Page 52 of Cruel Devotion

“Dare?” Haley tugged on the back of my jacket. “Eli, what’s he talking about?”

“Oh,” Preston said, drawling as he stuck his hands into his pockets. “Just a little thing we agreed on. He claimed he would bring you, the frigid ice bitch, to this dance and take your virginity.”

She stepped back, releasing me.

“Haley, no. I… Wait!” I reached out for her, but she was too quick. Spinning around so fast that her silver gown swirled out like a tornado, she ran out of the room.

Out of my life.

And breaking my fucking heart.

17

HALEY

“Haley!” Eli called after me, but I couldn’t face him.

Traitorous tears stung behind my lids. I’d be damned if I cried over him. The last time I let myself break down and cry over him was years ago, when the bullying began.

But this…

This was far worse than any prank or teasing or name calling.

“You weredaredto bring me to this dance?” I whirled around, suddenly needing to scream at him. I wanted him to see every bit of wrath on my face and know that all that sweet bullshit he’d tried to feed me wasn’t going to stick.

I’djustconfessed that I had thought wrong of him. That I’d assumed he was a horrible guy but was swayed to learn the “real” him.

I already knew the “real” Eli. The bully. The asshole who took a dare to sleep with me at this lame dance!

I strode back to him, fisting my hands until my nails cut my skin and bled. That familiar sensation of self-inflicted pain didn’t work this time. It didn’t ground me or soothe me at all. Fury ran through my veins, and there was no stopping this tidal force of anger.

“Like I said before,loser,” Preston said behind Eli. “You’re fucked.”

“No.” Eli volleyed his attention between me and Preston, shaking his head at us both. “Wait. I?—”

Preston laughed, backing up and shaking his head. “No, Young. You didn’t deliver. The deal’s off.” Cupping his hands around his mouth, he enunciated, “You’re fucked.”

“Preston—”

The rich jerk turned and laughed harder, holding his hand out to another guy to do some high-five sort of fist bump as they moved to the other side of the room to exit.

“You can’t—” Eli shut up, cut off when I reached him and shoved at him.

I didn’t even want to know the sordid details of this dare or deal. Learning how much I was “worth” would be salt in the wound.

After I pushed Eli, I advanced on him, so pissed, so angry, so twisted with scorn, I could barely breathe.

“That’s why you wanted to bring me here. Why you wanted to act like you were a friend of mine.”

“No. Haley, I wasn’t acting?—”

“You think I’m going to believe that bullshit?” I shook my head. “You think I’m that gullible?”

“It’s not?—”

“No!” I slashed my hand through the air, sick of his trying to coax me and swindle me. I knew better, dammit. He couldn’t have duped me when I damn well knew better. He’d shown me his true colors years ago, and I’d been so blinded by this fallacy of desire that I fell hook, line, and sinker.

“I knew there had to be some kind of game you were playing. Some reason you wanted to fake this attraction and act like?—”

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