Page 71 of Three Ring Heat: Part One
He chuckled once and reached out to caress my chin. I jerked away from his touch despite the delicious warmth that sank through me at the feel of his skin on mine.
I wasn’t going to let this sadistic fuck touch me, no matter how badly my instincts begged me to cave.
“So feisty.” He ran his tongue over his teeth. “I wonder if you’d still be that bratty if you were full of something other than attitude.”
My jaw dropped, but I snapped it closed a second later.
Was he really insinuating putting his dick in me?
My pussy throbbed at the thought, and I reflexively clenched my thighs together. There was no way I was turned on right now, unless it was left over from dancing with Daze in the club.
It definitely wasn’t because of this asshole…
“Too bad, you’ll never know.” I clicked my tongue. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m tired and ready for bed.”
The mischievous glint in his eye made me less confident, waffling between wanting to run away and wanting to bury my face in his shirt, but I wouldn’t fold.
I’d decided.
I fucking hated him.
With a sinister grin, he stepped aside, and I hurried past, not bothering to look his way again as I stuffed my belongings into my cabinet. I crawled into bed and snapped the privacy curtain closed, my heart hammering in my chest.
His soft footsteps sounded impossibly loud as he approached, and I almost wondered if he would rip the curtain open again.
What would I do if he crawled into bed with me?
If he covered my mouth to keep me quiet and slid his hands over my heated skin?—
I clamped my mouth shut to cut off a whine.
Nope. Not happening.
No matter how my body reacted at just the thought of the psychotic clown.
Finally, I heard Zero crawl back into his bed, and I exhaled a sigh of relief.
At least, for now, I didn’t have to worry about him.
I rolled toward the wall and closed my eyes, forcing thoughts of Zero out of my head and replacing them with memories of my evening with Daze. I thought about dinner at the pizza place and how we danced for hours at the club. The way he kissed me and held me and walked me back to the bus.
I smiled with my eyes closed, clinging to the images, but at the back of my mind the fucking clown lurked like a specter, threatening to ruin my happy thoughts.
Unconsciousness tugged at me as I wrestled with my warring thoughts, and after a while I slipped into even more restless dreams.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
ARINA
My heart was racing, my breaths frantic.
I’d packed my backpack, stuffing it full of basic necessities and illegal suppressants. I’d emptied my piggy bank, tucking the cash in the front zipper of the bag, and now it was time to go.
Still, even knowing how urgent it was for me to get away from here, my feet felt glued to the floor.
I was terrified.
My parents had kept me completely sheltered over the last three years, monitoring my every move. Now, I was facing freedom, and I had no idea what I was going to do. Everything was about to change, but the same would be true if I stayed.
