Take My Body (Curse Bound 2)

And unless it was only Caspian’s imagination sparking with anger, the fucker had slowed down, as if trying to punish him for daring to honk at a fancy car with obnoxious personalized licence plates—ALEXG.

Caspian knew an Alex who never failed to mention that his parents named him after Alexander the Great. That Alex’s parents owned a large funerary company with shops all over the state, earned a crazy amount of money on pushing unnecessary products on bereaved people, and he wasn’t better himself. For whatever reason Alex had decided he and Caspian were mortal enemies back in middle school, when Caspian won a piano competition, relegating Alex to second place.

They’d never fought or openly spoke against one another, but while their rivalry remained implicit, even Caspian’s parents had caught its scent and kept mentioning a start-up Alex had presided over, as if they hoped it would motivate him.

Caspian really didn’t care what Alex did with his life, or whether he’d won any more piano contests for amateurs. The fact that he’d grown so much taller than Caspian, however? That shit was pissing him off to this day. Especially since the fucker never failed to mention it. At least he still had the beautiful, cherry-red Southfield to flaunt in front of the bastard. Caspian would make sure Alex didn’t get his hands on the vehicle, even if he offered millions of dollars for it.

Caspian rolled down his window and looked out when the car in front of him came to a standstill at a large crossing. “Just move the damn thing! Can’t you see the green light?” he yelled despite knowing that the traffic lights at this particular intersection were kind of confusing, and he’d fallen victim to it several times when he’d first learned to drive.

A head stuck out of the Porsche, and Caspian stilled when it turned out that it was none other than his frenemy Alexander the Not-so-Great.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Are you in a hurry?” the bastard shouted back but didn’t move despite the light for their lane still being green! Cars in the other lane kept passing them now that their lights changed, and he could have technically just maneuvered around Alex, but at this point, it was a matter of principles

Caspian’s hand went for the horn before he could have thought his reaction through, and he drove closer to Alex’s vehicle, stopping two inches away. “Are you blind? If you can’t read traffic lights, get a fucking taxi!”

“Learn some manners.” Alex shook his head and showed him the finger, but there was an attentiveness in his eyes that Caspian had never seen before.

Yeah, asshole, you just flipped off a dangerous motherfucker, and you’ll regret it.

Caspian opened the car and dashed toward Alex’s vehicle, slamming his hand on the roof so loudly Mr. Not-so-Great flinched in fear. Here was to hoping he’d pissed his pristine slacks.

“Get out of my way or I’ll slash your tires!” Caspian roared, and hit Alex’s side window to make his point. The bastard was lucky he’d closed it.

Rage burned through his veins, growing, like a bonfire fueled by gasoline, and this was as good an opportunity as any to unleash it. He was finding out what it was like to make Alex pay attention, and he was getting weirdly horny because of it. His hook-up couldn’t come any sooner.

“Get lost, or I’ll call the cops!” Alex yelled from inside the car, but he was leaning away ever-so-slightly, as if he were afraid that the muscular giant might smash his window and drag him out.

Caspian didn’t think. He reached for the key in his pocket and showed it to Alex before lowering his hand, ready to spoil the pristine red paint.

The pure, unadulterated terror in Alex’s eyes was the sweetest ambrosia for Caspian’s heart.

“No! Oh, my god! Are you insane? Don’t! Sorry, sorry! Jeeesus!” He raised his hands for good measure.

“Fuck off then. Go! Go,” Caspian said and kicked the bastard’s wheel, breaking into ecstatic laughter when Alex rode off with a squeak of tires, dashing through the intersection. The fumes he’d left behind smelled like spring sunshine. The lights had changed during their exchange, but Alex always had more luck than reason, and he hadn’t collided with anyone on the way.

When Caspian turned around, satisfied with this victory, his gaze lingered on the old car behind his truck and he felt a pang of guilt when the elderly lady hunched over behind the wheel, as if she expected him to yell at her next. She must have watched the fight and hadn’t even bothered to use her horn to break it up. She’d done nothing wrong and shouldn’t have to fear a stranger, just because he was bigger and stronger than her, so he saluted her with a manic grin and got back to his car with adrenaline flushing his body.