Page 11 of Praise Me: Pilot
Somehow, I manage not to drag her to the ground and get another taste as we walk back to the sorority house in silence, her trusting hand inside of mine. My rental car is parked at the curb not too far down the block, and I unlock the passenger door, opening it for her.
“Is your apartment close by?”
She nods, hesitates, before sliding into the passenger seat. “Less than five minutes.”
Something about her behavior is off—and the problem hits me like a ton of bricks. She’s an inexperienced virgin and I definitely didn’t treat her like one on that bench. She must be confused. With a hard swallow, I close her door and cross behind the vehicle, getting into the driver’s side a few seconds later. Pausing to survey her for signs of distress, I find only quiet contemplation of her pretty face.
“Haylo,” I say thickly, putting the car in drive and pulling onto the quiet street. “I want to apologize for being so rough with you. At the very least, we should have spoken about it beforehand.”
Her curious gaze brushes the side of my face. “Spoken about what?”
“What you’re comfortable with. I’ve never…put my hands on a woman’s throat like that. Or spat on one.” I rake a hand through my hair. “I don’t know what got into me.”
Even as I’m saying these words, I’m struggling not to pull the car over and strip her naked. These impulses only seem to get stronger by the minute.
What is she doing to me?
“I’m pretty sure if any other man did that to me, I would have been scared,” she murmurs, as if she’s still processing. “But I wasn’t scared at all when you did it. I felt…praised. Prized. I felt like…”
“What?” I practically pant.
“Your spit felt like a reward for being a good girl.” Blushing, she clasps her hands together tightly in her lap, sneaking me a glance. Can she tell that her confession made me feelferocious?“Take a left here. My building is halfway down the street.”
“Uh-huh,” I manage, trying to keep my breathing even. “Youarea good girl, Haylo,” I say quietly in the dark car, knowingI shouldn’t. Knowing I shouldn’t reach over and massage the highest part of her thigh, but doing that, too. “Go inside before I find another place to spit.”
Her eyes close and she traps a moan, but ultimately pushes out of the passenger side, her legs noticeably wobbly. “Good night, Joel. See you tomorrow for the pool party.”
“I’m walking you to door. Don’t move.”
“I don’t need you to do that.”
“I need to watch you go inside and lock the door or I won’t sleep.”
“Joel, please just go.”
“Why?” My eyes narrow over her plaintive tone. “Why don’t you want me to walk you to the door?” Cymbals crash together in my head and I’m already preparing to commit a homicide, my fists curling into weapons. “Is there a fucking boyfriend waiting for you in there?”
“What? No! No. I just…” She gestures to the building, and I follow her line of sight, noticing the silhouettes in the top window for the first time. At least ten people are visible inside the top floor apartment and they appear to be playing charades. “My roommates have their parents over,” she explains.
My heart sinks to the gas pedal.
“I was going to wait until you drove away and walk back to the sorority house. There’s a couch I can sleep on in the common area.” She shrugs. “I just don’t want to be the odd one out. It’s going to make me feel even worse if they try and include me.”
“Get in.”
“What?”
I give her a look that brooks no disobedience, and I’m shocked how…right it feels. To give her a command with my eyes and have her follow it. She slips back into the seat without another word and bows her head, that moonbeam hair fallingaround her face like a curtain and my hand moves on its own, reaching over to stroke the crown of her head.
“Do you like doing what you’re told, angel?”
“I’m as surprised as you are.” She lifts her head and presses her cheek into my hand, though she doesn’t meet my gaze. “With you, I like it.”
My throat is dry hearing that. “That’s a dangerous privilege you’re giving me, Haylo.”
Finally, she gives me a glimpse of those green eyes. “I know.”
Those two words zipper my abdomen up tight. I can barely fucking breathe with her looking at me, so trusting. What the hell am I going to do about her?
