Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 14994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 75(@200wpm)___ 60(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 75(@200wpm)___ 60(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
It wasn’t until I was in the Uber halfway home, my heart rate finally slowing a little bit that I suddenly remembered I had left both my phone and my wallet at Damien’s.
Fuck my life.
4
“Thanks, Mellie,” I heard Lacie thank my roommate when the door opened. Suddenly, the blanket was yanked off of me. I opened my eyes, glaring down at my best friend through bleary eyes.
“What?” I grumbled.
“You’ve missed both your morning classes,” she told me. “And your roommate told me you didn’t even go out for coffee this morning.” She ran her eyes over my face. “Hayley, what’s going on?”
I shook my head, my heart knocking hard against my chest as I thought about Damien and the blood on his clothes. I swallowed thickly. “I don’t want to talk about it.” And that was the truth. Damien had warned me not to say anything to anyone, but I really didn’t want to say anything. And not because of his warning. I wanted to forget last night even happened.
How had such a great night turned so catastrophic so fast?
Lacie crawled up on the bed beside me and wrapped her arms around my torso in a comforting gesture. “I’m guessing he wasn’t that great of a guy after all?”
Honestly, he had been nice. Very straightforward, blunt, but nice, nonetheless. However, I’d known from the moment he spoke the first word to me that he was dangerous.
I hadn’t listened to my brain. Instead, like a stupid, little girl, I’d let the bad boy pursue me. I hadn’t even fought it.
And I hated even more that Damien was still on my mind when he shouldn’t be. I shouldn’t want anything to do with him.
How did shit get this complicated?
“I slept with him,” I whispered.
Lacie squeezed her arms around me. “That’s not like you, Hayley.” Concern filtered into her voice. She knew how I was.
Tears clogged my throat. “I know,” I croaked. “He was just so . . .” I trailed off. I didn’t know how to explain it. He’d sucked me in. It was a whirlpool of an experience. After he’d fucked me hard that first time, he then took the time to learn every curve of my body, making me so wet that I drenched the inside of my thighs and the sheets beneath us. He’d eaten me out for so fucking long that I’d been screaming his name, barely able to breathe.
There’d been care and tenderness in his touch, and I was tormented because that same man had hurt someone else.
He might have even killed them.
And yet, despite how terrified I was of him, I still wanted him.
How?!
He hadn’t even been a dick when I’d wanted to leave. He’d tried consoling me. He hadn’t held me there against my will. He’d called me an Uber and let me go home.
I was so confused. I didn’t understand any of the thoughts or emotions swirling around my head.
A light knock sounded on the door. My roommate opened it, and she sucked in a sharp breath before nodding and quickly stepping aside.
Damien stepped into the room. My heart knocked around hard in my chest at the sight of him. I swallowed audibly but sat up, almost afraid to look at him.
He handed me my wallet and a new phone. “I replaced your phone—as promised,” he said quietly. His eyes flickered to my best friend before focusing right back on me. “I’ll see you around, darlin’.”
With that, he strode from the room as quickly as he’d entered, the door shutting behind him with a quiet click.
“That’s Damien?” Lacie whispered. I looked over at her. There was horror tingeing her tone. “Hayley, I don’t think you should see him anymore.” I frowned at her. “There are rumors around school about what kind of guy he is, and I know every drug-addicted asshole on this campus buys from his men.”
I frowned. I hadn’t heard of him before, but I did mostly stick to myself despite my hyper, outgoing personality. Lacie grabbed my face in her hands and pulled my head around to face her. Her eyes were pleading. “Hayley, promise me you won’t see him again.”
I opened my mouth to promise her, but something stopped me. I looked down at my phone, frowning at the brand new, very expensive piece of technology I now held.
I’d never owned anything so expensive.
And I realized I couldn’t bring myself to promise her that because I knew in my gut, I would break that promise, and I didn’t break promises.
Damien was a man of his word. He’d taken me to get coffee that was even better than the iced coffee I’d gotten myself, just as promised. He’d fed me, just as he promised me. And he’d replaced my phone—again, just like he’d said he would.
I glanced at the door. That meant what he said was true.