Page 101 of Corrupt Me

He raked a hand through his hair. “Or a babysitter.”

I frowned, peeking in the back seat at the blood spots staining the leather. “Tristan. This isn’t funny.”

“Trust me, Shortcake. I’m not laughing. You don’t need to worry. Angelo has what he wants.”

Then why was there a shadow of concern he was desperately trying to hide? “What about you?”

A long yawn escaped him. “I do now.”

I glanced out the window, seeing the shopping centers pass by. We were headed in the direction of campus. “So, we’re not going back to the motel?”

We stopped at a traffic light, and he hit the button to put down the top of his car. The wind twirled the ends of his hair. “I decided we should check out.”

My lips twitched. I was surprised, after everything that happened, I could find humor in anything. “What a bummer. I was so looking forward to sleeping with the cockroaches.”

“Well, if your heart is set on it, I’m sure one night won’t?—”

I tossed my head back, enjoying the sun and warm breeze on my face. “Go fuck yourself, Tristan,” I said with a grin.

He fought the smirk crossing his lips. “You have such a mouth on you. Good thing it’s so pretty.”

The banter was easy. Dealing with what happened was the difficult part, and I didn’t know if I would ever fully compartmentalize all the details.

We pulled in front of Thorn Hall just as my mind slid one of those details I could never understand into place. The photos Tristan took of me on his phone. It never made sense to me…but now, knowing what Preston was doing, who he had gotten involved with… I unfastened my belt and turned to Tristan before he could turn off the car. “That’s why you took the pictures of us. Why you blackmailed me.” My voice shook slightly. “You were protecting me from Angelo and his crew because of Preston’s involvement with them. Tell me I’m wrong.”

Silence.

He didn’t face me…not yet, but he turned the key, killing the engine.

The pieces finally started to fall into place. “You made me break up with him to put distance between Preston and me so they wouldn’t use me as leverage.”

“A lot of good it did,” he mumbled, all the confirmation I needed.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

His head hit the back of the seat as he angled his face toward me, our eyes finally connecting. “Because you would have stuck by his side. You would have put yourself in danger—protected him. It’s what we do.”

He was right.

My mind flipped through the memories, the hurt and pain resurfacing, everything I thought I would lose if those pictures got out. Now it seemed insignificant, but his reasons didn’t excuse his behavior. “You didn’t have to be such a dick about it.”Then again, if Tristan hadn’t pushed me…if he hadn’t forced my hand, I would probably still be stuck in a relationship. I wouldn’t know how Tristan felt about me. How far he was willing to go to protect me. I wouldn’t know how much I loved him.

I might have told myself I could be casual with Tristan, that I wouldn’t lose my heart to him, but it couldn’t be helped. I’d already been half in love with him before it started. And now…

He quirked a brow. “And miss the opportunity to see you naked? I couldn’t pass?—”

I leaned over the seat, sealing my lips over his before he could finish.

“Shortcake,” he growled with a completely different undertone than he had all night, and this time when I shuddered, it was the best fucking feeling in the world.

And I only wanted to be in one place.

In his arms. Preferably behind a closed door with a bed nearby.

“Take me to your room,” I whispered.

twenty-eight

Tristan’s fingers dove into my hair, and for a second, I recalled what it felt like to have Angelo’s hand tangled in my blonde strands, but Tristan’s smoldering blue eyes mixed with the sound of his voice banished those horrible, fresh memories. “I need your mouth on mine,” he murmured before reclaiming my lips in a kiss screaming with desperate need. It was as if we needed to assure ourselves we were alive. He might be beyond exhausted, but he had enough energy to make me feel needed.

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