Page 11 of Feral
Ella’s cheeks grew even warmer and she pushed him away. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she muttered, reaching for the clothes she’d worn into the store.
Rather than answer, he just continued watching her with that devilish smirk as she tried to focus on separating the clothes she’d chosen from the castoffs.
“You should get that dress,” he remarked.
She shot him a death glare and pushed him out of the dressing room to finish getting dressed. He was waiting by the counter when she took her purchases to the front.
“Find everything alright?” the clerk asked pleasantly. If she had any idea what had happened in the dressing room, she was good at hiding it. Probably a job requirement, if the other customers were anything like Axel.
Somehow, Ella doubted there wasanyoneout there like him, though.
“Fine,” she mumbled, putting her clothes on the counter. She reached for her wallet, but Axel handed the clerk a black card before she had the chance.
“I can buy my own clothes,” she protested.
“With Mom’s card?” he countered. Before she could respond, he added, “It’s the least I could do, considering all your shit got ruined because of me.”
She wasn’t sure if he meant it, but she was nonetheless amazed by how he could shift from lording his family’s money over her as he always had to being uncharacteristically thoughtful in the same breath.
Ella thought of arguing, but she didn’t want to cause more of a scene in front of the clerk. The sooner they left and got back to the Academy, the sooner she could pretend like none of it had happened.
“We can look around if you want,” Axel said in a tone that sounded almost pleasant as they left the store. He was on good behavior now that he’d finally gotten what he wanted. He’d even insisted on carrying her bags.
“I’d rather just go back to the school,” she muttered.
“Suit yourself,” he said, leading her out to the parking garage.
Ella remained silent the whole drive back, and while Axel didn’t make any further attempts to tease her, he was absolutely preening. When they finally pulled up in front of the dorm, she lunged for the door, but he locked it at the last second.
She turned back to find him watching her with a predatory expression that at once filled her with instinctive fear and desire. Her wires always had been crossed when it came to him. Sometimes she wasn’t sure she could tell the difference between love and hate anymore.
“You’re gonna cave, you know,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Ella narrowed her eyes. “Is that so?”
“Mhm,” he answered without missing a beat as his gaze drifted to hers. “Just a matter of time. And I’m not gonna make it easy on you.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she asked, gathering her things so she could leave as quickly as possible. She chose to pretend like she hadn’t noticed the door was locked rather than letting him think he actually had control of her. If she had to, she’d break the damn window.
Actually, that probably wasn’t a half-bad idea. He cared more for that souped-up deathtrap than he did for any person other than himself.
“Every day you put it off, I’m going to add a day,” he answered, seeming amused by her confusion. He clarified, “I’ll touch you and eat your pussy until you’re screaming for more, but I’m not gonna fuck you. Not until I’ve made you suffer for every day you put off the inevitable.”
Ella’s mouth gaped open in indignation, but before she could respond, he leaned in and to her surprise, rather than kiss her, he merely cupped her cheek in his hand with surprising tenderness. His eyes were still sharp as knives, but there was something soft in them. A fondness.
“You’re the only person who’s ever made me wait,” he said, his voice laced with as much admiration as frustration. She was sure he was telling the truth. The world and everyone in it revolved around Axel. She probably was the one person who’d ever told him no, even if that grew harder to enforce by the day. “I’m going to make you pay for it, too.”
Ella finally broke out of whatever trance he’d put her in. “Unlock the damn door, Axel, before I put my heel through your window.”
She expected him to continue the game of control, but the door unlocked and she wasted no time getting out of the car and slamming it shut. She expected him to roll down the window and get in the final word, but when she looked back, he was just waiting there at the curb of her dorm. There were two girls watching at the top of the steps and she didn’t want to give them anything more to gossip about, so she straightened her spine and walked into the building, leaving Axel and his gaudy yellow trophy behind her.
Chapter 6
Ella
Ella awoke the next morning with what she could only describe as an Axel hangover. They hadn’t even gone all the way and she already felt like she’d been on an extended walk of shame.
She couldn’t believe she’d let him touch her like that. Or that she’d responded the way she had.
