“All right, so who the hell is the Persian? Do you know?” I grab her shirt and shake her. “Does your father know? Tell me right fucking now.”
“If you want to know more about the Persian, you’ll have to talk to Soren.”
I frown. “Why Soren?”
She shrugs me off her and fixes her blouse, adjusting her tits carefully as if they’re worth thousands of dollars. “Ask him yourself.”
“Dumb bitch.”
“At least I’m not biding my time,” she calls after me as I march toward the sink. Touching her made my palms feel greasy. I have to wash my hands. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do, sweetheart, but it’s not looking good to take so long on a marriage contract.”
“I know what I’m doing,” I mutter after drying my hands. “Unlike you.”
And then I head into the hallway to find Soren.
***
All arrows are pointing at the guy who was far too sweet to me in his grandmother’s cottage. I should have known it was too good to be true, but it seems like I have to get a hard dose of reality smacked in my face every week to remind me that I’m alone again.
Lev isn’t here to save me. I have to save myself.
Third period is halfway over when I find Soren skipping class in the library. Silence washes over me as I wander toward him, clutching my bag to my shoulder. He doesn’t look up when I approach, but I can tell he senses my presence by the way he tenses up his shoulders.
“What do you want?” he whispers. “I’m reading.”
“We need to talk.”
He hums low, though it’s not clear whether it’s in agreement or opposition.
I settle into the chair across from him and lean forward. “I need to know where your loyalty lies.”
“With myself.”
“I know about the deal your father made with the Persian.”
His glacier blue eyes pierce me. “If only you had married me, then none of this would have happened.”
“Is that so?”
“You’re still just a cockteaser, aren’t you?”
I sneer at the accusation, hating the way it sounds slipping from his lips. “And you still don’t care for anyone, do you?”
“At least I’m honest about how I feel. You’ve been using us since day one, and I don’t think you understand what it’s done to us. Tomas is in a funk over you. Parker is confused because you’re stringing him along. And I’m just a mouth to get you off.”
A heavy pause drifts between us. He glances at his book, shuts it with a resolute motion, and then stands up. My head drops to my hands as I realize I’m being defeated. He’s too fucking smart. He’s starting to figure me out. I have no way of getting him back under control.
But when he snatches my arm and drags me into a nearby study room, I feel the weight of my defeat even more. The door shuts quietly, snapping any sound that might have echoed through the library. Sound panels guard the walls, and the miniature window is covered with paper—it’s the perfect place to disappear for a while.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, sugar,” he growls into my ear. His fingers cup the front of my jeans, causing me to squeak. “I don’t think you understand what’s going to happen when you push me to the brink.”
I hiss when he bites my neck. “I don’t think you understand how little I care.”
His thumb hooks into the waistband and he yanks open my pants, reaching eagerly with his free hand into my panties. I whimper loudly when his cold fingers graze my clit. “I think you care plenty, sweet Alex. You want to be put in your place. Parker was right about that.”
He hooks a finger into my pussy, causing pleasure to explode through my core. I arch into him while actively fighting the sensation, shoving my hands against his chest. “You just want the excuse to be mean to me.”
“Are you saying you don’t like this?” He wiggles his fingers, causing my head to drop back. With my throat exposed, he lunges for the flesh under my chin, suckling on the sensitive skin while his thumb circles my clit. “You’re not saying no, baby…”