“I’m not good enough for you?”
“That’s not it, it’s just…I have a boyfriend.”
He nodded, taking a few steps closer. “If I were your boyfriend, there’s no way in hell I’d let you go off to college without me here to watch over you. So that just tells me he doesn’t care too much.”
A nervous laugh slipped free. “That’s not it at all. He’s going to a private college where he got a scholarship—”
The look in his eyes changed and he lunged so quickly, I startled. I attempted to dodge him and tripped over a chair. I tried to reach for my phone, but Colby grabbed my arm and pulled me close.
“Let go of me, Colby, or I’ll scream!”
He laughed—and the pure evil in the sound caused my entire body to tremble. “You won’t scream. I feel how your body is trembling, eager for me to touch you.”
I frantically tried to pull out of his hold. “No. You’re scaring me! Let me go or I swear to God, I’ll scream.”
He pulled me so hard I stumbled and fell into him. He spun me around and pushed me against the wall. Somehow, he had pulled both of my hands behind my back. His other hand ripped off the scarf around my neck and shoved it so far into my mouth, it made me gag.
“There, that takes care of the screaming now, doesn’t it?”
His hand moved under my dress, and I tried desperately to fight him. My sobs were muffled by the scarf, along with my pleas. Tears ran down my face as he ripped off my panties. I frantically shook my head and kicked my legs.
“Stop fighting me, or I’m going to make you pay. I can be rough or not—but one way or another, Arabella, I’m going to fuck you right here and now.”
I stilled, my eyes going wide with fear. He used his leg to push mine part. I sobbed, trying to get my hands free so I could pull the scarf out of my mouth. His body had mine pinned hard against the wall.
He pushed my dress up while I begged for him to stop, my words muffled by the scarf.
His free hand went to his pants and I cried harder, trying to pull my hands free of his grip.
“Does he have any idea how fucking sexy you are? How you flirt with other guys?”
I shook my head so hard, I nearly made myself dizzy.
“Does he touch you like this, Arabella?”
The moment he touched me, my legs collapsed. I felt sick to my stomach and was momentarily stunned.
Colby pulled on my arms, causing a sharp pain to hit me so hard, I gasped and nearly choked.
Before I could recover from the pain in both of my shoulders, he spun me around, threw me down on the table, pinned my arms over my head—and took something that wasn’t his to take.
I cried so hard, I was sure someone, anyone, would be able to hear me.
He leaned down, placed his mouth against my ear and whispered, “Does he fuck you as good as I do?”
I tried with all my might to get away, but the harder I fought, the more pain he caused.
My eyes closed, and I drifted to another place. A large field with rows and rows of lavender. And there were beehives, one after the other, all placed in neat lines between the lavender. When I squeezed my eyes tight enough, I escaped the hell I was currently in, listening to the swarm of bees instead of the chaos all around me.
Then, almost as quickly as it had started, he was off of me. I couldn’t move, only gasping for air when he pulled the scarf out of my mouth.
“Don’t worry. I pulled out.”
I snapped my eyes open and saw the ceiling of the study room. It took me a moment to get myself together before I scrambled off the table and backed into a corner, as far away from Colby as I could get, gulping for air.
When I could manage to speak, I looked at him. “How could you do that to me?” I asked between sobs.
He laughed. “Please. You wanted it, Arabella. The way you smile at me all the time and talk to me. It was obvious you wanted me as much as I wanted you.”
My eyes went wide with shock. “I didn’t want you, and I never acted as if I did! I didn’t want to be raped!”
He stilled. “Raped? I didn’t rape you.”
“You held me against my will! You shoved a scarf in my mouth to keep me from crying for help. I tried to get you to stop. How is that not rape?” I shouted.
A new darkness crept into his eyes, and he walked toward me. I frantically looked around for anything to defend myself but found nothing. Colby stood close, his breaths coming in hot pants that hit my face.