I nod slowly, trying to process that. I feel her eyes boring into theside of my head again, a suspicious weight to her stare.
“Before you accuse me, no, I didn’t leave you a note,” I tell her dryly. “What I want to know is why you thought it was Lionel in the first place.”
“He called me Angel. He used to call me that when I was a kid, and I haven’t ever told anyone about it. Not even the media.”
“Can’t say I knew that, either. And he never called you Angel in your interview with Connor,” I confirm.
That, I do know. I’ve watched that goddamn interview so many times, I’ve memorized the entire thing.
Brows pinched, she stares down at her phone sightlessly.
“He could’ve still put someone up to it,” I say. “It was probably Roxi.”
But even as the words leave my mouth, I know it's not what either of us truly believes.
“Or the copycat,” she whispers. “They could be working together.”
My jaw clenches, almost irritated with her for saying it aloud. Because the second she does, a potent fury fills my chest. Except, for what feels like this the first time, it's notather, butforher. And I really don't like that.
“Staying in my dorm is the best option,” I declare, my tone firm. “Regardless of who put the note there, it was obviously on Lionel’s behalf, which means he might not be here yet, but it sounds like he will be soon.”
I fucking hope he comes.
I would behappyfor that motherfucker to show up at my door.
Fucking hell, the mere thought of getting to see him again and do everything my eight-year-old self wished to do but never could… That thought has my muscles swelling with a bloodlust that makes my mouth water.
I pull into the parking lot of my dorm and park the car before shutting off the ignition.
Reverie doesn’t move, arms crossed again, stubbornly glaring out her window.
“Don’t make me throw you over my shoulder,” I warn, keeping my voice calm.
She sighs softly and thumps her forehead against the window.
“I’m not just going to move in with you, Dread,” she grumbles. “We can’t even stand to be around one another on a good day,and you want me tostay with you?”
I give her a confused look. “I’ve always enjoyed being around you, darling.”
A growl rumbles from her throat, and she’s snapping her head toward me, her stare full of fire. I don’t bother containing my smirk.
Now when I see those eyes, all I can picture is the way she stared at me while I ate her cunt—bright, pleading, and so goddamn open. I could read every thought in her head. And when she sucked on my cock like I was feeding her for the first time in years…
I need to see it again. Just… a few more times.
“I’m pretty sure we’ve already established you don’t get to go back on your word,” I remind her, and her gaze goes from a match flame to a wildfire in a matter of seconds.
“That wasn’t part of the deal,” she snaps. “You gave me an ultimatum, and I chose. It’sdone.”
My brows rise and my smirk widens. “Until you made me a new promise.” I lean across the armrest between us, and she shrinks farther back, only deepening my amusement. I fucking love making her squirm. “If you need reminding, you said you’d doanything. So you agreed I own every part of you, that you won’t take or beg for anyone else’s cock but mine. And like any decent human being, I let you come.”
Her jaw hardens, and her eyes narrow into thin slits. “We both know you're far from decent,” she spits. “But it doesn't matter, anyway. Even if I don’t fuck someone else, that doesn’t mean I have to fuck you. You didn't exactly give me something to keep begging for. In fact, I would be perfectly content to never be so unfortunate as to see or touch your dick for the rest of this lifetime, and every one thereafter.”
Every word feels like claws sinking into my chest, tearing it apart, leaving a gaping hole behind. What was left of my rational thinking was hanging on to the edge of that crater by a fingertip, and she went and fucking stomped on it. Now, it's forever lost in the deep chasm her ire created.
I refuse to let her see just how deeply bothered I am by it, giving her a faux frown instead. “Come on, Rev. You’re my girlfriend now. You’ll be sleeping in my bed for the foreseeable future. Last time I checked, boyfriends fuck their girlfriends. Often.”
I had absolutely no intention of saying that, but the second it leaves my mouth, I realize it's fucking perfect. Not only does making her mygirlfriend provide me with a great excuse to kiss and touch her, but it'll humiliate her, too. Everyone will see her as pathetic for fucking the guy who spent his entire college career degrading her. But even better, it allows me to protect her, which means she'll be spending a lot of time at my side. When Lionel finally shows up for his daughter, I'll be right there with her.
