I nod and fist his t-shirt even tighter. “I did. I thought about why you didn’t… have sex with me. It didn’t occur to me until after you dropped me off at the school parking lot. You were protecting me, weren’t you? You wanted to protect my innocence. That’s why you told me to hold on to my dress. That’s why you didn’t even ask me to take care of you. You didn’t and –”
Reed grabs onto my fists on his t-shirt and the muscles in his stomach contract as he growls, “This is starting to really piss me off now. I was having a good day, all right? I won. Yeah, I also got beaten up for it by your wonderful brother, who packs a really mean punch by the way. But it’s fine. I don’t care. I’m the champion. I’ve been waiting for this day ever since your brother stole the title last season. So yeah, I was having a brilliant fucking day and I would really like to get back to it. So I’m going to make this really easy for you.
“These past few weeks have been good. Fun. I mean, I still don’t like twirling but I can see why dudes do it. And I’m not sure if I’m going to be walking into that cupcake store again. It’s too pink for me. But I have to say that it’s been interesting. Given the fact that the only reason it all started was because you’re the Thorn Princess. But you’re really fucking ruining it right now.”
“What did you just s-say?”
“Look, it was a clear-cut way to mess with him. It’s not as if I was thinking about it. It’s not as if I was plotting ways to seduce my rival’s little sister. But then you walked into my party looking all sweet and innocent. I tried to stay away, trust me. I even made that stupid fucking pact. But then you were so interested in me. I mean, why wouldn’t you be? Every girl is, but I would have had to be stupid not to take it. I would have had to be too stupid not to take you. Especially when it was too easy to reel you in. Too easy to take you for a ride, make you do things. You practically stood on the edge of a cliff for me. All I had to do was give you a push. All I had to do was make you fall.”
All he had to do was give me a push.
He’s right.
I stood on the edge for him. My arms wide open, wearing a white dress.
And all he had to do was nudge me a little.
All he had to do was make me fall.
“You did all this so you could mess with Ledger,” I whisper as numbness spreads through my veins.
His jaw clenches. “I did all this for soccer.”
“So you could beat him.”
“So I could beat him.”
I repeat his words from a long time ago. “Because winning is everything.”
“Yeah.” His eyes flick back and forth between mine. “Besides, I showed you a good time, didn’t I? So no hard feelings.”
“No hard feelings.”
“In fact, you should be thanking me.”
I dig my fists into his torso. “I should be thanking you.”
“Yes. For the fact that I made sure there was minimal damage.”
“What minimal damage?”
Reed lowers his voice then, staring at me with flashing eyes. “I didn’t fuck you, did I? I could’ve. But I didn’t, and trust me, that was hard. It’s not every day a guy gets a lap dance from a horny ballerina. I’ve had my fair share of cheerleaders and I know how bendy they can be. I know how bendy you could be. I’ve seen you dance.
“And some guys don’t like virgins. They say they’re too much work. You can’t fuck them how you want to. But I’m not one of those guys. I like them. I like training them. I like breaking them in. I like when they bite their lip and make those hurting noises. I like when they push you away like it’s too much for them. But you rub them in the right place and they cling to you like you’re their entire world. I like that. I liked how you clung to me and how when you came, you looked like you couldn’t believe it. You looked like nothing had ever been that good. And I could’ve rocked your world last night. Even more than I did. But I didn’t. I let you go. So yeah, minimal damage.”
“Why? Why did you let me go?”
“Consider this my good deed. Of the month.” He thinks about it. “Year. I let you escape my evil clutches unscathed. Your brothers should thank me. It was torturous.” He looks me up and down. “It still is. And if you don’t want me to pick you up and carry you to my Mustang and drive you back to those woods and give you a real reason to spin and bend over like the pretty blonde ballerina you are, you should really let me go, Fae.”