Page 22 of Bad Intentions

I was livingin a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

Last night, I’d thought a hundred times about going to my parents and begging them to reconsider. I thought about going and telling my father how aggressive Cayden had been toward me and how he’d threatened me. But I had no proof, and my father’s future and dreams rested on the arrogant psycho. The dreams I’d cost him.

In the morning, resigned and depressed, I headed down the hall toward the kitchen, briefly forgetting for a second that the spare room was now enemy territory.

I got two steps before strong hands grabbed me and hauled me inside. Cayden slammed the door and pushed me against it, the impact hard enough to wind me. I coughed, choking on my own panic as his hand landed on my mouth, sealing my protests inside.

“Good morning, little sis.”

He loomed over me, fresh out of the shower. He smelled like soap and something sweet, like honeysuckle. His short dark hair was still wet, and I couldn't help but marvel at his beautiful features--the full mouth and high cheekbones, the strong jaw, the winged black eyebrows that gave him a hint of nobility. It was deeply unsettling that someone who looked and smelled like him could hide such malice inside. His beauty was nothing but a facade.

“Sleep well?” He grinned at me like he was in on a secret as I struggled against his hand. “I thought we should go over the ground rules, since we’re going to be living together and all. We wouldn’t want to rub each other the wrong way. Siblings shouldn’t fight.”

His mocking tone had me pushing against his iron-like chest. He tutted and only stepped closer. His hips pressed mine into the door. The ridge of his jeans pushed against my navel, uncomfortable and weirdly intimate.

He’d stepped so close, my hands were trapped against his chest, unable to struggle anymore. Just touching.

“Here’s what we’re going to do. Nod if you’re listening.” He moved my face up and down in a parody of agreement. He towered above me, looking more terrifying than ever.

“You’re not going to say anything to anyone at school about what you saw. You’re going to forget it. Don’t go running your mouth to anyone about the new kid who’s all beat up and scarred. If anyone says anything about that scar…I’ll know it was you.”

I stared up at him. His face was carefully blank, like he was hiding his emotions somewhere deep inside. I was starting to suspect it was all an act. He didn't like to be seen and he didn't like to be vulnerable, so he put up this facade of a guy who didn't care. But I thought hedidcare. I thought he cared a lot.

“If anyone finds out…You’ll be on the hook for it. Do you get what that means?”

I swallowed hard, and his eyes dropped to my throat. He watched my neck, seeming fascinated by the movement. Slowly, he withdrew his hand from my mouth, letting me speak.

“I didn’t see anything.”

He grinned, but his eyes were cold. “We both know that isn’t true.”

“Don’t exaggerate your importance to me. I don’t care enough about you to talk about you behind your back.” I needed space, I couldn’t breathe. He was too close, and he smelled too good. His body was too strong in all the right places. It was overwhelming.

“Is that right?” His voice was eerily soft.

I stared stubbornly at his collarbones. He took my chin between his thumb and forefinger and tipped my face up, forcing me to meet his stormy gaze.

“You don’t think about me at all…Is that what you’re telling me, Lily?”

“Why would I?” I breathed, caught in the snare of his magnetism. The guy was a magician. Somehow, with a soft tone and touch, he could make me forget his threats and strong-arm tactics. Magic was the only explanation.

I wet my lips, and his eyes seized on the movement. Being this close to Cayden made me feel hot all over, like my skin was shrinking in on me, and I needed to peel it off.

“I’m not going to pretend I want you here, though. Find another place to stay. I don’t care if you play for the Hellions, just stay out my life.”

Cayden’s mouth stretched into another lazy grin, but this one looked more amused.

“No, I don’t think I will. I think I’m going to be right here when you wake up, when you sleep…I think you and I are only going to get closer, so get used to that fact.”

“I’ll tell my dad everything then. How you threatened me, how you grabbed me…this here right now – all of it!”

Cayden was nodding, looking unintimidated. “You do that, if you feel you have to. If you do, though, then I guess he can kiss his promotion goodbye. He’s getting older, almost at make or break time. I guess he’ll be happy enough staying at Hade Harbor High forever…high school coach is almost the same as college level, right?”

A feeling of powerlessness lodged in my throat, and I wanted to cry.

Cayden’s grin turned predatory as he leaned in and stuck his face in the crook of my neck, breathing deeply. “Don’t worry, it’s not a decision you have to make. I’ll make it for you, Lil. That’s what you like, isn’t it?”

Cold nerves spread across my skin.What the hell was he talking about?

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