She shakes her head with force and a determination fills her face. “No. I want you to stay here. Stick to theplan,”
“You need me. We can make a new plan. I can still take over the company without a degree from Marrowton,”
“No Asher. I need some time to heal,” She sighs. “I want you to stay here,”
I blink as I stay silent.
Can I let her go?
After everything that happened when she was out of sight last year.
“Please,” She begs.
“At least try and stay till the end of the term. If you still feel like this then I will stay here and support your decision in going home, without argument,” I smile as she thinks it over.
“Okay”. Her voice so quiet it’s almost a whisper.
We sit until Pipers cries stop and her anxiety dissolves. I am stuck in my head on the way to the dining hall, replaying that week last term in my head repeatedly.
What could have been.
“Hey,” The voice is soft but confident. I stop and turn to the right as Ruella walks over to me, her eyes darting around the empty hallway before meeting mine.
I stay silent, my mood still all over the place.
“Here,” she says as she hands me a binder. One I recognise. It’s mine, I must have left it back in the lecture hall when I rushed out.
“Thanks,” I say with a little more force than I intended. She doesn’t flinch but she scans me, from bottom to top, not admiring me, but something else.
“Are you okay?’ she asks and my shoulders tense at the sincerity in her voice. She continues as I grind my molars. I don’t know why her concern has me feeling this way, no one ever asks me how I am or how Iam feeling. I don’t even think I could put it into words that would make sense.
“You ran out pretty quick. Is everything okay?” Her head tilts, still waiting.
Instead of telling her I’m fine with a false smile, I do what I always do. I deflect with unpolite anger. I step into her space, lowering my head so our faces are nearly touching as I look her dead in the eye. “Mind your fucking business,” I snap. “And keep your trashy self away from me,” I scan her up and down with disgust, completely the opposite of what she makes me feel. Then I pull back as her face falters. A vulnerability pushes through before it is quickly shut down, the painful demeanour reminding me of Piper, and I suddenly feel like scum. I really should learn to filter my words, it’s one of my many, many flaws, but it’s been a long day. Hell, it’s been a long six months, and I am exhausted.
I turn after I watch the determination harden Ruella’s beautiful features, keeping my hands from rubbing out the furrowed brow I put on her forehead.
I am almost to the dining hall when her clipped voice makes me freeze.
“Who’s Piper?”
Without a second thought, my hand is on her throat, her back pushed into the stone wall as I get back into her face. “Keep that name out of your mouth!” I shout but she doesn’t even flinch. She doesn’t look scared at all, not even with my hand gripping her throat so tightly her face turns red. She glares at me with defiance, hatred, yet no fear.
I shake my head confused. I’m a big guy, scary even. Most stay out of my way, yet this little vixen seems unbothered, almost bored. I can usuallyread people like an open book, how I can use them to my advantage and take what I need. Ruella Griffith is a mystery.
A mystery I will solve.
I pull away and watch as she straightens her bag with a smirk, my heart flutters and my dick gets hard thinking about breaking her.
“Stay away from my sister!” I bite out pointing in her face with a snarl.
Then I turn in her silence and push into the chaos that is Marrowton Academy.
Before today, I wanted to toy with Ruella, make her mad enough to maybe hate fuck me, put her in her place, at my feet or beneath me.
But now, now I want to watch as that defiance leaves her, I want her to look at me like the others, like I am someone to fear. I want her to bow down to me.
More importantly I want her towantto.
