so I push for more.

Amber remains quiet. Shaking her, I ask again. “Amber, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“I thought that if Oscar scared her a little, she’d leave. Or at the very least, leave you alone.” My eyebrows draw down in a glare and my nose wrinkles.

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