Page 9 of Stray
Usually I found something to snack on after classes. Right now my stomach was a mess of nerves. I had no appetite. I busied myself with unloading the dishwasher and tidying the kitchen counters. Every now and then I would peek out the window to find Stray still lingering down below.
What exactly was he trying to prove? Was this his way of instilling me with fear? It definitely left me uneasy. However, it also made me angry. Was this some kind of game to him? I’d seen the crap Storm went through with Rebel. The Graveyard Kings were game players, and I wasn’t having it.
When the door opened an hour later, I almost leapt from the couch. It was only Athena. She dropped her bag next to the door and nodded toward the living room window.
“Did you know that Stray Hurley is out there? Do you have any idea why?”
A quick glance revealed that he was indeed still there. Shit. “I’m not sure. He brought me home from the rave on Saturday. I tried to tell him there was nothing more between us. He seems to think otherwise.”
I really didn’t want to admit any of this to Athena. She had no idea what kind of trouble I got myself into at the raves. Still, she was my roommate and my friend. I couldn’t very well leaveher completely in the dark if I had a stalker lurking outside my building all the time.
“That’s kind of weird. Do you think he’s dangerous?” Athena gathered her long brown hair into a ponytail, tying it with the hair tie she wore around her wrist.
I shook my head, trying to play it off like no big deal. “I doubt it. I think he has a big ego and can’t accept that I’m not into him. He’ll get over it.”
Athena frowned like she didn’t quite buy my explanation. “I hope so. It’s kind of weird. I’m going to grab a shower. We have that frozen lasagna my mom gave us in the freezer. Do you want to throw that in the oven?”
“Sure. No problem.” I waited for her to disappear into the bathroom before grabbing the lasagna from the freezer and popping it in the oven.
Glancing back at the fridge, I made a sudden reckless decision. I snatched the egg carton from inside and stepped out onto the balcony. Stray was still down there. He paced along the sidewalk with his phone pressed to his ear. Most likely conducting shady Graveyard King’s business.
Without hesitation, I opened the egg carton and turned it upside down, letting the contents plummet down onto Stray’s windshield. The crack of the eggs as they hit was strangely satisfying. I saw Stray freeze as the eggs splattered on the glass. I was gone back inside before he looked up at me.
Maybe that had been a bad move. Childish too. He just upset me so much earlier. Still, there were better ways to deal with him. I immediately feel bad for such a rash reaction. I grabbed the paper towel roll from the kitchen counter, returning to the balcony with the intent to toss it down so he could wipe the mess.
When I glanced down at the sidewalk, I found it empty. Stray’s car remained, but he was gone. There’s no way he could’ve gotten inside the building. Right?
A moment later there was a bang on the apartment door. The sound of a heavy fist falling several times against the surface. Oh fuck.
Not wanting him to draw the attention of my neighbors, I hurried to the door and opened it. Stray shoved inside, closing the door behind him. Grabbing me by the throat, he backed me up into the living room. We came to a stop when my back hit the armchair.
“What the hell was that?” he hissed. “What were you hoping to prove by dropping a dozen eggs on my car? Did you think that would chase me off? Or were you hoping for this exact thing to happen?”
With him pressed against me, threatening to choke off my breath, I was overcome with a rush of excitement. Had I been trying to goad a reaction out of him? I didn’t think so. Maybe he was right. Maybe I’d known exactly what I was doing.
“I was hoping you would get a clue and get lost. Do you know how messed up it is that you’re sitting outside my apartment? Don’t you have more important things to do? Like harvesting organs or running illegal drugs?” Despite my apprehension, I forced myself to hold his icy blue gaze. No backing down.
Stray’s chuckle was low and malicious. “Heard about that, have you? Then you know what I’m capable of. Be careful, Codie. You might get more than you bargained for with me.”
“I’m not afraid of you. You’re all talk.” I don’t know why I said that. It was like this other version of me took over, doing all she could to antagonize him.
It worked.
Stray spun me around, forcing me to bend over the arm of the chair. “You think so, do you? I live for proving people wrong about me.”
Grabbing the waistband of my pants, he yanked them down. I struggled against him, trying to stand up. With one hand on my back, he held me pressed against the chair. With the other hand, he pulled my underwear down to bare my ass.
The sound of his hand against my skin was almost more startling than the sensation. Over and over, Stray aggressively spanked my ass. What the hell was happening? My brain refused to accept this as reality. There was no denying the burning sensation of each stinging slap or the heat that crept along my flesh.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I cried out, clawing at the chair as I tried to escape.
“Showing you exactly who you’re fucking with, strawberry. If you want to call me out, I’m going to show you why that’s a terrible idea.” Stray grabbed my arm, pulling me off the chair.
I was still struggling to pull my pants back up when he pinned me to the wall and kissed me. There was a violence in his kiss this time. A darkness that gripped me tight, threatening to never let go.
My burning hot ass was almost forgotten as he crushed his lips to mine in a bruising kiss. The taste of marijuana lingered on his breath. Against my own good judgment, I parted my lips for him, allowing him to entangle his tongue with mine.
This time there was no denying that I definitely kissed him back. There was no blaming drugs or alcohol. Only my own poor judgement when it came to Stray Hurley.
