Page 122 of Barbi and the Villain

“Stop. Squirming,” he grits out.

A tremor goes down his body. He closes his eyes briefly before he pulls me toward him again.

I stumble forward, and I instinctually reach for him to stabilize myself. He’s there, though, catching me. His hands find my ribcage, keeping me in place so I don’t fall. His body is frozen to the spot and taut with tension.

Is he going to snap at me? I wonder.

He’s so tightly wound up and I don’t know what triggered this awful mood of his. Then again, he is an asshole, so he doesn’t need much to go off on me. I only need to exist and he scowls at me every second.

I wrap my fingers in his clothing to pull myself up when a flash of pink material catches my eye.

There. In his pocket.

I slowly look up. His eyes widen, and I could swear his cheeks redden.

We stare at each other for moments on end.

Voices blare in the distance as the competition continues. Shouts, grunts, and other indescribable noises echo in my ear. But they all fade away as my focus becomes wrapped up in him.

“Why do you have that?” I whisper.

He blinks, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

“Why do you have that, Nykander? Why do you have my panties? Did you steal them?” I squeak.

He takes a deep, shuddering breath.

“Because you are a little fool. You gave them away with little to no coaxing. What were you thinking, Barbi? Giving strange men your underwear to sniff at?” He scowls at me, his expression dangerous.

“You’re calling me a fool? You gave yours as well!”

“No. I did not.”

“What?”

“Good thing I was there to stop this from happening before some misguided lad got his hands on your underwear. I doubt I would have been able to control myself then.”

I blink as I stare at him, flabbergasted.

“I don’t understand you,” I whisper.

“It is better that you do not.” He sighs. “If you only knew…” He scrubs his hand over his weary features.

“You were the one who wanted to enter this competition in the first place. Now you’re blaming me for playing by the rules? You’re a hypocrite, Nykander!” I tell him sternly.

“Do you even know what this competition is about, Barbi?” He raises a brow at me.

“To crown the King and Queen of the Moon, of course.”

“And what do you think happens once the king and queen are crowned?”

“That…” My brows draw together. “I don’t know.”

“They fuck,” he states blankly. “They fuck in front of everyone.”

My lips part in shock.

“W-what?” I mumble. “What do you mean?”

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