Page 58 of Hate the One You're With
He’s right behind me. I can hear his footsteps, steady and determined, following me into the room. As soon as I step inside, he closes the door behind us with a quiet click that feels louder than it should. I drop my bag on the bed, refusing to look at him, focusing instead on gathering my things. But Iknow what’s coming, I can feel the tension building in the small space between us.
“There you go again, acting like nothing fazes you. You can be so fucking cold,” he says, his voice low, almost accusing. “You think you can just shut me out like that?”
I finally turn to face him, my expression carefully blank, the mask firmly in place. “As I said, I think it’s best if we don’t linger. That’s all the exchange we need to have.”
His eyes flash with something dark, something that sends a jolt through me. “You really think you can just brush me off?” His voice is sharper now, cutting through the air between us. “Everyone says you pretend to be this prissy, detached ice princess, but I know better. You’re cruel, Em. You shut people out, push them away, and pretend you’re above it all. But you’re not.”
Though I want to ask which is it, am I pretending or am I a bitch, I don’t do either one. I lift my chin, forcing myself to meet his gaze with a cool indifference I barely feel. The words sting, hitting closer to home than I’d ever admit. “I’m not pretending anything. This is who I am. And maybe that’s why it’s best I leave, so I don’t disappoint more people.”
He takes a step closer, and the air between us practically crackles with the tension. “I’ve seen who you are, Emmersyn. I know what you’re capable of. This? This cold act you’re pulling? It’s not you, and you know it.”
My heart is racing, but I keep my voice steady, my expression aloof. “You don’t know me as well as you think you do, Caleb.”
Another step closer, and now he’s in my space, his presence overwhelming, his gaze boring into mine. “You’re wrong. Iknow you, everything about you. The person you’re faking to be right now, the one who pretends not to care? That’s not the woman I’ve seen, the one I’ve been with. The one I love.”
I work hard not to gasp. He can’t love me; he never did. Though, his words cut through me, but I can’t let him see how much it affects me. I need to push him away, make him believe that the cold exterior is all there is. So I take a deep breath, steadying myself before I say the words that I know will hurt him.
“Maybe that woman was just a mistake,” I snap, my voice colder than I’ve ever heard it. “Maybe what you saw was just a game, something to pass the time. Did you ever think of that, Caleb? That you were just a distraction, something to keep me entertained until I got bored?”
I watch as the impact of my words hits him, see the flicker of pain in his eyes before he quickly masks it. My chest tightens with regret, but I force myself to keep my expression neutral, to stand by the lie I just told.
Heat flares between us, an undeniable charge that has nothing to do with anger and everything to do with the tension simmering just below the surface. I can feel it pulling us together, drawing us into that dangerous territory where lines blur and boundaries break.
“You want me to believe you don’t care?” His voice drops, becoming darker, more intense. “Then why are you still here? Why haven’t you walked out that door? Leave everyone behind and just enjoy the money you already made—you don’t need your grandmother’s fortune. You never needed the fucking trust.”
His words hit hard, slicing through the armor I’ve tried sodesperately to maintain. I take a breath, trying to stay in control, but it’s slipping, the cool façade cracking under the weight of his gaze. The truth is, I’m not sure I have the strength to leave, not when the heat between us is so thick I can barely breathe.
But I refuse to let him see that. I refuse to let him think he’s right. My chest tightens with a mix of anger and fear, and I do the only thing I know how to do when I feel cornered—I lash out.
“You think you’ve got me all figured out, don’t you?” I snap, my voice sharp, aiming to wound. “You think I’m staying because of you? Don’t flatter yourself, Caleb. I’m here because it’s convenient, nothing more. And when this is over, I’ll leave without a second thought.”
The lie tastes bitter on my tongue, but I keep my expression cold, hoping the harshness of my words will push him away, make him hate me enough to leave me alone. But instead of backing off, his eyes darken even more, a dangerous glint flashing in them.
Before I can react, he closes the distance between us in one swift movement, his hands gripping my arms as he pins me against the door. The sudden contact sends a jolt through me, my heart racing as I’m caught between the desire to fight him off and the undeniable attraction pulling me toward him.
“You don’t mean that,” he growls, his breath hot against my ear, the intensity in his voice sending shivers down my spine. “You’re just trying to push me away because you’re scared that I’m finally catching up. But guess what, Em? This time I’m not going anywhere.”
His words, so close, so certain, make it impossible tomaintain the cold distance I’ve been clinging to. I’m trapped, physically and emotionally, and the truth I’ve been hiding from, the feelings I’ve been denying, come crashing down on me all at once.
I try to turn my head away, desperate to escape the intensity of his gaze, but he won’t let me. His hand grips my chin, firm yet gentle, forcing me to face him. His eyes lock onto mine, burning with a mix of frustration and something deeper, something that terrifies me because it’s a reflection of the turmoil I feel inside.
“You can lie to yourself all you want,” he says, his voice a rough whisper that sends a tremor through me, “but you can’t lie to me. I see right through you, Em.”
Before I can respond, before I can even think, he slams his mouth against mine. The kiss is desperate, demanding, and it takes my breath away. There’s nothing gentle about it—this is raw, untamed, and filled with every emotion we’ve been holding back. His hands tighten on my arms, pinning me against the door, and all the walls I’ve built around myself come crashing down in an instant.
I gasp into the kiss, the shock of his lips on mine sending a rush of heat through my entire body. I can feel his frustration, his need, and it mirrors my own, fueling the fire that’s been smoldering between us for far too long.
I’m overwhelmed, caught in the storm of his kiss, but I can’t bring myself to pull away. Instead, I kiss him back with equal intensity, my hands finding their way to his chest, fisting the fabric of his shirt as if holding on for dear life.
His lips move against mine with a fierce hunger, his breath hot and fast as he deepens the kiss, his tongue sweeping intomy mouth with a possessiveness that leaves me dizzy. Every touch, every movement, is charged with an urgency that I can’t resist, even as part of me screams that this is dangerous, that I’m losing control.
But maybe I don’t care. Maybe, just this once, I want to lose control. To let him dominate me the way he likes, the way I need.
He pulls back just enough to catch his breath, his forehead resting against mine, his eyes dark and intense as they bore into me. “You drive me crazy, you know that?” he mutters, his voice hoarse and thick with emotion. “You make me want to tear down every wall you put up, make you admit what you’re really feeling.”
His words send a shiver down my spine, and I can’t deny the truth anymore. Not when he’s looking at me like that, not when I can still taste him on my lips.
“Caleb . . .” I start, but the words die in my throat as he captures my mouth again, this time with a tenderness that contrasts sharply with the desperation of the first kiss. It’s like he’s trying to prove a point, to show me that he’s not just driven by lust, but by something deeper, something that terrifies me as much as it thrills me.
