She shakes her head. “No.”
“You should be.”
“Please don’t make my life hell in this class,” she whispers.
I lean closer to her, not sure I heard her correctly. She should know better than to ask for favors. It makes me want to give her the opposite, time and again. We could do this all year. She’ll ask and I’ll deny.
Just like she denied me of my dreams seven years ago.
The old fury that I used to keep locked away stirs in my chest. It demands justice. Repentance. Vengeance.
I lean back on my stool, kicking out one leg. Around the room, people are dragging their easels to get a clear line of view of their partner. I just stare at her, trying to resist the urge to drag her out of the room and show her what hell is like.
Instead, I ask, “Why?”
She blinks at me. Owl. “B-because.” She looks away. Toward the teacher.
“What does Mr. Jenkins have to do with anything?”
She turns bright red. It’s fascinating to watch, really. The color crawls up her neck, over her jaw, and devours her face.
“I asked you a question, Sheep,” I say, tilting my head.
“Is this part of the game?”
“Yes.”
She shakes her head, appraising me. “You’re too curious, Caleb. I think that means you lose.”
I laugh. It’s been a while since someone has surprised me. But that’s the thing about Margo: she’s full of fucking surprises.
She doesn’t say anything, and her lips press together.
“Mr. Jenkins.” I draw him closer. “Margo isn’t feeling well. I think I should escort her to the nurse.”
He comes over and puts his hand on her shoulder.
She doesn’t flinch.
She doesn’t even twitch.
My eyebrows hike up, and I look from his hand to his face and back to her.
He leans down. “You okay, hon?”
“Just a little woozy,” she says. “I think the past week is catching up to me.”
He nods, sympathetic.
I want to strangle him. Unusual for me, since I generally like the guy. He’s down to earth and charming, a teacher without being a pain in the ass. People respect him.
But this goes beyond respect.
“Caleb will take you to the nurse. Let me know if you decide to go home, I’ll write a slip.”
She nods and stands.
I take her arm, pinching just above the elbow, and lead her out of the room. Instead of going to the nurse, we veer into the courtyard. There’s a door in the corner that goes to the greenhouse, propped open by a rock.
Students come in here to pass the time. The smell of weed seeps out, but it’s silent as we walk up. I guide her inside and let go, letting my gaze rake her up and down. We’re alone in here. It’s our own private world.
“My, my,” I drawl. I clench my fists in an effort not to do something stupid. “Didn’t think you’d have the guts to bone a teacher, Sheep.”
She blanches. “Excuse me?”
“You and Mr. Jenkins. Mighty close. I can see why you wouldn’t want me to make your life hell.”
She snorts, turning away from me.
I grab the back of her neck, swinging her back at me and pinning her to my chest. I capture both of her wrists behind her back.
Her little body feels good on mine. Like temptation.
“Tell me, how good of a lay is he? Does he have a giant dick? Cuddle you after—”
“He’s my foster dad,” she snarls. She struggling against my hold. “Let me go.”
“No,” I snap, just so I have a second to process. I reappraise her. “Foster dad.”
“Caleb,” she pants. She’s working up a sweat trying to get away from me. It turns me on that she’s such a wreck over being this close to me. I back her into a tree, her spine hitting it hard. Her eyes widen.
I release her wrists and trail my hand up, over the side of her breast, to her red, red cheeks. They’ll be redder when I’m done with her.
“You afraid, love?”
“Stop calling me that.” She tips her head away from me.
“I think you secretly like it.”
“Is this because I said you lost?” She wriggles in my arms.
I shove my hips forward, showing her exactly what I think about that. Her eyes widen, and she goes perfectly still.
“Remember one thing about me.” I lean down into her face. She’s tiny. Fragile. All the easier to break. “I don’t fucking lose.”
6
My head is spinning when I walk out of the greenhouse. Caleb follows close behind me, like a menacing shadow. He said he doesn’t lose—but my heartbeat is stuttering and the fear is crawling up and down my throat.
I couldn’t speak if I wanted to.
He stole my first kiss. And then to feel his erection against my belly…
You’re not supposed to show fear to the enemy. Yet underneath it all, Caleb wasn’t always the enemy. He was a boy who I liked. A friend. We were closer than even Savannah and I, running wild together as kids.
Somehow, we both changed.
For the worse?
“Come with me.” He’s gruff, but he doesn’t touch me.
I follow him without a word, down the hallway to the nurse’s station.
“Ms. Peters.” He smiles at the nurse. “Margo isn’t feeling well. Mr. Jenkins said it would be all right if I brought her home, but I just wanted to check in with you.” His voice lowers. “I’m afraid she threw up a few minutes ago.”
The nurse tuts at me. She doesn’t do more than glance, because apparently Caleb’s word is law around here—even for the staff. “I’ll let him know, thank you.”
I have no choice but to go where he leads.
“You aren’t serious.”
“Can’t a guy bring a girl home?”
I roll my eyes. “Not when the girl is me, and the guy is you.”
He snorts, unlocking his car as we approach it. I’m not surprised that it’s a fast, expensive Audi. Matte black. The leather interior is black with lime-green accents.
He waits for me to get in and closes my door, sliding into the driver’s seat.
“Well?”
I glance at him. “What?”
“Where do you want to go?”