Page 22 of I Fing Dare You

“Come on, cupcake. It’s just a burger. It won’t bite you.”

He might.

I don’t make a move to take the bag. Jason sighs, dropping it on top of the four books already on my bedside table.

He sits at the foot of my bed and looks around my room, as though he has every right to. “Did you draw this?” He gestures to the sketch on the easel that takes up most of my room.

“You should get out. I don’t want to get in trouble.”

His eyes cut to mine, and he smirks. “Oh, Nadia. If that were true, you wouldn’t fight me.”

I swallow. He’s right. My life was fine before him. Foolish to challenge the king in his court.

“I’m not fighting you,” I deny, bringing my knees to my chest.

“Aren’t you?” Jason lies back, nonchalant as ever. “Your family. Tell me why they hide you.”

I take a deep breath. Giving my enemy information he could use to hurt me goes against my instincts, but I want to play nice. Jason can make sure the others leave me alone if he wants to. I have to try. “My dad isn’t rich like Uncle Lucius. He does okay—he owns a restaurant—but some seasons are better than others, you know.” I shrug. “I get that my uncle didn’t want me to get into your world and put a target on my back.”

“Yet here you are,” Jason said. “Why send you to Cross?”

“I’ve been here for two years, and you’re the first to even guess I know Lucas.”

Jason nods, accepting my point. “Are you jealous of your cousin?” he wonders.

I wrinkle my nose. “Why would I be? You wouldn’t believe how hard Lucas works—how hard he’s always worked. After school, he had tutors in business and politics, piano, violin, dance…” I wince on his behalf. “I had my freedom.”

“Had,” Jason agrees. “Now you belong to me.”

I stand up, pointing to the door. “Get out of my room now, or I’m going to scream.”

He’s just staring at me. When his eyes roam down my body, I remember my minimal clothing. I might blush, but I refuse to back down.

“I’ll tell them you forced your way in, which you did. Even you can’t get away withthat.”

Now, Jason stands up.“Tut-tut. You know I don’t like being threatened, cupcake.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I hate him.

I’ve used the word occasionally, like anyone else, but I’ve never truly hated anyone until this moment. There’s no other word to describe the mixture of intense frustration and fury, tinged with fear.

I cross my arms over my middle, itching to grab my covers and wrap them around myself, but I know I’ll look weak if I gave into my instinct. Instead, I clench my teeth and repeat, “Get out, Jason.”

He grins and, to my surprise, stands up. I expected more of a fight.

I can’t help taking a step back. I’m too close to the bed—too close to him. My retreat makes him smile.

For two years, I’ve never seen him smile. Not once. In the past two weeks, it’s happened at least three times. Always in private—when it’s just his friends and me. This smile reaches his eyes, and I hate, hate, hate how fucking good he looks. If he smiled like that every day, he would have been number one in the survey last year, no question.

In another world, I might have liked having Jason Alden in my room. But his smile’s twisted and he’s more dangerous than a snake in the grass.

What he enjoys is my discomfort.

Instead of walking to the door, he strolls toward me. I take another step back and hit the back of my desk’s chair. Fuck.

Jason keeps advancing leisurely, as though he has all the time in the world. I wonder if he wants me to run. The sicko might enjoy the chase. I stay put on unsteady legs, counting on bravado and the adrenaline running through my veins to see me through whatever comes next.

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