Page 90 of Depraved Desires

That was something we could agree on. I was already doing so many things that could put me in jail or get me fired. The less I knew at this point, the better.

It was nearly eight by the time Caroline returned with all her bags. Her father lingered behind her, helping to carry them all inside. He was an older man with a dominating exterior that commanded everyone’s attention in any room he stepped foot into. It wasn’t often that he didn’t get what he wanted. My gaze swept over him as he followed his daughter toward the bedroom, inclining his head toward me in greeting before disappearing down the hallway.

A frown tugged at the corners of my mouth. He didn’tlooksick. If this was another one of her screwed up games, I’d bury her my fucking self.

I rose, moving over to the door where the rest of her bags remained. I grabbed a few before following after them. Caroline was in the process of setting everything out on the bed while her father watched from the doorway.

I brushed past him, muttering some half-assed apology before placing the bags down by the foot of the bed.

“That’s all of them,” I said. “I’ll be in the next room if either of you need me for anything.”

I didn’t wait for a response, wanting to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. I made my way to Aspen’s room and slipped inside. The scent of her enveloped me instantly, making my heart beat faster. Instinctively, my hand drifted to my pocket where the bottle of pills sat snugly. Taking them out, I placed them in her top dresser drawer.

It was a little early for bed, but I’d rather keep myself locked in here than endure that shit-storm waiting for me outside.Blowing out a breath, I drifted over to her bed. I stripped down to my boxers and climbed beneath the comforter, not giving a shit if the bedroom light was still on.

This felt weird—like I was somehow invading her personal space. Maybe the couch was a better option. Even as those thoughts slithered through my brain, I couldn’t find it in me to get up and move.

A heavy weight sat on my chest, making it more difficult to breathe. She said she was safe, that she didn’t want to stay here. She’d been safe at the Academy until she wasn’t. How long until those boys attacked her again?

That girl was stupid and reckless.

My hands moved through my messy, brown locks absentmindedly as my mind ran rampant with unwanted thoughts. There was no point in dwelling on it any longer. Aspen was eighteen. She knew right from wrong. There was only so much I could do.

Despite logic worming its way through me, the rest of my body didn’t seem to get the memo. In fact, that irritated me even more. I shouldn’t have given a shit. We might not have been very far apart in age, but she still had a lot of growing to do.

My eyes grew heavy as sleep threatened to overtake me. It didn’t take long for my thoughts to become blank, and everything went dark shortly after.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Aspen

As promised, Myles stuck to his word and took me to the club to retrieve my phone and clothes. Not that I hooked up with him for the sole purpose of getting my items back, but because, in the moment, I really wanted to. There was something about him that drew me in, even when it went against everything I stood for. Together, we were electric. An explosion waiting to happen. There was so much history between us. History that used to cause me severe nightmares and anxiety attacks.

When had that changed?

Was it when he tended to my wounds after inflicting them? Or was it when I slapped him and in return, he bit my lip, drawing blood? Maybe it was in the heated way he stared at me from time to time when he didn’t think I was paying attention.

My face heated as memories from the other night resurfaced. His skin had been lava against mine. It was hot, dirty, and so fucking depraved that it made me yearn for his touch all over again. Not that I’d ever admit that out loud. It had to be a one-time thing. There was too much bad blood there, and he was a psychopath. Could he evenfeelthe way I could?

“Do you have everything you need?” Myles questioned from beside me, his hands resting on top of the steering wheel.

I peered out the window, not ready to look him in the eyes just yet. Not after what happened between us. He’d never let me live it down if he saw the emotions flitting across my face, and he was damn good at reading people from what I gathered.

The entire car ride had been this way. Silent with my attention fixated on anything but the man sitting beside me. His woodsy scent invaded the vehicle, making it difficult not to inhale and breathe him all in. He wasn’t forgiven. Not by a long shot. But it was starting to get harder and harder to despise everything that he was.

“Yes,” I replied.

Silence followed, filling the small space with tension and awkwardness. My teeth sank into my lower lip as I focused my gaze on the trees zipping by us.

After several moments of silence and watching the greenery surrounding us, I finally mustered up the courage to glance his way. His blue eyes were focused on the road, his neck tattoo poking out of the collar of his leather jacket. He looked like a fucking wet dream.

“I don’t want to be monitored all the time,” I finally said. “I want space, privacy, to feel like an actual person again.”

A feather thrummed along the edge of his jaw. “That’s not just up to me.”

My eyebrows dipped in confusion. “Isn’t it?” I challenged. “Everything has been up to you since the beginning.” None of this shit would have happened had it not been for him. He was the reason they all came after me. He was the reason I couldn’t wear clothes and had to be tied to them like a prisoner. It was allhisdoing.

He shrugged, never pulling his attention from the road ahead. “That was before they wanted you too.”

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