Page 34 of Rebel

“Casper? That’s his friend, right? He doesn’t seem like much of a talker.”

“He’s not. Casper doesn’t talk. At all. Although I’m sure he’s as much of a dick as the rest of his friend group.” Hooking her arm through mine, Luna tugged me toward the door. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk and get some air. If we see Rebel again, I’ll help you kick his ass.”

Some fresh air would probably do me good. As we left the building, I found myself constantly looking for Rebel. He haunted me. I couldn’t escape him at home or on campus. Maybe I needed to talk to my mom about letting me transfer back to Henderson. It wasn’t the best school, and it was across town, but I needed a break from Rebel Kane.

Something told me that transferring schools wouldn’t be enough. He would always be there, right next door. Until one of us moved. I wasn’t sure I’d survive him that long.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

STORM

Every passing hour until sunset heightened my anxiety. Rebel would come to my room tonight. I knew it with every piece of me. However, he would not find me willing and receptive. Today had been the last straw. His last chance to act like a decent human being and not a monster. He made his choice, and now so would I.

Dinner with my family proved difficult. Mom asked questions about class and friends, which I did my best to answer. The entire time Chase eyed me with this suspicious intensity. Like he knew I was hiding something. My brother and I had never been close enough to share things like this. It didn’t matter what he thought he knew. I wasn’t getting him involved.

I thought about mentioning that I wanted to transfer back to Henderson but decided it wasn’t the right time. I would have to get Mom alone for that talk. After helping clean up the supper dishes, I retreated up to my bedroom.

I told myself that I would not give in to Rebel. That I would send him packing the moment he showed up. Unless he got on his knees and begged my forgiveness, we were done. All the amazing orgasms in the world weren’t worth the shit he’d been putting me through.

My efforts to focus on homework fell flat. Instead, I scrolled social media and tried watching a few shows I’d been bingeing. Nothing held my interest. I was a mess of nerves, unable to give my attention to anything. As the night went on, the clock ticked closer to the moment when Rebel would appear.

I turned off my light, knowing that he seemed to prefer it that way. Maybe it was so he didn’t have to look at me too closely.

Guilty conscience? Did a guy like Rebel even know guilt?

It was almost midnight when I heard the sound of him climbing onto my balcony. I shot off my bed, going to the door before he could open it.

I slid the door open and stepped out, closing it behind me. The backyard light from his side of the fence lit him up well enough for me to see his eyebrow quirk upward.

“Looks like you were waiting for me,” he said with a smirk.

I nodded. “I was. I needed to make sure you didn’t get inside this time. I meant what I said today, Rebel. You’re not welcome here anymore.”

His smirk turned into a chuckle. “Oh yeah? That’s too bad. We’ve been over this, Storm. You’re mine now. I’m not going anywhere.”

The balcony was relatively small, forcing us to stand incredibly close together. I felt the heat of his body, the tickle of his breath on my face. Still, my resolve remained strong.

“Yes. you are. You’re leaving right now. I told you that I wasn’t going to put up with being treated like trash every day anymore. I don’t understand why you keep coming to me if you hate me so much. I don’t even want to understand. I just want you to go.”

Doing my best to keep up a tough front, I crossed my arms, blocking access to my bedroom with my body. Rebel sighed, turning to gaze out across the lawn.

“I don’t hate you, pet. It’s… complicated. I have a reputation to uphold. Secrets to keep. You’re one of them. You don’t understand how dangerous it would be if certain people found out about us.” He dragged his gaze back to mine. To his credit, his expression had softened. He looked almost remorseful.

But it wasn’t enough. If anything, it made this so much harder.

“Are you talking about River?” I asked. “If it’s so dangerous for you to be with me, then maybe you shouldn’t be. Go home, Rebel.”

“There’s so much you don’t know about him and his crew. He’s not the nice guy he pretends to be.” Rebel pressed closer, backing me up against the sliding door to my room.

“I guess that’s where the two of you are different. You never pretended to be a nice guy. I should never have let you get so close.” I tried to remain strong. Doing my best not to breathe in his intoxicating scent. Not to notice how good his body felt against mine. Goddamn, why was this so hard?

Rebel pressed his mouth against my neck, biting down until I yelped. The soft touch of his tongue followed as he licked a line up under my ear. “There was no stopping this, Storm. Fate delivered you right to me. Whether or not you believe that, it’s true. You are mine.”

“What if I don’t want to be yours?” I dared to ask. “What if I don’t want any of this?”

Rebel wrapped a hand firmly around my throat. While he stared into my eyes, his other hand slipped down the front of my sweatpants, dipping inside my underwear. Sliding a finger along my slit, he pressed it inside me. I cringed as he discovered the wetness that had gathered from his bite.

“Explain this. You want me as much as I want you. You do your best to hate me, but you can’t. Your body betrays you, and you fucking love it.” His low husky tone set me ablaze. The knowing glint in his blue eyes made it hard to argue.

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