Page 14 of Burned By Sin
“Why are you here?” he asks, those black orbs suddenly latching onto me as if I’m caught in a vice. “Are you back for another round because I’m not gonna lie Harper,” he sighs with the weight of the world pressing down on his shoulders and forcing them to curl in further, “I can’t take it.” The misery is back, all-consuming and hollow. I can practically taste it, and it takes everything in my power to keep my hands tucked into my arms. I’ve ached alongside this man. His pain is my pain, his grief is embedded with mine.
“Do you honestly think I could hurt you?” I frown, wanting to shout my innocence from the rooftops but willing myself to stay calm. “After everything we shared, you think I could use your past against you?” I lean further forward and implore Clayton to see the truth in my expression. Desperate for him to hear me.
“I was so mad when you left. I couldn’t understand how you could twist what we had and turn me into some villain. You didn’t even give me the chance to defend myself. You took Rhys’ word over mine, as if he didn’t have an agenda?!”
“You don’t seem to have a problem trusting him. It looks like he got exactly what he wanted.” I pause, refusing to be baited. This isn’t a pissing contest, this is about Clay knowing the truth. What he does with it is up to him.
“Neither Rhys nor I had anything to do with what happened to your locker. We thought it was just a sick prank, but there have been…recent developments,” I clear my throat. “Someone else is targeting all three of us. We-, well I just wanted to make sure you were okay. It’s been…difficult not having you around.”
The chocolate shakes are placed in front of us and I lean back, biting down on my lower lip. My intention was to make him aware of the threat we’re facing, but now that I’m sitting here, I find I just want himto know he’s been missed. To see how much I need him back in my life. His kind-hearted, tortured soul resonates with my own. Swiping a hand over his face, Clay crosses his arms and sets his jaw.
“Well, it’s too late now. Time has moved on, and I’m sure you won’t have much trouble doing that either.” Clay cuts another glance to the car and my jaw hardens.
“Don’t belittle my feelings. You have no idea what it’s been like. How I’ve missed you every second you’ve been gone. My days without you don’t get easier, they’re becoming unbearable. Rhys can fill a room with bravado and distraction, but he doesn’t fill the hollow space you left in me.”
My voice cracks, betraying me. Clay’s gaze locks on mine, searching for something, but after an endless stretch of silence, he looks away. It breaks my heart to see him so guarded, so cautious to let me in. I clear my throat, sighing out all of my frustration and pull my milkshake closer. Neither of us make a move to actually drink them though.
“Look, Rhys has pulled some strings. If you want it, your scholarship has been reinstated following winter break. You don’t have to speak to or even look at me ever again, but you deserve to have your chance at a future back.” I rest my head against the leather to let Clay process my words, a thousand pleas dying on my tongue. A soft chuckle sounds in my head and for a moment, I thought I’d imagined it. Then, I see Clay’s bitter smile.
“You’re as bad as him, you know that?” My mouth pops open and my brows knit together. “You think you can play God with my life, moving me around like a chess piece. I’m expected to drop everything I’ve started to build here because you’d deemed it so.”
“Are you not hearing me? We weren’t the ones who forced you out. Someone else is playing us like puppets, and the Clayton I know would have wanted to find out who. He would have stuck around and endured the fight.”
“That man is gone.” Clay stands as our food is delivered, the clang of plates loud against my phone’s mic. I wince, shuffling around the waitress to reach for Clay’s arm before he can put anymore distance between us. He’s too fast, his strides eating up the lino flooring and it’s not me who manages to stop him. Rhys blocks the exit, leaning on the doorframe as he flicks a coin into the air and catches it. Peering around Clay’s shoulders, I squint to read the words curling around Rhys’ lip ring.
“-you feel about me. Someone drugged Harper. Fuck knows what could have happened. You’re supposed to be her loyal protector, but all I see now is a pussy who won’t seek the revenge he’s owed.” My breath freezes as I watch the pair stare at each other, their hatred tangible. Another punch up is imminent, even though Rhys’ cheek is already bloodshot red from earlier. After a moment, Clay roughly shoves his way through the door and leaves without looking back.
The sting of that rejection cuts deep, leaving me numb as Rhys winds his arm around my shoulders and guides me back to the table. Dropping into Clay’s seat, Rhys dives into the food and drinks the shake without a care in the world, whilst I watch the orange truck outside drive away, taking my heart with it.
He’s never coming back to Waversea. An ache fills my chest, the dream of easing his pain and bringing the rare smile back to his chiselled face drifting away. Rhys seems to notice my expression mid-bite of his burger, and lowers it with a lopsided grin.
“He’ll come around.” Rhys wipes his hand on a checkered napkin and reaches over to curl his fingers around mine. Rolling my eyes, I lean my cheek on my other fist.
“I don’t know what part of him storming out you saw as positive, but I assure you, he’s not going to come around. We might as well leave for my Aunt Marg’s now. If there’s not too much traffic, we should be there by nightfall tomorrow.”
My aunt and every one of her twenty-seven cats will have a heart attack when I walk Rhys through the front door, but we’re running out of options. Hanging around here seems like a bust, Rhys is adamant we can’t go to his family home, and Waversea is about to close for the holidays. Thankfully, that means the perverted fuck who’sharassing us will be taking a two week hiatus and we can stop looking over our shoulders for a short while.
“Do you want him back?” Rhys tilts his head, popping a french fry into his mouth. At my confusion, he rolls his eyes. “The giant braindead asshole who just walked out on you,again. Do you want him back?” I sense a trap, but nod anyway. “Then I’ll get him for you. Leave it to me.” My brows raise, a sense of foreboding trickling along my spine. Sensing my caution, Rhys grins wider. “I promise.”
I can only imagine Rhys has plans to abduct Clay, a bag over his head and ropes around his body, but the more pressing question is, why? Why would he promise to bring back the person he fought so hard to remove from our atmosphere? And more than that, why is Rhys so relaxed in general, eating his way through the plate of food like we’re a regular couple on a regular date?
Since the second we left campus, Rhys has been a different version of himself. As if the shadows have peeled back and the weight has lifted, as if I’m the first person to see who Rhys is without the strain of his father’s legacy hanging over him. I try to feign calmness as my heart jackhammers in my chest at the prospect of trusting Rhys to handle this his way.
“Okay,” I agree quietly. Rhys’ resulting beam is enough to melt away the rest of my reservations, although I can’t help but feel sorry for whatever he has in store for Clayton. Let the record state, I did try the gentle approach first. Rhys pushes my plate towards me, encouraging me to eat until we’re done.
Grabbing my phone for me, he throws a few hundred-dollar bills on the bar and leads me out of the diner as the waitress collapses in the background. I turn my head to check she’s okay, finding her hugging the notes and kicking her legs excitedly like a child. A genuine smile curves my lips, my hand sliding into Rhys’ warm one.
Instead of heading for my car as expected, Rhys tugs me around the corner and hoists me against the building. His mouth is on mine before I’ve barely had the chance to brace my hands on his shoulders. His kissscorches me from the inside, the press of his lips hot and demanding. He grinds against me, the sound of passing whooping and honking reaching my phone. I pay it no attention, lost to the rhythm Rhys creates as he rolls his hips.
“What’s got into you all of a sudden?” I breathe heavily. Tucking my phone into my bra strap, the mic end poking out of my shirt, Rhys’s thumb strokes my neck both tenderly and possessively.
“I just hate to see you so sad,” he breathes. A different kind of gut-punch hits me, one I didn’t know I needed until Rhys offered me his nurturing on a platter. Clawing a hand in his hair, I push my tongue into his mouth, taking more of his offerings. I never thought Rhys would be the person who would make me feel seen. His hands roam my body in powerful strokes, squeezing my thighs and gripping my curves desperately. Only once I’m panting does he pull back, his blue stare filling my vision.
“We’re not going back to your Aunt’s. I managed to find a decent hotel not too far from here with a casino attached. We can stay there whilst I work on his royal Broodiness.” His wicked grin grows, poisoning my own. Not ready for the loss of contact when he places me down, I instinctively reach out to link our fingers together once again. Infectious, that’s what he is. The panty-melting smolder I receive in return has a tremor running through my body, my focus wavering when he speaks again.
“Let’s go blow all my dad’s money!”
Chapter Nine
