Fate Book

I slid my hands around his neck and deepened the kiss. His tongue thrust against mine in a blatant erotic rhythm that sparked an unexpected groan from somewhere deep inside my chest. He returned the groan and upped the ante with a hard, heated object pressed against my belly.

“Christ!” He suddenly pulled his head back. A look of sheer shock danced in his eyes before being replaced with an icy, controlled glare.

Wow. What was that? Another ploy to control me? Or had what I just felt been as real as my body told me it was?

“Why did you do that?” he growled.

I dropped my arms. “Wait. You kissed me.”

He stepped back and ran his hands through his messy black hair. “Only to shut you up.”

“You could’ve just used your hand again,” I panted.

He glowered, and I noticed the vein pulsing in his neck. “Damn it,” he seethed under his breath. “I—fuck. Fuck…” He lowered his head and blew out a loud breath. “I thought you were—and then I—shit, never mind. Just get your ass back to class and stay out of trouble.” He turned away.

I never imagined it could happen, not with this man, but Santiago was visibly shaken. “What the hell is the matter with you?”

Santiago was right back in my face again. “You have no idea what you’re messing with, do you?”

Hello? Ummm…that would be a big fat, no! “All I know is that I was hit by a car, you appeared in my life, and now I’m your prisoner.” And you just kissed the breath out of me in the school parking lot.

“You forgot the part,” he seethed quietly, “about how someone broke into your house, and you’d be dead right now if it weren’t for me. But if that’s not enough to entice you to stop challenging me, then maybe I should have a talk with your mother.”

Maybe I should tell him I don’t care anymore. I only hoped he wouldn’t find something else to blackmail me with. He seemed like the type of man who had many tricks up his sleeve. That kiss, for example. But what else could he use against me? Apart from my family and Mandy, there was only one other thing that mattered. High school. As in, getting out of it.

Oh no.

“W…what did you say to Ms. Marie?” I asked. “Why were you in her office?”

His lips formed a sly smile. “Can’t talk about it. Official business.”

He’d told her he was someone “official”? And she believed him? “So what did you say? Are you trying to fuck up my chances for college? Get me expelled or something?”

His nostrils flared, and his hands tightened into fists. “I would never do that to you.”

“Oh. But you’d threaten to hurt me and break up my family?”

“I never threatened to hurt you,” he growled.

“Like hell you didn’t.” At the very least, he’d said things that led me to believe they were physical threats. And he hadn’t denied trying to break up my family.

“You’re a fucking psycho.” I stepped forward, chin lifted.

“And you’re a spoiled little brat.” Chest heaving, he closed the gap between us, pressing his body against mine.

Then I felt it again. That tension. The heat. Being near him caused an instant chemical reaction in my brain. I wanted to claw at his clothes and taste those lips again.

He began to lower his head, but then his beautiful dark eyes narrowed, and his jaw muscles pulsed with agitation. “Get your ass to your next class, Dakota. I’ll pick you up right here.”

My body in complete shambles, I backed away. Because despite everything my brain told me, this man completely undid me.

Get a hold of yourself, Dakota. He’s just using your lust to control you. Yes, it was no secret the man was built like a god. By now, he had to know his body was his most powerful weapon against my young, overly eager, hormone-riddled body. I just needed to bide a little time, make it home, and call my dad. He would know what to do. He would fix this.

I walked off to class, holding in that scream still begging me to let it loose.

~ ~ ~

The rest of my classes were a blur. I felt too scared and in too much shock to pay any attention to the other students who kept hounding me during the breaks. Some asked about Janice, others about Santiago. When I finally saw Mandy right before my final class, I almost collapsed at her feet and kissed her toes. I opted for hugging her instead.

“Where have you been?” I asked.

“I had a dentist appointment. Got here after lunch. Why?” She smiled brightly. In her pink T-shirt dress and flip-flops she looked bound for the beach.

Oh no! The senior party. “Is the pool party today?”

Disappointment flooded her eyes. “You forgot, didn’t you?”