Page 34 of Hate Game

I tuck my phone in my back pocket and return my thoughts to Cassie. She is hitting me up for a date, a road trip to Dumas. I’ll do it, but what do I do with Rue?

Ahead of me, the path is empty. Where did she go? I take my time getting to my parents’ house. She couldn’t have gone far. I’m right. She’s in front with her arms crossed. She looks from one end of the house to the other and steps toward the front door.

I call out to her. “Don’t go inside. The fire marshal called while you were FaceTiming Red. Anything around and inside the house could help them pinpoint the fire’s cause. Leave it all be,Regret.”

She stomps over and jabs her finger into my chest. “Stop with the name-calling.”

“Or else what,baby?” I snatch her finger in mine and rub it up and down. Her eyes widen.

Rue yanks her finger out of my grasp. “I hate that you have to make everything about getting inside my pants.”

I lean into her space. “I want you out of my house,Regret. The sooner, the better.”

“Then meet the conditions. Like you said, everything is a given. The only thing you need to work on is your grades.” She sighs. “Maybe we can do a trade. I’m not good at math, but you are. You suck at writing, and I take joy in writing papers. I’ll be your strength in whatever you’re weak in and vice versa. How about it? Can we shake on it?”

“You want out of this arrangement that bad?”

“I want what you want, Malice.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.” She sticks out her hand. “How about it? Do we have a deal?”

I stare at her hand. Her wrist bones are delicate, and her fingers are thin and graceful. What would it be like to circle my calloused fingers around her dainty wrist and drop kisses on her pulse point?

I cross my arms and look down my nose at her. “I hate that everything is a negotiation with you. Hate that you want something in return. Again, you reek of desperation and are too eager with your ask. Do me a favor. Do more damage than ask for a shake. I have more zeroes in my bank account than I know what to do with.”

She pulls her hand back. “I don’t want your money.”

“Then ask for what you want most.”

“You’ll give it, no questions asked?”

“None, Regret.”

She looks at the ground, but not before I glimpse the confusion on her face. What is going through that pretty head of hers?

My heart kicks up extra beats in anticipation of what will come out of her mouth. Rue is full of surprises. She glances up with a determined set to her jaw and steps forward.

Rue raises her hand, cups my face, and strums her thumb across my cheek. “I could bury my face in your skin and inhale your scent. Press my mouth to the underside of your jaw before I kiss you until we’re out of breath. That’s what I want.”

I smirk. “Is that a line from one of your romance books?”

“You said no questions asked.” Indignation on her face, and she is cute as fuck. I can’t resist her charm any longer. I grasp her chin and tip her face to mine. Dark as fuck eyes. Parted lips. Sun-kissed skin. Tiny. Willful. I lean in close. Her pupils dilate, and her mouth parts farther.

“I don’t give a fuck where the words came from.” I strum my thumb along the arch of her cheek. “As long as you show me.” My voice is hoarse and lust-laden.

What is happening between us is a lust that will weaken once we’re out of each other’s life. There can be nothing more with Rue. We are too alike. Will fight like cats and dogs. Ream one another out for the simplest things. Misunderstand one another at every turn. Me and Rue aren’t a good fit.

Yet when she presses her slender body fully on mine and nuzzles the scruff on my face and the underside of my jaw with her full lips, I give in to a thought that soon leaves my mind the instant her mouth brushes mine.

We fit perfectly.

She tastes sweet, like honey, and her body is soft against the hard planes of mine. Needing more of her softness and sweetness, I wrap my arms around her waist and deepen the kiss.

A girl’s lips have never felt like Rue’s. I could nip and suck on Rue’s lips all day if given the chance. Her lips are plump, soft, andyielding. She gives as good as she gets. Her arms lock around my neck, and I can’t resist her pull. I grab her by the underside of her thighs and pick her up. She circles her slim legs around my waist. Rue has nice legs. They go on and on.

I hoist her up with my hands under her ass. She tightens her hold, and goddamn, I dig how she is holding onto me with all of her being, as though letting the critters nearby know that I am hers and she is my girl. I walk us backward toward my place and then change my mind. It’s not in our best interest for me to not face forward.

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