Page 101 of Depraved Desires

He stepped toward me, closing the small space between us. My heart rate accelerated at his closeness, and I was thankful for the support of the wall behind me.

“To be blunt, I want to know if you fucked him.”

I bristled, shock pulsing through my veins at the unexpected question. “You’re insane.” I breathed, pushing off the wall. He made no move to step backwards to let me through, so our chests brushed against each other.

He tilted his chin lower, his gaze never straying from mine. “Answer the question, Aspen.”

“Why does it matter?” I snapped.

“Quit fucking avoiding it,” he growled, snatching my jaw in between his fingers. A startled gasp fluttered past my lips.

My eyes narrowed into slits as I directed him with my own scathing glare. “I’m not avoiding anything. I just don’t think that it’s any of your business.”

His hand tightened around my face, making me wince. “The longer you drag this out, the longer it’ll be until you can get to class.”

Blowing out a breath, I decided to give him what he wanted. If this is what it took to make him leave me the hell alone, then so be it. “Fine,” I snipped. “Idid.”

His eyes flashed with something furious; the sudden change in demeanor making the hair on my body rise. His grip on me was painfully tight now, and I just knew that the skin around his fingers was turning a paler shade than I already was.

“Didwhat?” he snarled.

“Do I really have to spell this out for you? Yes. I fucked him.”

He released me instantly, a look of disgust crawling across his features like I carried some sort of disease or something. He stepped away, putting more distance between us. A frown captured my lips as I assessed him. What the fuck was his problem, now.

“You just gave me another reason to hate you, Aspen Palmer. I hope it was worth it.” And with that, he was gone. Taking off around the corner and leaving me more confused than ever.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Hunter

Smoke billowed out around me in a thick cloud, permeating the room. The high seeped into my mind, doing a great job of contorting my thoughts. Leaning forward, I snatched a bottle of bourbon off my side table and took a swig. The liquid slid down my throat with ease. After a few more gulps, I returned the bottle to the wooden table and picked up my glass rose again.

My life was a fucking mess.

Jessica was pissed at me, undoubtedly planning my demise as she had done to her ex-boyfriend. Aspen hated me. Not that I cared…right? Fuck her, too. Raven was still dead. That bothered me more than I cared to admit. On the bright side, my mom had gone MIA, choosing to ignore my existence after I refused to give her any more money.

Since Aspen’sdeath, alcohol and drugs had become my best friend. Her reappearance into the living didn’t change that. There were still other factors at play when it came to my life and what was going wrong within it. The Christmas party was in a few days now, and I’d be surprised if my mom didn’t stop by in an attempt to guilt trip me into caving.

Annoyance snaked through my veins, and I shook my head. Lining up the lighter with the spout of the pipe, I lit it. I sucked in a lungful of the tasteless smoke before blowing it back out. My eyes fluttered closed when euphoria coiled around my insides. Seemingly, my thoughts grew more and more distant, which was exactly what I wanted.

Reality snapped me back in place when the knob to my door started to twist. My heart raced for reasons other than the alcohol and drugs coursing through my veins. I knew they’d find out eventually. It was inevitable. I just figured I’d have more time.

Foster strolled inside with gritted teeth. Anger radiating off him in waves. The door slammed closed behind him, rattling the frame that surrounded it. He’d been on edge since lunch, sulking quietly in his seat and directing glares in Aspen’s direction while she ate with Gia, Jax, and Rocky.

He started pacing back and forth for a moment while he fumed. I knew better than to address him when he got like this. There was no reasoning with a pissed off Foster Henderson.

Foster stopped dead in his tracks when he finally noticed the pipe resting between my fingers. A mixture of emotions flashed across his face before he walked toward me and snatched it out of my hand along with the lighter. He brought it to his mouth, lit it, and inhaled deeply. Almost as if a switch had been flipped, his shoulders relaxed.

“That stupid fucking bitch.” He seethed, taking a second hit. He dropped onto the bed beside me and then offered me the pipe once again.

“Who?” I asked with furrowed eyebrows.

He rolled his eyes like it were obvious. “Aspen. Do you know what she did?”

This was definitely a conversation I didn’t want to have right now. I came in here to forget my problems, not to lengthen that list.

“What’s wrong, Henderson?” I mocked. “Your best friend not everything you thought she’d be?”

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