Page 19 of Fire Fight

“Arsehole,” she mutters, stepping safely onto the landing.

“What is it? If you wanted to confess, you’ve left it a bit late. My dad might’ve given some leeway seeing you’re new here and—”

“Confess what?”

“Oh, I dunno. Maybe something about the prescription pills in another person’s name that were under your pillow. But you’re probably best not to raise that issue. I doubt he’ll be happy to know he’s harbouring a drug dealer under his roof.”

Her features spin through so many expressions, it’s like watching Wheel of Fortune. It lands on outrage. “You setfireto me, but you think—”

“Calm down, sis.” Her eyes narrow to slits. “I splashed a bit of water on your shirt. If anything, it’s the opposite to setting you on fire.”

“You fucking terrified me. The police should’ve locked you up for—”

My hand locks around her slender throat, tight enough to feel the flutter of her pulse. I steer her against the cold wall, caging her with my other arm.

With my height advantage, I tower above her and press my knee between her thighs to trap her more thoroughly. My gaze fastens to hers as her chin tilts, jaw locked tight. With everyinhalation, her breasts rub against my chest and the fact I notice the light touch makes me angrier.

“Don’t play innocent,” I say in a low growl, speaking through clenched teeth. “I targeted a dealer who sold to kids and got a three-month stint at boot camp for my trouble. You think you’re the aggrieved party?”

I shake my head, squeezing her throat tighter for a second, enough to make her eyes flash as her body responds, thighs softening, nipples tightening. Her lips part and her tongue flicks across to wet them. Desire brightens her irises until they’re poisonous green.

“Cadence?”

The click of her mother’s heels places her downstairs, near the master bedroom, but I still release my grip, wiping my hand against Cadence’s T-shirt before continuing to my room.

An anxious beat grips my heart as I close my door, palms flat against it. Tingles lodge deep under the skin where I touched her. Taking deep breaths, I let logic calm me.

It’s just the same physical attraction that’s always been between us. I can conquer that easily, and judging from her reaction, Cadence is fighting the same battle. It doesn’t put me at a loss.

I can take my time to adjust, to gain total control over my reactions until I can confront her without brainless arousal dictating every move.

After all, I’ve got all senior year to torture her.

The message on her chest is just the start.

CHAPTER SEVEN

CADENCE

Mum calledout to let me know she’d be out in the garden area, sunbathing. I nod and smile and the moment my bedroom door closes, every muscle in my body shakes. I cross to the window seat, hugging my knees to my chest while I stare blankly at the view I found so compelling yesterday.

Grief wells inside me for the glorious future that’s altered so abruptly.

I don’t want to fear living in this glorious mansion. Not when I thought it was an escape from all our worries. If my mother turns Arnold’s affection into aggravation over long months of erratic behaviour, that’s expected. But this?

Never in my worst nightmares had I considered this a possibility. Instead of a friendly companion across the hallway, I have the one person who scares me.

Scares me. And more.

My hands tremble as I lift the hem of my T-shirt to see the marks he wrote. They were frightening when I thought I didthem. Now my head swims with alternate pictures of how they got there.

Drake must have arrived home after I went to sleep. He must have snuck across the hallway to enter my room, pulling down the blankets, unbuttoning my shirt.

Goosebumps flare across my skin and I let the collar snap into position. It’s just the cold that has my nipples tightening. Dread that causes my stomach to shrink into a tight ball, to make my thigh muscles clench.

I hug my knees tighter, willing the confusion of signals to fade, trying to find points of reassurance to assuage my fear.

Points like… when he had me helpless in bed, he didn’t hurt me, just wrote in marker on my chest. Not even across my tits—the words are along my sternum.

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