Page 34 of Sweetest Hate

Arsen reluctantly pulled away, adjusting his dick in his shorts when I turned around.

"Piper wouldn't be hunting me down unless it's important, especially right now. She knows exactly what's going on. The girl has eyes like a hawk." I didn't want to believe him because Piper would know I'd given in to the jerk. "Come back to my room tonight. Don't go to Quinn."

"Okay, boss," I responded with a scowl as reality rushed back in, my conscience reprimanding me for allowing Arsen to rule my body. "That's never going to happen."

His jaw ticced. "You know what, Kellan? You can hate me all you want, but you don't need to like me to fuck, and if you show up, that's exactly what's going to happen."

"Good luck with that." I shoved him, and he stepped back.

His lips tilted in a cocky grin. "I'll leave the door unlocked."

I watched as he turned away and disappeared around the corner before I sagged back against the earth. My dick was hard, and I reached down, squeezing to provide some relief. Arsen may be right by knowing I wanted him to own my body, but that didn't mean I would act on it and hate myself once it was over. Though, moments ago, it had been the only thing that had made sense to me. He wanted to use me, and I'd use him right back. That would be the deal. But when it was over, what would I be left with? The ashes left behind by a raging fire that would consume me whole. Arsen was bad news. He's shown brief glimpses of thoughtfulness, but I was hesitant to buy into the idea of Arsen being more than the jerk I'd known over the last few days. I wasn't sure it wouldn't just be a lie I wanted to believe.

I took several deep breaths to calm my racing heart—a fruitless attempt because when it came to Arsen, he seemed in full control of every beat.

Twelve

Arsen

"Sorry to interrupt,but your dad has been blowing up my phone, trying to reach you."

"And?" I pulled my phone from my pocket and unlocked the screen. There were six missed calls and ten waiting texts. I hadn't used my phone since we'd arrived because I hadn't needed to and must have put it on mute.

"My phone gets shit reception out here." Piper folded one arm over her chest, rubbing the other as she frowned. "I'm not sure what your dad wanted. He was breaking up pretty bad, but he sounded worried, maybe? You should probably see if you can reach him."

I pressed on a missed call and brought the phone to my ear. My dad answered after one ring. That alone worried me. "Arsen, where have you been? Never mind, that's not important right now. You need to secure the boat, the Jet Skis—whatever you guys have pulled out—and get everyone inside. Make sure everyone stays away from the windows. In fact, just unlock the basement and hole up down there." Dad's voice sounded urgent, and I got my feet moving before I even knew what was going on.

"What's going on?" I asked as I bee-lined for Quinn, standing by the fire talking to Shawn and the blond girl with the subtly rounded belly. Piper followed behind me, hurrying to keep up with my long strides.

"There's a pretty bad storm headed to your area. My emergency alert from my phone's weather app has been going off repeatedly. The radar shows it's moving quickly toward the lake. There's a cold front pushing through that has spawned some severe storms. They are talking about straight-line winds in excess of ninety miles an hour, torrential rain and flash flooding, even golf ball-sized hail. The storm won't last long because of the speed it's moving. You have to work quickly. The app predicts it will be in the lake area in about 40 minutes. Y'all will be safe in the basement, but winds that strong with that many trees around… Just get everyone inside."

Glancing around as I walked, I was unsure how I'd missed the wind kicking up in the humid air or the swish of the water as it rolled in quickly, slapping against the dock and banks. The alcove must have concealed the rapid change in the atmosphere. There was no way of knowing we'd been blanketed by ominous clouds with all the trees. I hadn't even noticed any thunder or seen any lightning. "Shit. Okay. I'll get it taken care of."

Dad paused. "Arsen, be careful. I love Quinn, but we both know you're the more responsible one. You always have been, even since you were a little boy."

Had my dad just offered more than a nugget of praise? I was in too much of a hurry to overthink the rare occurrence. "I'll get it taken care of," I repeated.

I noted the wind was steadily picking up, sending pine needles floating to the ground, and the flames from the fire were flickering in a tangled kaleidoscope of reds, oranges, and yellow. The trees had begun to sway, and I knew we didn't have much time before the edge of the storm reached the property.

When we hung up, I barked orders. "Shawn, find Blake and put out the fire. Get your girl and everyone else inside. Quinn, I need your help."

Piper grabbed my arm, and I glanced down. Her forehead was creased with worry. "What's going on?"

"There's a bad storm rolling in. Go unlock the basement, and I'll meet you soon." Piper was the only person, other than me, present who knew how to access the basement. With a quick nod, she turned and hugged Blake before she rushed toward the cabin.

Quinn looked ready to argue, and I didn't have time for his shit. "You know what, just get everyone inside and down in the basement."

I turned, scanning the grounds for Kellan, and spotted him heading up the hill from the shadows we'd been hidden in only minutes ago. With quick strides, I made it to him and grabbed his hand. "Come on. I need your help."

He tried to snatch his hand back, but I tightened my grip. Who knew if he'd drag his feet just to spite me. It wouldn't come as a shock, so wordlessly, I continued to pull him along.

He growled. "Seriously? The moment has kind of passed. Bad judgment call—"

I scowled as I pulled him behind me, back toward the dock. "And let me guess. Never going to happen again."

He stopped fighting me and followed. "Evil and smart. Not sure if I should be impressed or terrified, but what exactly are we doing?"

"Kellan, look around," I gritted through my teeth.

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