“God, do you hear yourself?” Before I know exactly what I’m doing, I stalk over to him until we’re toe-to-toe. “If my presence is such a damn problem for you, then why don’t you just leave me alone? I’m not forcing you to be around me all the time!”
“What do you call barging into my room late at night, trying to push your half-ass thank you onto me?” He takes another drag of his joint as he glares down at me.
“It wasn’t half-assed, I’m genuinely thankful you saved my life!” I shout, jabbing my fingertip at his chest. Holy shit, he’s hard as a rock, and my throat goes so dry, I’m forced to clear it before continuing my rant. “But damn it, I wish it hadn’t been you. Anyone else would’ve been better. I wouldn’t feel so goddamn indebted to them.”
“Well, you can pay your debt by getting the fuck out.”
He turns from me, as if that’s the end of our discussion, but I’m not done with him. Far from it.
“You know, I came here trying to be nice.” Not really. “To maybe put an end to the animosity between us.” Lie. “You’re the asshole that refuses to let go of the grudge you’ve got against me. I’m just trying to exist here, so why won’t you let me?”
“Did James have this hard a time making you leave?”
I feel like I’ve just taken a brick straight to the face. Why’d he say that name? How does he know about James?
“What … what did you say?” I choke out, panic shaking my voice.
He faces me, a revolting smirk playing at the same lips I’ve stupidly fantasized about for days.
“He was probably glad to be rid of you, right? So, tell me, how’d he do it? How’d he get your clingy ass to back the fuck off?”
I can’t think. My body moves on pure instinct. I eat up the distance between us with a few short steps, and suddenly my open hand slams into the side of his face. It’s like hitting a steel wall, but his eyes widen briefly in surprise.
“The fuck—”
“How do you know that name?” I hiss, my heart racing and my breathing ragged. “How the fuck do you know that name?”
His eyes narrow, his look of surprise gone. “Who is he?” he demands, in that same voice he’d used when he accused me of sleeping with Liam. When I hollow in my cheeks and shake my head, his lips curve cruelly. As if he finds my anger amusing. “You said it when you came to on Monday.”
I don’t remember that. I don’t remember anything except the feel of his lips against mine and his air rushing into my lungs.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I need to get out of here. I need to go, before he starts digging. Saint is always looking for ammunition to use against me, and James is a nuclear bomb.
“You know what?” I snarl. “You win. I’m leaving. I’m done with you and your psychotic bullshit.”
Spinning away from him, I lunge for the door, anxious to escape before all my dirty little secrets spill out onto his hardwood floor. As my fingers wrap around the knob, however, his hand slams against the wood above my head, trapping me. I can’t open the door with his weight against it, even though I yank at it with a cry.
“It’s too late for that.” His voice is in my ear, husky with warning, as he presses himself against my back. He wraps around me, both hands flat against the door on either side of my head. He’s too hot, but my body wants to arch back into his anyway, as if to soak up that heat. I barely manage to resist. “You had your chance to leave. You didn’t take it. Now, you’re going to stay until I’m done with you.”
“Let me go, you fucking—”
“Who’s James?”
I circle around to look at him and shove at his chest, but it doesn’t move him an inch. My palms can’t seem to leave him, though, and I press them against his hard pecs, my fingers curling so my nails dig into his skin.
“Nobody.” My voice is breathy, but furious, and I glare up at him with as much of my hate as I can muster.
“Liar.” He lowers his face until it’s even with mine. “I’m going to ask you one more time, Ellis, and I expect an answer. Who is James?”
“Go fuck yourself, Saint.”
“I’d rather fuck you.”
I scream in his face, because I don’t know what else to do. He’s evil and manipulative, but my body is growing wet and needy for him. I hate myself almost as much as I hate him. One of his hands digs into my hair and he yanks my head back, cutting off my blood-curdling scream with a brutal kiss that steals the last of my sanity.
17
Saint Angelle is kissing me. No, kissing is too tame of a word for what he’s doing. He’s conquering me. Dominating me. Breaking me down into nothing so he can build me back up all over again. His tongue sweeps past my lips to tangle with mine as his hands land on my ass through my shorts to knead and grope my soft flesh. He pins me to the door with his body, and I’m helpless to do anything but accept the onslaught.
The thing that’s more shocking than Saint’s kiss?
How much I want it.
I wrap my arms around his neck and dig my fingers into his golden hair, tugging at it as I begin to return his kiss with as much passion and anger as he’s giving me. We bite and growl at each other, and it’s the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever experienced. I know I shouldn’t like it. I shouldn’t want his hands on me. Shouldn’t want his big body pressed so tight to mine, I can feel every ridge of muscle through my clothes.
I shouldn’t want this.
Shouldn’t want him.
But I can’t stop.
Suddenly, Saint lifts me in the air. My legs wrap around his waist instinctively, and we never break our kiss as he carries me toward his desk. With one, stiff arm, he sweeps everything from the surface and lays me on top. I’m so wrapped up in the press of his lips, I hardly register the fact that he’s yanking my shorts down my legs. I gasp when he cups me with his whole hand, my bikini bottoms the only barrier between us.
Breaking the kiss, he glances down my body, then turns a furious glare up at me.
“Why aren’t you wearing your one-piece?”
What’s happening right now? Why’s he breaking my lust-filled haze with such a stupid question? “I—”
He presses his palm harder against me, and it rubs my clit through my bottoms. I let out a sharp groan. “Whose attention were you hoping to get?” he demands, jiggling his hand until I squirm. “Wearing this? Liam’s? Gabe’s?”
Frustration wells within me, and I sit up enough to shove at his shoulders.
“You stupid bastard, I thought you might be at the pool tonight!”
The truth is out before I can stop it. I glower up at him as he stares down at me. Slowly, his lips curl into a wicked grin that gives me goosebumps.
“My beautiful, silly little masochist.”
“Oh, shut the fuck up!”
He kisses me again, shoving me back down on the desk. I claw at his arms as his fingers dip past the crotch of my bottoms. He drags them along my pussy, and I shudder as pleasure dances through my body.
The next moment, he’s dropping to his knees in front of me and yanking my bikini bottoms down to the floor to join my shorts.