Page 51 of Dare To Take

“Didn’t I warn you before about slapping me?” I drag her toward me. “I don’t know what the fucking problem is. I didn’t release the video, and you already know I read your diary.”

“But you went into my room and stole my diary! You could have taken the cell phone, too.”

“I didn’t need to go into your room. Lacy gave me your diary.” My words surprise her.

Her jaw drops, and a flash of hurt crosses her face. “Lacy?”

I shrug. “She wanted me to paint a mural for her ridiculous Halloween party. In return, I told her I wanted your diary.”

She twists out of my grip and walks away. I set off after her.

“Where are you going?”

“Leave me alone.”

“You’re seriously throwing a tantrum over something that happened months ago?”

She skirts around the fountain and walks into the garden maze beyond it. I stride along beside her.

“I’m not throwing a tantrum.”

“Then what do you call this? You’re storming off like a woman scorned.”

Her laugh is brittle. “You read my diary, picked out a paragraph and shared it with the entire class. You traded a painting for my private thoughts.”

“That painting took me an entire fucking week.”

“Oh, boo hoo!”

“I could have accepted her offer to suck my dick instead.”

She flinches, stops, and turns to face me. Her blue eyes are burning with fury. “Thank you for reminding me why they call you the Monster of Churchill Bradley.”

My jaw clenches. “You need a reminder of that, Arabella?” I wrap my hands around the tops of her arms and back her deeper into the maze.

“How many times has Lacy sucked your cock?”

“More than you have.”

She shoves at my chest. “I fucking hate you.”

Chapter 34

Arabella

All the hate that’s been bubbling up through the cracks since my clash with Bret and Garrett turns to molten fury in my veins. Eli drags me deeper into the shadowy maze, the illuminations from the fairy lights strung through it guiding his way.

“Get off me.” The words leave me in a high-pitched shriek.

He thinks a fucking painting is more important than my inner thoughts. There’s no remorse on his face for everything he’s done to me. I’ve been blind even to consider he’d be sorry.

His grip tightens on the top of my arms. “If you don’t stop talking, I’ll stuff your mouth with your panties.”

Lunging at him, I claw at his shoulders channeling all the emotions threatening to shatter me. “I should scratch out your eyes for everything you’ve done. I can’t believe you’ve tricked me into thinking you were different.”

Eli’s laugh is hollow. “You can try, Hellcat.”

“There’s not a remorseful bone in your body, is there?”

---