Page 51 of Boards & Betrayal

Before I could say anything more, he grabbed my arm and pulled me back into his office, slamming the door shut behind us.

“Did you fuck him?” he demanded.

“What?” I snapped, my eyes sparking with anger.

“After,” he continued, his voice rising. “Is that what this is? You fucked him? Because you were mad at me? Because I went to jail? Because I… fuck if I know, embarrassed you at the Masquerade?”

“Is that what you really think?” I asked, my voice shaking with fury and hurt.

“How the hell should I know?” he shouted. “No one is telling me shit.”

“And you jump to me fucking him?” I shot back. “Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” he said, towering over me. “Fucking tell me.”

“I didn’t fuck him,” I said through gritted teeth.

“I don’t believe you,” he hissed.

Without thinking, I slapped him. The sound echoed in the small room like a gunshot. His eyes burned through mine, filled with a mix of rage and something else—something raw and painful.

For a moment, neither of us moved or spoke. The silence between us was heavy, suffocating.

Thomas lunged for me, his hands gripping my arms as he pulled me into a searing kiss. The intensity of it took my breath away, his lips claiming mine with a fierce, desperate hunger. His touch was both punishing and pleading, as if he were trying to convey everything he couldn't say with words. I could feel the heat radiating off his body, his anger and passion melding into one overwhelming force.

When he finally broke the kiss, his breath was ragged. “I fucking told you,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. “You’re mine. You promised. You’re mine. If you fucked him, I’ll kill him.”

“He’s your—” I started, but the words caught in my throat.

“I don’t care,” Thomas interrupted, his grip tightening on my arms. “Not when it comes to you.”

The raw possessiveness in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine. I felt a mixture of anger and longing, but mostly I felt trapped—trapped by my own emotions and by the man who stood before me.

With a surge of strength fueled by frustration, I pushed him off of me.

His eyes burned with an intensity that matched my own fury. For a moment, we just stared at each other, both breathing heavily from the storm that had erupted between us.

The room felt smaller, the air thicker with tension. Everything that had been left unsaid hung in the space between us, too heavy to ignore but too painful to confront directly.

I wiped my lips with the back of my hand, trying to erase the lingering sensation of his kiss. But it was no use—his touch had branded itself onto my skin, leaving a mark that wouldn’t easily fade.

Finally, I found my voice again. “How could you think that of me?” I asked quietly, my hand still stinging from the impact. “After everything?”

Thomas took a step back, running a hand through his hair as if trying to gather his thoughts. The anger in his eyes dimmed slightly, but didn’t disappear entirely.

“Because I don’t know what else to think,” he admitted, his voice strained. “I’m in the dark here, Ally. And every time I try to get close to you, something pulls us apart.”

I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes despite my efforts to hold them back. “You don’t understand,” I whispered.

“Then make me understand,” Thomas urged, his tone softer but still desperate. “Please.”

I wanted to tell him. At the end of the day, he should know. He deserved to know. The words teetered on the edge of my tongue, but before I could force them out, a knock echoed through the small room.

Thomas's eyes never left mine as he growled, "Fuck off, Saint."

Saint ignored him, stepping into the room with a serious expression. "You're going to want to see this," he said.

The urgency in Saint's voice pulled Thomas's attention away from me, just for a moment. It was enough. I seized the opportunity to escape this suffocating tension.

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