Page 17 of Arm Candy Warrior

“Please don’t…make me regret this,” he says, finally. The waffle pops up from the toaster, and he turns to place it on a plate. When he spins back around to hand my breakfast to me, he catches my gaze in his. “You know whatever I do is to make sure you’re safe. I hate to say it, but if you won’t follow the rules, you’re going to be stuck back here again.”

My neck heats. I want to tell him where to shove it. I’m my own person, and I can certainly maneuver the ins and outs of Rawley Heights on my own but telling any of this to Johnny would just get my ass sitting back here all damn day long, and that’s not happening.

“Stick to Oscar like glue. Got it,” I deadpan.

“I mean, don’t get too close to Oscar,” he says, face darkening. “I wouldn’t want to have to take both of you out.” The smile that plays on his lips tells me he means to joke, but it feels like a direct threat to me. Oscar and I have been up close and personal already.

I swallow. “Your jealousy is unbecoming.”

He reaches over the counter to place his hand on mine. All signs of joking are gone. “You’re my prize, and I intend on claiming it.”

He squeezes my hand and then turns back around to throw his own frozen waffle in the toaster. I let out a breath, my heart thumping in my chest. I place my hand over my heart to try to calm it down. It isn’t as if I didn’t always know his feelings on this.

To Johnny, I’m already his. There’s no doubt in his mind. He walked up to me that day in the warehouse, claimed me, and that was the end of the story for him. For me, it’s not. If only for reason number one: I don’t intend on staying here, and even if I do like Johnny, the chances of him leaving this place are nil. He’s Crew through and through.

I hurry up and eat, desperate to get out of the apartment now that I’m granted a bit of freedom. The past few days of staying with Johnny were like living in our own bubble. It was easy to get wrapped up in Johnny and the Crew when all I saw was him, but now that I’m heading out into the real world, everything I was ever hesitant about with him creeps toward the surface again.

Bottom line is: I can’t get attached to Johnny Rocket because I refuse to lose someone I care for again. And with Johnny, I’m afraid that even while I have him, I never actually do. He’s chained to the Crew, nothing—and no one—else.

Magnum meets me in the hallway. He’s leaning against the wall by the elevators as if he’s just been waiting for me to come out of the suite the whole time. It feels weird going to school without any books or learning materials, but those are in my apartment—if I even have an apartment anymore.

The days between when I’ve checked in with my aunt and uncle are drawing out. I need to reach out to them soon before they come looking for me. I would hope to God they would never go to such extreme measures, but crazier shit has happened. Like when Glo tried to kill me a couple of days ago. So, I guess I shouldn’t say anything is beyond the realm of possibility.

When I approach Magnum, he hits the button for the elevator, but avoids my gaze. He keeps on avoiding me all the way down the elevator, and if you’ve ever been stuck with someone who’s as badass as Magnum who won’t talk to you, it’s intimidating as fuck. My skin starts to crawl as I peek over at him.

The elevator doors open, and I follow Magnum to the car. He opens the door to the backseat for me, but I roll my eyes and pull open the passenger side door. There’s no reason why I have to sit in the back when it’s just the two of us. I’m really not a fucking princess.

I get in, and he sighs. We close the doors at the same time and then he walks around the back of the vehicle to get in the driver’s seat. He starts the car, and I glance at him again. “Are you pissed at me about last night or something?”

His body locks up before he throws the car in reverse and backs out of the parking space. “I’m annoyed about a lot of things right now.”

He pulls out of the underground garage, and the world gets brighter. Both of us take a sigh of relief. I didn’t realize just how restricting being there can be. I get that I’m bored and that I don’t like it, but when the freedom finally hits, it’s like a wash of cool water against skin on a hot summer’s day. It’s refreshing and liberating, and you’d do anything to feel it again.

As we drive to school, my mind wanders. The last time I was in the front seat of a car with Magnum, someone was shooting at us. Today feels like miles away from that.

“Why did you do that yesterday?”

“What?”

“With the girl? Why did you dump the table?”

I rub my neck. Awareness pricks at my skin. He’s sneaking glances at me now, making me uneasy. I liked it better when he was trying to ignore me. “You said no, Magnum. You deserve to be heard. Plus, Johnny would’ve been pissed if he came back to find that girl rubbing up on you while you were supposed to be working. He was already down there complaining about another waitress.”

I glance at him from the corner of my eye. He runs his fingers through his side scruff then places his hand back on the wheel, tightening his hold until his knuckles turn white. “So, you didn’t want me to get in trouble? That’s why?”

“Yep,” I say. Honestly, I didn’t think of that right away, but it’s a damn good excuse, anyway. Johnny would have flipped if he saw that girl rubbing up on Magnum when he was supposed to be watching me, and he’s the type to act first and ask questions later. His fear of not having Magnum’s attention on me would have overridden any sense he had.

Magnum pulls up to the school. Out the windshield, I watch as Oscar kicks away from the brick building and starts to walk toward us. Before I push the door open, Magnum places his hand on my forearm. “For future reference, I don’t need your help to stay out of trouble, and I certainly don’t need your help to tell girls no.”

I blink at him. His eyes pierce more than normal today. It’s as if his gaze and his words have struck me. “Fine,” I snap. I pull my grip from him and throw the door open. My reaction says more about how I truly feel than I’m willing to let on, but sometimes ignorance is bliss.

I slam the door behind me, spin, and then immediately, Oscar’s in front of me. He cocks his head to the side when he sees my face. “Did Princess wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?”

“Princess? Who’s Princess? Never fucking heard of her.”

His eyebrows rise and that sexy-as-sin smirk overtakes his face. “Oh, it’s your name now. You’re never getting rid of it.”

I push past him like I’m eager to start my day.

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