Page 43 of Bleed for Me

He narrowed his eyes, the tension thickening all around us. “You want me to say it?Fine,” he growled, baring his teeth in a flash of anger. “I think you’re a selfish piece of shit who isn’t grateful for what he has. You always want more and it’s never enough. I think that as soon as that tramp shows the smallest amount of interest in you, that you’ll forget where you started and stick to her side like a fucking leech. I think you have it so bad that you don’t even realize just how bad it’s gotten, and I think you need to get medicated.” His chest was heaving by the time he was done, his hands gripping the edge of the table like he was afraid that if he didn’t, he might just attack me.

Fire exploded within me. His words echoing around my skull. Did he really think so little of me that he truly believed those things? This was new territory for him. Since coming here, the only person I’d shown any real interest in was him. Hell, it was new territory for me, too. I’d never been interested in two people at the same time, not like this.

Leaning forward, I kept my voice low, his mouth inches from mine. Even though he was so pissed off at me, he couldn’t hide the desire within him if he tried. His gaze darted to my lips before they fixated on my eyes again. “If you think so lowly of her, then why do you want to fuck her?Why do you think that you deserve to?”

“It’s her blood I’m after, nothing more,” he gritted out through clenched teeth.

“Don’t do that.”

He reeled back, looking at me as if I’d grown a second head, and maybe to him, I had. “Do what?” he demanded.

“Don’t pretend you aren’t fucking attracted to her. She’s a goddamn wet dream. You’d be either blind or a liar to claim otherwise.”

My words seemed to miss their mark, because he flinched instead of acknowledging them for what they were. “Wet dream,” he muttered, mulling over my words, a look of resentment etched into his features. Snapping his gaze back to mine, they shone with malicious intent. “I’ll make her fucking wet, alright.”

Seven rose abruptly, snatching his chocolate milk from the table before storming across the cafeteria to where she sat. Just as her gaze drifted to his, he poured the liquid all over her head. Chocolate coated her light hair and shirt, splattering across her arms and legs. With one final movement, he chunked the plastic cart at the back of her head, making her flinch and turned on his heels to exit the room. Her body was tense, everyone turning to look at her. Some people laughed, while others watched her with pity on their faces.

I hung my head, my hands drifting through my hair, and I tugged relentlessly.

Jordan watched the interaction with fascination, his expression unreadable beyond that. It was almost as if he were waiting for her to make a move against him, but that wasn’t who she was. She was more like Jordan than anything from the brief interactions I’d gotten from her. She was quiet, reserved, and preferred to be invisible. She enjoyed reading where he enjoyed sketching. They were one in the same, truly.

Rosalie turned her head, her eyes clashing with mine before they flicked to where Jordan sat beside me. When they returned to me, there was a fire blazing within their depths that I could feel even all the way over here. They glistened with unshed tears and humiliation. She wouldn’t let this go, and I didn’t want herto. Seven wouldn’t hurt her. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he knew I’d never forgive him.

Rosalie stood, her posture rigid. It was then that I noticed how much he’d poured on her. Not a single drop went to waste. It clung to her body, clothes, and hair, the excess dripping onto the floor as she moved. Her friends all looked at her with concern, but she wasn’t paying them any mind. Her attention was focused solely on me and Jordan. I figured she’d bolt from the room, unable to handle the pressure of being the center of attention. But this girl never ceased to amaze me. Instead, she started directly for us, her hands clenched at her sides, and pure fury written into her angelic features.

Everyone seemed to watch with rapt attention as she moved, but if she noticed them, she didn’t let on. When she finally reached our table, she stopped, her gaze darting between the two of us. Jordan leaned back in his chair, his eyes assessing her in a way that I wasn’t sure I liked.

“What the hell was that?” she demanded in a shaky voice.

Jordan was the one to answer her. “Looks like Seven just poured his drink all over you.” He smirked.

She huffed, clearly not impressed with his straightforwardness. “No shit. We had a deal.” She was seething, and it was probably the hottest fucking thing I’d ever witnessed. But her words were what pulled me out of the trance I was in.

Flattening my palms against the table, I glanced over at Jordan in confusion. “A deal? What the hell is she talking about?”

“And I’m keeping my end of it,” he drawled. “What’s your point?” His gaze never wavered from hers, and he purposely chose to ignore me which set me off even more.

“That’skeeping your deal?” she snapped. “He embarrassed me in front of everyone.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not your daddy and I’m not going to baby you. I agreed to keep you safe under the conditions we agreed upon. Did he threaten your life?”

She hesitated, her shoulders dropping a fraction as she came to terms with whatever secret they were on that I had no idea about. “Well…no, but he?—”

“Did he physically harm you?” he continued, not giving her a chance to finish her sentence.

Huffing as if she were a scolded teenager, she folded her arms over her chest. “No,” she bit out again.

He shrugged. “Then I haven’t broken my promise to you.”

Annoyance ebbed away at me, eating me from the inside out. “Anyone care to fill me in on what the fuck you guys are talking about?”

Rosalie’s eyes met mine, a war waging within them. My gaze drifted over the cut on the side of her face, confusion drilling a hole through me. Her chest moved up and down in rapid succession. She was pissed, and I didn’t blame her. Seven was out of line. I couldn’t help but feel like this was my fault. He was mad at me, so he took it out on her. That wasn’t going to fly with me.

Neither one of them answered me, which irritated me further. An inside secret between the two of them. When had they had a moment alone? At night? Was he interested in her, too? That thought had unease coiling around my gut. Jordan would ruin her. The fact that she trusted him enough to make a deal with him pissed me off. How could she trusthim, but not me?

I knew Jordan well enough to know that he’d be her downfall, even if it wasn’t his intention. It was a part of who he was. He didn’t love women. Not his aunt, not any of his past conquests, and certainly not Rosalie. He didn’t even know her.The only woman he’d ever loved from what I knew of him, was his mother. And she was dead.

Jordan’s voice pulled me from my inner turmoil. “You might want to go get cleaned up.” His lip curled in disgust as he raked his gaze down her drenched body. “Milk starts to spoil relatively quickly.”

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