Page 31 of Merciless Intents

“Fuck,” I whispered breathlessly before moaning again as he nipped at my throat.

“How about now?” he asked.

“Huh?” I asked between panting breaths as he kissed his way back up to my face.

“How do you feel now?”

My eyes shot open, and I looked directly into his. “What do you mean?”

“You said you felt excitement and danger with Damian. Do you feel excitement and danger with me?”

My eyes narrowed. “That’s what this was? A test? You wanted to have a dick measuring contest with Damian?”

“I just wanted to know what’s what for you,” he said. “Is it Damian specifically you react to? Is itanyguy?”

My eyes widened then, and I pushed against him. “Put me the fuck down right now.” He let me go, and I straightened my clothes. “I can see why you’re both best friends.”

“Seriously?” he said. “You’re not even going to talk to me about this?”

“First of all, you’re not entitled toanyexplanation from me. Period. Second, you just basically called me a whore,” I snapped as I grabbed my hoodie and breakaway pants.

He groaned. “I did not. Those are your words, not mine. Maybe your conscience is getting to you.”

I finished pulling my hoodie over my head, and I stared at him. “Excuseme? Myconscience?”

“Well, you were completely willing to fuck Damian today if he’d stayed in that stall with you, and if I hadn’t said anything, I guarantee I could have gotten in your pants, too. Maybe you’re feeling a little guilty about trying to fucktwodifferent guys on your first day here, and you’re pushing it off on me.”

By the time he’d finished talking, he stood directly in front of me. Instinctively, my hand shot out to slap him. To my surprise, however, he caught my hand with barely any effort at all.

“I’m not Damian, little girl. You won’t be able to get the best of me.”

My eyes narrowed. I could feel the competition rising along with the rage, and Idesperatelywanted to prove him wrong. “And I can promise, this will be the last time youeverget the best of me. You and your Damian complex can have fun. I don’t want any part of it.”

Fuck putting the pants back on. I carried them as I stormed out. Before I closed the door, I pulled the key he’d given me from my hoodie pocket and casually tossed it on the floor.

“I think we both know whose inner thoughts got to them today. In your pea-sized caveman brain, you saw me first, so that meant you owned me. When Damian swooped in, you felt threatened. This was all about you trying to reclaim your property.”

A crooked grin spread across his lips. “Maybe it was.”

“No maybe about it. You feel like a loser compared to him. Inferior. Youalwayswill because you havenoidentity of your own outside of Damian. You talk about me being so unique and different from the other girls who are clones around here. Look at you! You’re nothing more than a Damian clone. You may look different, but you act exactly the same. You’ll never be more than a pathetic piece of shit just like him if you keep comparing yourself to him. You’ll continue to use people until you can’t get anything else out of them. It’s why you’ll live and die alone.”

“That’s quite the statement for someone who actuallyisalone. Mommy and daddy are dead and gone. Poor baby left with no one to give a fuck about her, so she can’t seem to control herself. It’s why she’s willing to take dick from anyone willing to give it to her just to make her feel better. Just so she can havesomeonetell her she’s beautiful and worthy, even if it’s just for a few fleeting minutes. Damn, maybe youarejust like everyone around here. Mommy and daddy issues out the ass. At least yours are dead, so they can’t see what an abysmal disappointment their slut of a daughter became.”

“Bastard!” I shouted.

His eyes widened as I lunged at him. He only had a second to respond, but he anticipated the wrong movement. He expected me to dive at him, but instead, I ducked and rammed him in the stomach with my shoulder. As he stumbled back, I dropped down and did a sweep kick, knocking his feet out from under him. He landed hard on his ass with a loud grunt.

I stood and stared down at him with a fierceness I hadn’t felt in a long time. “Youevercome near me again, Asher Jackson, and I will fucking rip you to pieces. You might be big and fast, but I’m smaller andfaster. Have a good night, Damian Junior.”

With that, I picked up the breakaway pants I’d dropped and stormed out of the gym, running all the way back to my dorm apartment and as far from Asher as I possibly could.

CHAPTER TEN

ASHER

The door to the gym would have slammed closed if it wasn’t made to keep that from happening. I had no doubt the glass probably would have shattered with that spectacular exit. My ass still sat firmly planted on the floor where she left me, and my mind felt oddly numb from the shock of what had just happened.

Everything was going just fine! We were talking, joking, and even flirting. Then… everything went to hell in a handbasket. Why?

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