Page 72 of Diesel

“It doesn’t have laxatives in it if that's what you’re thinking.”

I snort, he knows what I was doing to the cookies. I take the plate, and he pulls out a bottle of juice and cutlery and places them down in front of me, before doing the same for himself and coming to sit beside me with his own plate of food.

“How’s your head feeling?” He asks after a few minutes of silence. I’m still trying to work out his angle, and what is going on in his damn head.

“It’s fine. What’s going on with you? I’m pretty sure just yesterday you hated me.”

He places his fork down on his plate and turns to look at me. “I never hated you, Cyrus, it’s actually the opposite, I think I like you too much.”

“And that’s a problem, why?” I ask, not breaking eye contact. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, for him to sprout on about me lying to him.

“Because I’m not good for you, a man like me would want to consume your every thought. I’m possessive and jealous. I would want you all to myself, and I’m not ashamed to say it. You deserve better than me, than this life. You should leave with Cuy when you get the chance, he would be good for you.”

“Cuy and I are just friends.” I whisper, unsure why, but I feel like we are having a moment.

“I know,” he sighs, breaking eye contact. “What about Sax?”

“What about him?” So this is coming from a place of jealousy, but still, I don’t try to mention that I didn’t really lie to him, I just need to get close to him again.

“You know if he wins the fight against me, you will belong to him.” He growls. I fucking hate that women are just things they own.

“Even if you win, Diesel, I would be a possession, something you feel like you own, and I couldn’t love someone with that kind of control. You might not be able to talk about what goes on, but I’m not an idiot, I have figured a lot out on my own. I know that I won’t have a choice but to do what you all want once you win the fight, because blackmailing me is what you plan to do since I’m not the kind of girl to just fall at your feet and be grateful that you want me. And that is what pisses me off. The apple doesn’t fall far from the damn tree.”

“I’m nothing like my fucking father!” He yells, standing from the stool, sending it flying across the room. Anger radiates off him in waves, but I’m not scared. Never have been. “Tell me what he has over you, and I can fix it.”

“He doesn’t have anything over me, Diesel, you were right all along. I lied.”

“That wasn’t so hard to admit, was it, little creature? I promise the pain will be worth it.”

“I’ll get my freedom back when I leave here at the end of the year,” I say, knowing damn well that if Diesel has anything to do with it, I won’t be going anywhere.

Diesel walks to my side and moves my stool around so I’m facing him, pushing my legs apart, and he steps between them. “You know that I can’t let you do that. Once you’re mine, there will be no point running because I will hunt you down and bring you right back.”

“And I will hate you forever.”

He sighs and rests his head against mine. “I can live with that.”

I pull back and look into his eyes. “I wanted a life with Zeke, we were going to get married after we graduated and take our inheritance, move to the suburbs and just live a comfortable life. Zeke has an older brother that is taking over his father’s business, and I have zero interest in my father’s company. He can have a new kid with his child bride if he so wishes, and they can have it.”

“Does it scare you, the thought of leaving this life behind? It’s easy to think about, but the reality of having lived in mansions and driving nice cars, never wanting for anything…” Talk about whiplash with this guy.

“No, I never wanted any of it. My inheritance alone is enough to live a middle-class lifestyle comfortably. I just wanted to be happy, and that’s all my mum ever wanted for me, and the same with Zeke.”

“What happened to him?” He asks, genuinely curious. My hands go clammy, and the pounding in my head starts up like a jackhammer on a Saturday morning.

“Hey,” he says, his hands cupping my face, and his thumb wipes away a lone tear. “You don’t have to tell me. I know that I have been an asshole about him, but he is a part of your past, one that I want you to tell me about when you’re ready.”

I look up at him. “I wasn’t coping well after my mum died, the drinking and drugs made me spiral. I have done things I’m not proud of, and the night he died replays in my head.”

The tears flow easily as I think about what happened next. “The headlights and a huge crunching sound is all I remember of the actual accident, but I managed to get out of the car. I had to search for my phone, and I think I might have been disoriented. I called triple zero, and they told me not to try and move Zeke. He was in and out of consciousness, he… he told me he loved me, and I refused to believe he was going. When the car caught fire, someone pulled me away from the car.”

“Did you not get the burns from the accident?”

“I did, I tried to get him out, he was unconscious.”

His jaw goes tense, but he doesn’t say anything.

Diesel places a finger under my chin and lifts my jaw so I make eye contact with him.

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