Page 23 of The Ruthless Note

But I know she’s far from an angel.

There’s a monster trapped under her innocent, fresh-faced beauty. If there wasn’t, the connection between us wouldn’t be so thick.

Her restless brown eyes slide up and meet mine. Suddenly, my chest does this weird twist. It’s startlingly similar to the sensation I felt around Redhead.

Except now it’s happening with Cadence.

Feeling a sense of annoyance and wanting to avoid any more of those heart palpitations, I jerk my gaze away.

Once we get to our seats on the opposite end of the class, I throw my backpack on the desk. I’m annoyed and fighting it, but it’s taking over me.

Why is Cadencestillunder my skin?

She’s just another girl—one who lied to me, tugged on my chain and then revealed herself to be a twisted little mastermind with her own agenda. I shouldn’t be feeling anything but pure hatred for her.

Breath ragged, I clench my fists. I’m going to burn all those sappy feelings I once had for her alter ego until I’m pure as freaking snow. There’s no way I’m going to let Cadence have that much power over me.

For the next couple minutes, I zone out of class until I hear the music teacher talking about a group project.

“You’ll need five to a group,” she says, walking up and down the front of the classroom.

“We’ve only got four members.” Finn taps a pen against his open notebook.

Sol shoots a look around the classroom, searching for someone to join us. “You guys have anyone in mind?”

“I got a member,” I growl. Clamoring to my feet, I walk straight over to Cadence's desk.

She stiffens immediately and looks straight ahead as if I’m not there. Pretty impossible to do since I’m hunkering over her desk like a panther over a carcass.

I rap my knuckles on her desk three times. “You're with me.”

Her voice is tighter than a guitar about to snap. “In your freaking dreams.”

“Trust me, Brahms, the only thing you’re doing in my dreams is burning in flames.”

She leans away. “If the sight of me is so affronting to you, then why do you want me in your group?”

I lean even closer, training my gaze away from her sexy mouth. “This is how it works, Brahms. I give an instruction. You obey it. That’s what peasants do at Redwood.”

Her expression tightens with fury. She plants her hands on my chest and shoves with all her might. The moment her small hands flatten on me, I feel a burn all the way down to my bone marrow.

The intense twisting in my heart gets worse.

Rather than back away, I stand my ground and let the staredown between us intensify.

She leans forward, her jaw ticking. “You donotwant to mess with me, Dutch.”

Our staredown intensifies.

I hate that her touch still triggers something inside me. I scramble to cover it up with hatred, betrayal, whatever other insidious emotions I can to keep her from touching the parts of me that are soft for her.

Her brown eyes rip away from me first.

Good.

That’s a start.

“Sit over here.” I jut my chin at where my brothers and Sol are watching with amusement.

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