Page 93 of Depraved Desires

Hunter gestured behind me to his dresser. “Last drawer.”

I could feel their eyes on me as I bent and retrieved my belongings, cradling them in my arms. Without another word, I made a beeline for the door, letting it slam shut behind me.

My heart thudded against my chest cavity angrily as I leaned against the wall nearest to the door. When I was certain that they weren’t coming after me, I allowed the first set of real tears to fall. A hiccupping sob tore from my throat and I buried my face into the bundle of fabric, hoping to quiet the sound.

God. I truly was pathetic.

Getting jealous because two of the guys who tried to murder me were fucking another girl and then boasting about it. Maybe I needed a psyche evaluation.

I didn’t understand why I was having these feelings, or what they even meant. Truthfully, I didn’t want to dwell on it either.

It felt like I’d cried for an eternity, yet the tears kept coming, refusing to stop. My cheeks were becoming raw. When was the last time I’d cried this hard? It had been a while. I was used to bottling everything up, only to explode at a later time. Maybe that’s what was happening now.

“Aspen?” Foster’s voice carried over to me, concern dripping from his words.

Immediately, I turned my head in the opposite direction, hoping he didn’t see the pain-induced tears all over my face.Swiping my hand over my sore eyes, I disposed of the evidence to the best of my abilities.

His presence loomed over me once he approached, yet I still refused to look in his direction even though I could feel the heat of his stare boring into me. He reached out, gripping my chin between his fingers before forcing my head his way. His touch was electric, which was another thing I didn’t understand.

“What happened?” he growled, his gaze darkening with fury.

My tongue jutted out, swiping along my chapped, lower lip. “N-nothing.” It was a lie and we both knew it.

“Aspen, I swear to God. If you don’t tell me who the fuck did this to you, I’m going to lose my shit.” His grip around my chin tightened, holding my head firmly in place as he stared into my—probably—bloodshot eyes.

I shook my head slightly. “It was stupid. Collin—” He released me instantly, murder shining back at me through his irises.

My heart pounded to a deadly tune as I watched him shove through the door beside me, slamming it behind him with as much strength as he could muster. The wall vibrated from the impact and the noise made me wince.

The sound of shouting bled out into the hall. Their voices were so loud and filled with anger that it was hard to focus on what was being said, especially when they started talking at the same time. This was humiliating. I just wanted to leave and forget this ever happened, now everyone was going to know what a little girl I was beneath all this rough exterior.

Glass shattering ripped me out of my head and my breath caught in my throat. Next, a loud thump followed. What the hell was happening in there?

As much as I wanted to know, there was no way in hell that I was stepping back into that room. My emotions were all over the place and I hated it. Running my hands through my long, purplestrands, I leaned against the wall. Why did these guys affect me the way they did? These feelings were foreign and unwelcomed.

Collin was a master manipulator. He had a way about him that made him seem so trusting and genuine. At least the others never pretended to give a shit about me only to tear my heart to pieces the following day once they’d gained an ounce of my trust.

The door opened again, sending my heart into my throat. Foster stormed out, his hair disheveled and a small cut on his lower lip that was still dripping blood from how fresh the wound was. He didn’t bother closing the door, instead opting for the crook of my elbow. His grip was unnecessarily tight as he pulled me along, causing me to stumble.

His movements were erratic and quick, his gaze pinned on the elevator at the end of the hallway. Why was he so angry?

I’d never seen Foster’s anger directed at anyone but me before. It was different…

He didn’t release me until we were secured inside the elevator, headed for his floor. A small breath of relief escaped my lungs. Being away from them gave me more time to process and think, rather than having my emotions consume me whole. Once the urge to bawl my eyes out faded, I looked at the tall guy standing beside me. His arms were folded over his torso, the veins in his biceps poking out beneath his shirt sleeve.

“What happened to your lip?” I asked lightly, afraid that he’d turn that anger toward me if he didn’t like what came out of my mouth.

His eyes closed for a moment, and he sucked in what I assumed was a calming breath before he finally glanced in my direction. “Nothing you need to worry about.” His gaze searched mine for a moment longer, before he spoke again. “Are you okay?”

The question caught me off guard. I was used to him hating me. Not asking about my wellbeing. What had changed since theHalloween party? The wheels turned inside my head as I tried to figure that out, but as expected, I came up blank.

“Yeah. I think I’m just being hormonal.” It was a lie. I’m pretty sure we both knew that. When his eyes narrowed, I released a heavy sigh. “I can’t be around them anymore. At least not those two.”

It felt weird opening up to my enemy. He had the power to use everything I said against me. Somehow, deep in my bones, I knew he wouldn’t do that. At least not while I was vulnerable.

To my surprise, he nodded. Instead of fighting me on it, or making the decision for me, he accepted it. For some reason, that made me respect him a little bit more.

When we reached his floor, I followed alongside him until we were standing outside his door. He pushed it open, gesturing for me to go in first. Once inside, I placed my clothes on his chair and proceeded to stand in the middle of his bedroom awkwardly.

---