Page 69 of Major Penalty

“Where are we going?” I ask, turning to face him.

“You’ll see.” His mouth curls faintly, eyes on the road.

Twenty minutes later, we pull off the main road and start winding down a long, private path lined with eucalyptus trees and iron lamps. The air smells like salt and sun-warmed wood.

The car slows, and he turns the wheel smoothly. We stop, and Ares cuts the engine and gets out of the car. This is the first time he’s let go of my thigh.

I sit there for a second, trying to clear the fog in my head. Then I see him standing next to the car, looking down at me with that damn smirk on his face.

“Let’s go,” he says, holding the door open for me.

I slip out and stand next to him, looking around. The view in front of me is breathtaking. The water stretches endlessly below us, the sun reflecting off each small ripple. And on the cliff, there’s a huge beach house. It’s gorgeous. It looks like a place you’d only see in movies.

“Wow,” I whisper, taking it all in. “That house…it’s beautiful. The view must be amazing from inside.” I glance at him. “Are we even allowed to be here?”

Ares is leaning against the car now, arms crossed and sunglasses on.

“Wanna see the inside?” he says casually.

I blink up at him, and he nods.

“The inside?” I question, unsure of what he means.

Without a word, he scoops me up, slinging me over his shoulder.

I yelp, my heart racing. I kick my legs and brace my hands against his back, but he’s too strong, and I’m too thrown off guard to do anything about it.

“Put me down!” I panic, realizing what he’s doing, where he’s taking me. “What the hell? Ares!”

“Relax,” he mutters under his breath, but his grip is firm as he strides toward the house. “The view should be better from the inside.”

“Are you breaking into this house?” I shout, suddenly panicking. “This is…this is illegal!”

I thrash around on his shoulder, my stomach turning as panic sets in. But he just keeps walking, his strides long and confident, like he doesn’t give a damn about anything or anyone. His arms are strong around me, holding me tight, and I can feel the tension in his body.

I’m freaking out.

“You can’t just break into some random person’s house!” I slap his back, squirming. “I don’t want to see the inside!”

He doesn’t stop. Instead, he marches straight up the steps to the massive front door like he’s allowed to be here. I can’t see what he’s doing with the lock, but we stand there for a few seconds while I try to climb off him.

“This is called breaking and entering!”

He kicks the front door open, and I gasp, turning my head to see if this is really happening.

“Ares!” I’m full-on hitting him now. “We could go to jail!” I shout again, fists pounding against his back.

But he doesn’t stop.

He walks right through the front door like it’s his, boots thudding against smooth hardwood floors, like he’s not actively breaking and entering in the middle of the day.

“This is someone’s house! What if they have cameras? Or a dog?”

“Not afraid of dogs,” he throws casually.

Are you kidding me?

I wriggle harder, trying to slide down, but his grip tightens like a vice around my legs. His other hand comes up and smacks my ass, making me freeze.

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