Page 52 of Tainted Love
Her cheeks heat. “Have you ever been in love?”
“I thought so.” My stomach clenches and I try to push the image of a pale and bleeding Jas from my mind. Between this conversation and the one I had with Benny earlier, it seems like my past is rearing its ugly head over and over today. I can’t escape it, so I need to change the subject before I break down and show a side of myself I’ve managed to keep under control for six years. “Want to watch a movie?”
“With you?”
The incredulous look on her face makes me chuckle. “Yes, Duchess, with me. It’s early. What else are you going to do?”
Bea pulls her plump bottom lip between her teeth, and I hold on to the bench to physically stop myself from stalking across the room and sucking it into my mouth.
“I don’t know.”
“I’ll behave,” I promise her. “Scouts honour.”
She rolls her eyes. “We both know you’re far from a scout, Eli.”
My lips tug up into a smirk.
“What?” she asks warily.
“I like the way you say my name.”
“Shut up.”
“Watch a movie with me.”
Bea shakes her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“It’s just a movie.”
“I don’t trust myself around you. Plus, I start classes tomorrow. I’m going to have an early night. Good night, Eli.”
Without giving me another chance to plead my case, she places her dishes in the sink and leaves.
I watch her go, content to bide my time. She doesn’t want to raise her granddad’s suspicions, and I can respect that. But the moment we get home from the fundraiser, nothing is going to stop me from claiming what’s mine.
Chapter 29
Bea
I FEEL SICK as I walk into the lecture theatre the next morning. As I glance around the room, there’s not a single person I know, so I slide into a seat at the back of the room and pull out my notebook and a pen. Flipping to the back of the book, I ease my nerves by sketching out a new dress design I’ve been mentally designing. It has a punk rock vibe—similar to what I wore on Friday night—which is a new direction for me, but it’s not surprising considering a certain stepbrother who has been consuming my every thought.
Elias has turned my world upside down, and I’m questioning my whole sense of self. I had accepted my decision to study law and follow in Dad’s footsteps, but now I’m actually here, I want to be anywhere else. The thought of sitting through hours of lectures about the rules governing civil lawsuits and the court system bores me to tears. I have no interest in the principals of contract law or how contracts are formed and enforced.
A familiar laugh catches my attention and I shrink down in my seat. Hunter. Fuck. I knew I’d be seeing him in lectures, but I wasn’t prepared for how sick in the stomach Iwould feel. He walks into the theatre in tan slacks and a short-sleeved pale blue button up, his hair gelled back off his face. I glance down at my casual denim dress and white converse shoes. We couldn’t be more different if we tried. He looks like he’s ready to step into a courtroom, while I look like I’m headed to the beach. How the hell did I date him for so long?
I still can’t believe I let him touch me again after I came home. Sure, I was feeling numb after finding out Dad had remarried without telling me, but the moment Hunter pushed into me without zero foreplay, I remembered what a selfish arsehole he was, and I immediately regretted it. And looking at him, I can finally admit to myself I never loved him, and I never will. Bile rises in my throat as I imagine what it would be like to be married to him. Fuck, I dodged a bullet.
My thoughts drift to Elias and the way he challenges me. He forces me to dream and believe I can have anything I want unapologetically. Only I can’t, can I? Not when what I want is him. My breath hitches as I realise what I just admitted, even if only to myself—I want Elias. I want the rush of excitement I get when he enters a room. And I want the chaos of emotions which erupt inside when he touches me.
Biting down on my bottom lip, I squirm in my seat as I recall the way I felt like my heart was going to explode when he pushed inside of me on Friday night. The way I expected him to be rough and demanding, but how he surprised me by ensuring my own pleasure before taking his own. The way he cleaned me up and made me feel cherished. My cheeks heat as my lecturer walks to the lectern and begins his introduction to the course.
I reach into my bag, pull out my water bottle, and take a long pull. The cool liquid does nothing to soothe the fire still burning my insides. With a last glance at the sketch of the dress I’ve been working on, I flip my notebook closed andpull out my laptop. I try to block out all my sinful thoughts of Elias so I can focus on my class.
An hour later, as I gather up my belongings and make my way to the exit, I realise I took in absolutely nothing. I’m heading to my next class completely unprepared because all I can think about is the six-foot-three tattooed rockstar at home and how much I want him to play with my body again.
Every nerve ending feels electric ready to spark as I leave the lecture theatre. I’m not paying attention to my surroundings when a hand grabs my arm, I gasp and look up into Hunter’s dull brown eyes.
Snatching my arm out of his grip, I cross them over my chest and take a step back, creating a space between us. “Don’t touch me. What do you want, Hunter?”
