“Let’s just go home, Kim. I’ll watch any soap opera you like.”

“Fine.” She puckers her lips jokingly. “Mood killer.”

Kim and I are walking to the car park when a large presence cuts in front of us.

Aiden.

Shit.

“King,” Kim sounds as astounded as I feel. “I thought there was practice today?”

“My ankle hurts so I’m getting a pass.”

“Oh. I hope it’s nothing serious.”

“Not at all.” He’s speaking to her, but his metal eyes darken on me. It’s like he’s ripping my face open and dipping his fingers into my brain.

“Reed?”

“Yes?”

“How about you go watch practice?” He smiles at her. “The guys will be happy to have you cheer for them.”

She bites her lower lip. “You think?”

“I’m sure.”

“Deal! Take care of Ellie.”

She slips from under my arm, slaps a noisy kiss on my cheek and is off in the school’s direction before I can stop her.

I swallow as I meet Aiden’s metallic gaze. The smile he offered Kim vanishes in thin air and the loathsome poker face takes reign.

“Stop manipulating her like that.” I cross my arms over my chest.

“I only encouraged her to do what she already craved.”

Which is another form of manipulation that works in his favour.

Dickhead.

“You’ve been avoiding me today,” he says.

“I just wanted to spend time with Kim.”

“You know I can tell when you lie and you still lie anyway. It’s curious.”

I fixate him with a glare. “I know you did that to Knox, okay? I can’t just act all normal.”

“I did that, hmm?”

“Then where did you get the bruises from? They sure as hell didn’t come from punching a wall.”

“Maybe they did.”

“Aiden! What the hell is wrong with you? How could you do that to him?”

“Do what?” He advances towards me and I have no choice but to step back so he doesn’t slam into me. “You heard him. He said he saw his attacker’s face and reported him to the police.”

My back hits the side of his car. I startle as an electric shock snaps through me.

I place both hands on his chest. “Please tell me the truth. Tell me you didn’t do it.”

He slaps my thighs apart. I cry out as he thrusts his knee between my legs. The material of his trousers rubs against my boy shorts.

My frantic gaze searches our surroundings. “Aiden, stop it.”

“You stop it, Elsa. Stop trying to paint me as this politically correct person you want me to be. I’m not and I’ll never fucking be.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. All I want to know is that you didn’t brutalise Knox just because you saw him with me in the coffee shop.”

“Then maybe he shouldn’t have been there, huh?”

My lips part. “You did it, didn’t you?”

“Who cares who did it? He had it coming.”

“Aiden!” Harsh breaths heave out of me. It takes all my cool head to speak in a level tone. “Please don’t make me hate you.”

“Don’t you hate me already?” He raises an eyebrow. “You said it the other day.”

I wish I meant it.

True, I hate his character sometimes.

I hate that I can never win with him.

I hate how he makes me gravitate towards him.

I hate that I can’t kill my interest in him.

But the truth is? That hate is growing and intensifying into something I can’t recognise anymore.

Something potent and scary.

“If you beat people up just because you’re a possessive freak, I’ll end up hating you.”

He’s silent for a while. “I’m not violent. You know that.”

“Your busted knuckles say otherwise.”

“I’m not violent,” he repeats slowly this time as if he’s making me understand the meaning behind his words. “Smarter, not stronger, remember?”

Does that mean he didn’t hit Knox? He didn’t completely deny it, but he’s not owning up to it either and Aiden always owns up to his actions.

“I might not look like it, but I’m still pissed off about yesterday.” His voice turns chilling. “And yet, you stand here talking non-stop about the reason why I’m pissed off. What are you trying to do, sweetheart, hmm? Provoke me? Push me? Congrats. It worked.”

That strange awareness from the first day I saw him slashes at the bottom of my stomach and straight to my chest.

Maybe it’s not awareness after all. Maybe like the hate, it’s morphing into something entirely different. Something like excitement and thrill and belonging.

He wraps a hand around my throat and glides the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip. “This is mine.” He cups my core harshly through my skirt. “This is also mine. Everything about you is fucking mine so don’t push me into marking my territory in front of everyone.”

“Aiden!” I search the car park in a frenzy.

It’s empty — thankfully, but anyone could come through the door. Anyone could walk in and see Aiden gripping me by my throat and my pussy.

“We’re in public,” I murmur.

“Hmm. A good place to mark my territory.”

He starts to lift my skirt.

Oh, God.

I want to think he’s only threatening, but there’s no doubt he’d do it.

He’d take me right here right now, and it’d get us into huge trouble with the school.

And knowing Aiden, he couldn’t care less about anyone when he’s in this possessive zone.

Judging from the twitch in his eyes, he’s royally pissed off, too.

I have one chance to stop him and cool him down.

Only one.

And I need to act fast.

Searching around us, I inch to the side so I’m hidden by the car opposite us.

I wrap my hand around his.

“Don’t even think about it,” he grits out. “I warned you against provoking me.”

“Let me.”

He narrows his eyes. “Let you what?”

I coax him into releasing my throat.

Before he can make his next move, I drop to my knees in front of him.

30

Elsa

I’m on my knees in the car park in front of Aiden.

Before I start analysing the situation, I unbuckle his belt with trembling fingers.

I wish it’s only due to the fear of getting caught, but it’s also due to the sick kind of desire shooting down my spine.

This is the first time I’ve initiated anything sexual with Aiden. He’s usually the one who’s hunting me down and manipulating his way into my body.

Maybe he’s made me crave him. Maybe I can’t get enough of him.

Or maybe, just maybe, I’m as attuned to this type of sexual gratification as he is.

“What are you doing, sweetheart?” His voice is rougher than usual.

I bask in the feeling that I have this effect on him.

That feeling becomes tenfold deeper when I free his cock. It’s rock hard and pointing in my direction.