More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
I was the rapist. The sexual deviant. The sick one. Lock up your daughters, wives, sisters, and moms. Hell, lock up Grandma, too.
Vicious cunts like the rest of the matriarchs in this town.
And then I spotted Michael Crist, my old friend, now enemy, heading straight for me. Oh, great.
Both his fiancée and Kai’s wife held less of a grudge. They might not hate me being here.
Why did I even care? I didn’t know. I spent so much of my time resenting Rika and her influence over the guys that I didn’t really realize . . . she belonged. Maybe I kind of liked her.
My sister didn’t get the party she should’ve had, either.
Thts true banks deserve everything i love that gir
Rika was circulating now, and my sister was AWOL. I imagined these things made her as uncomfortable as me.
But she was cold, shallow, and boring. Someday someone might be able to get inside her head and reach her, but it wouldn’t be me. I’d already been there with someone else, and never again.
“Oh, Winter, this is Alex, by the way,” Will said and then eyed me. “My new best friend.” My lips twitched with a smile. Touché.
“Alex goes to school with Rika in the city,” Will explained to Winter. She nodded, and I chuckled to myself. Yeah, Will, that was how we knew her. Sure.
IM SCREAMING
“It is an art how quickly you can make everyone want to kill you.”
I took another drink, kind of wanting to kill myself for a second, too. The shit that came out of my mouth. All for Winter’s sake, because she was my sole motivation in everything I did, and I was kind of fucking ashamed she had that power.
Michael’s father had information I needed, and I doubted he’d care that I put Alex into bed with him to get it. It was for a good cause.
Christiane Fane. Rika’s mother.
“I hope the lovely couple doesn’t mind—I’m dedicating this to my sister’s new husband.”
“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”
My cock warmed with the rush of blood, and I wanted nothing more than to give her the spanking she damn well deserved out in the car right now.
“You know what?” he said, laughing and patting me on both arms. “I’m feeling generous tonight. Forget what I said. You can stay as long as you like. Eat, drink . . .” He tossed a glance behind him to the dance floor and then turned back to me. “Because it looks like you have your hands full enough at home. Ouch.”
“He’s been dying to get you into bed. Judging from the naked pictures of you all over his bedroom wall, anyway.”
“He’s been photographing you,” I told her, reporting what Crane found when he went to Belmont’s house earlier. “I really hope you didn’t know.”
I kept my stare on her. “They’re bad to me,” I bit out. “She’s in her bathing suit, her shorts, bending over . . . All without her knowledge from the looks of it, am I right?”
And I slipped a hand between her legs, swiping my fingers over the fabric of her leotard and feeling what I knew would be there. She was seeping through. She was wet.
“You’re a monster. You’re no better than him,” she growled. “You played with me. You took advantage of me not being able to see, just like he did, and got exactly what you wanted. You abused me.”
I stopped, finding myself losing control. I couldn’t say too much.
She thought she knew everything. She thought it was black and white. She thought I’d wanted to hurt her. She thought I’d meant for people to see that video. She thought I wanted to trick her.
The only motive I had was to be around her, and if I had to lie to get it . . .
“I think I love you,” I said, repeating her words to me all those years ago. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop. I want you to be my first. It’s okay. Touch me.” I stepped up to her, invading her space and throwing all of her shame back at her. “You’ll be the first to kiss me here.” I flicked her ear. “And here.” I touched her neck. “And here.” I brushed her nipple with my thumb. “I want to feel your body on mine. Am I okay? Am I doing it right? It feels good. Don’t stop. Oh, God. Oh, God. Don’t walk away. Please, I want this. You don’t have to protect me. You want it, too. I’m okay. I want it. I
...more
“I thought you were someone else!”
“I was proof that people change,” I told her.
“Arion thinks I’m a man,” I told her, keeping my voice low and taunting. “She’ll touch me like I’m a man. She’ll ride me in my bed and swallow me because she wants what she thinks was yours.”
that’s what red feels like. Anger and fury and heat and need so strong you’re a fucking animal, Winter. It’s primal.”
“I’ll fuck her and make you come, too.”
CHAPTER 13
I already had a crush anyway. My insides tingled every time I thought about our escapades in the car and on the motorcycle last night.
I couldn’t believe I’d suspected him to be my ghost. My guy was out of this world. And he didn’t smoke, thank goodness.
“Maybe his heart already belongs to someone he can’t have,” Claudia said. “Aw.” “Yeah, like Damon.” Noah chuckled. “They’re very close. Like, really close, I hear. He keeps Will on a leash. Figuratively speaking.”
“Will Grayson is dancing,” Rika answered, sounding like she was embarrassed for him. “Oh, my God, he’s on a table.”
My parents—and Arion—had really done a number on me. While it was the psycho-stalker-sicko who made me smile and gave me confidence. Go figure.
And I stopped breathing. It wasn’t the whisper I was used to hearing but the deep, loaded, and menacing tone I never wanted to be alone with again.
His hand found my throat, and I was pinned to the wall. I grabbed his wrist, fighting to pull it off.
“Why bother with her when there’s you?” he taunted. “I like you.”
attention. I wished he’d never laid eyes on me. Was this it, then? Was he going to hurt me again? It wouldn’t be like last time. I was old enough to know how men hurt women now.
“Same old, same old, from the same scared little boy,” I shot back. “Still climbing into fountains to hide from Mommy?”
But instead of freeing me, he stuttered, “H-harder.”
“Would you have forgiven me . . .” he asked, “if I’d gone over the side of the tree house with you that day?”
“Enjoy your freedom while it lasts, Winter Ashby, because we’re not done,”
“And be good,” he told me. “If I hear anyone touched you, I will crack his fucking skull.”
Because it wasn’t over. He was just waiting.
CHAPTER 14
I hated him. I hated his vile words and his cigarettes and his arrogance and insanity in thinking he wasn’t responsible for anything. I hated how he grabbed and threatened and wouldn’t let me go. He had no right.
