Page 2 of Bully Billionaire Dragon

“Because we’re at the beach. Duh.”

TJ’s eyes roam my body and my skin tingles. I hope he likes what he sees.

“But whales belong in the water.”

My mouth goes dry as the realization hits me.

TJ is calling me a whale.

Tears prickle at the corner of my cheeks as I rush to my feet.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going? I gotta make sure you get home safe.”

Feeling utterly confused, I turn to face TJ and see him standing as he approaches me.

“Here, take my hand and I’ll take you home.”

He holds out his hand to me and a small smile plays on my lips. TJ Rubens wants to hold my hand.

I take his hand in mine, and he starts walking us towards the water. I say nothing as he leads me to the ocean.

The feeling of his soft skin against mine is so distracting and heat is floating up my arm. The feeling is intense but is cut short when TJ drops my hand suddenly.

“Wh—” I start to say, but I'm cut off by TJ picking me up and hoisting me over his shoulder. “TJ, put me down.”

TJ laughs, but it isn’t the nice laugh I’ve heard a million times. It is something sinister.

Maniacal.

“But the whale needs to get home,” TJ says as he walks us into the ocean.

It is at that moment that it hits me. I am the whale and TJ is going to dump me in the ocean. This isn’t just a playful moment between us, but a cruel joke.

“TJ, put me down right now. I mean it!” I yell as TJ wades waist-deep into the water.

“Fine.”

TJ tosses me off his shoulder, and I start to fall towards the water.

Face-first.

I splutter as my hands go out to catch myself and my mouth fills with salty water. My hands hit the wet sand, but so does my face. It hurts as my cheek scrapes against the rocks and shells that coat the ocean floor. I just know I am going to have a nasty bruise on my face.

Tumbling around for what feels like forever, I finally break the surface and gasp, sucking in deep gulps of air.

My dark hair is stuck to my face and my eyes sting from the salt water. Everything inside of my chest burns as I cough up liquid.

“TJ…why did you do that?” I call out when I see him doubled over laughing on the shore.

I’m shivering as I stomp toward him, ready to give him a piece of my mind, when he speaks.

“Fatty the whale didn’t enjoy that?”

My blood runs cold as TJ’s eyes gleam with mischief.

I know he called me a whale, but I thought it was just to be an ass, but now I am seeing that isn’t the case.

He is calling me fat.

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