Page 84 of The Ruthless Rivalry

Ophelia? She wasn’t clever enough to mess with my stuff. Besides, she’d never disobey me like that.

Then the anger hit me—slow at first, like a cold wave creeping in from the edges of my mind. I stood there for a few more seconds, still staring at the empty spot, and that’s when the rage began to build, deep in my gut, spreading like wildfire through my veins. It was like my blood had turned to acid, searing its way up to my head, and my fists clenched hard enough that my knuckles cracked.

I glanced at the window, still seeing flashes of rage in my mind.Troublemaker.The name fit her all too well, like a puppy with a knife between its teeth—cute enough to get away with almost anything, but dangerous if you weren’t paying attention.

A jolt of fury hit me like a freight train, and I didn’t waste another second. The door slammed behind me before I even realized it. I was already out of the room, charging down the stairs, my anger building like a storm ready to break.

I charged across the pathway, my footsteps pounding with the weight of my fury. I wasn’t sure what exactly I was going to do when I reached her, but that didn’t matter. All I knew was I had to get to my little thief.

I spotted her outside the Whitlock dorm, chatting with someone who I didn’t care to give my attention. Aubrey. The girl turned to walk off, and I could see the smile on Prescott’s face—sweet, easy, like nothing was wrong. But the second she noticedme, that grin dropped. The change in her expression hit me like a slap in the face, and a dark grin curled my lips.

Her eyes widened, but I didn’t slow down for a second.

Without a word, I was right up to her, and before she could even react, I scooped her up and threw her over my shoulder like she weighed nothing. The shock on her face barely registered. No hesitation, no mercy. I stormed forward, holding her with an iron grip as she kicked and struggled in my arms.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” I muttered under my breath, ignoring her protests.

Without missing a beat, I strode right over to the fountain in the middle of the dorm’s courtyard and, with a sharp flick of my wrist, tossed her straight into the water.

She let out a startled gasp as she splashed into the fountain, the cold water instantly soaking her. I stood over her, watching her flounder in the water, all helpless-like. There was something captivating about it. She was stunning.

Prescott glared up at me, water dripping from her face, her eyes blazing with pure fury. “You’re a complete psychopath!” she spat, teeth chattering from the cold as she stood up, shaking with rage. “You are completely insane!”

“Where is it?”

She shot me a look of disbelief. “You’re seriously asking me questions after what you just did?” Her jaw clenched, and I could see her temper flaring even more. “You’re unstable, you know that?”

“Cute,” I replied calmly. “Where’s my camera?”

She stood there for a moment, still dripping from the fountain, but her attitude shifted. The fiery rage in her eyes melted into something else—like she was suddenly enjoying this little game. She tilted her head, lips curling just slightly in a half-smirk. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I didn’t break my stare, voice low but steady. “I’m not asking again.”

Her expression didn’t falter, but I could see the change in her eyes, the challenge. She wasn’t going to make this easy.

“So what?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “What else are you going to do, Bishop? You’ve already tossed me in the fountain.”

The words should have sent a warning bell off in my head. Tossing her in the fountain just now was the least of the things I’d done to her. She had every reason to be scared, to fight back harder, but instead, she wore that grin like she was playing some twisted game with me. Maybe she was—maybe she’d convinced herself it didn’t matter anymore. But I knew better. Deep down, she knew the danger, even if she pushed it aside. She had to. Because if she didn’t, the anger would consume her, and the fear would break her.

Prescott’s words hung in the air between us like a challenge. And it wouldn’t be like me, if I wasn’t going to take advantage. So I did.

I let out a soft, humorless chuckle. “You think that’s all?” I took a step toward her, watching the way her eyes flickered, the way she didn’t flinch.

My hand snapped out to grab her by the neck, my fingers digging in just hard enough to make her breath hitch. She didn’t pull away. If anything, she met my grip with fire in her eyes. Good.

Without hesitation, I pulled her forward and crashed my lips onto hers, forceful, rough—no gentleness, just the raw, desperate energy that had been building between us. Her mouth was as hot as I’d imagined, hungry, untamed. Her kiss tasted like everything I desired and more.

But it was over too soon, her pulling back, her cheeks flushed, and breath ragged. “Bishop…”

I was acting on impulse, the smile on my lips carrying that sinister gleam again, the one that felt like the calm before a storm. I thought I’d liked hearing her say my name before, but now—there was something else clinging to it, like the last drag of a cigarette, hot and sharp on the inhale, then lingering in your lungs, leaving you with that smoky burn that made you want another. It was intoxicating, a dangerous addiction I couldn’t shake. That mix of heat and desire clinging to me in a way I couldn’t fight.

I didn’t care in that moment, stepping into the fountain right along with her, the cold water creeping up my legs as I tugged her back, still holding her throat with a grip that was both possessive and demanding.

“What just happened?” she panted, breathless, her eyes flicking between anger and something darker.

I stroked my thumb leisurely along her neck and cheek, my gaze never leaving her. A vein in her neck throbbed under my touch, pulsing in time with the rapid beat of her heart. I couldn’t look away from it, the delicate throb so fragile, the way my hand curled around her neck, like I could snap it with a single motion if I wanted to.

“Are you really going to pretend that didn’t just happen? Bishop—”

---