Page 16 of Charming Cruel Boys

“Look, you said what you needed to about the party. Let’s leave it at that, okay? We’re not suddenly friends, Duke,”I say in a tense voice. Being near him is hard enough, I don’t need to be speaking with him. In fact, I’d like to avoid him entirely, if I can.

“I just... What you said this morning, I’m confused. Did I do something that night to make you run from me? Did I hurt you or make you feel pressured? You could have just talked to me, Remi. I would have done anything. I loved you so fucking much.”Duke’s voice is wounded and even cracks over his declaration of love.Wow. He’s good at this. It’s almost believable. It’s like a slap to my face.

“I could have talked to you?” I hiss under my breath. “Itried. I—“

“What’s going on over here?” Knight says, cutting me off and throwing his arm around my shoulders. Relief pours through me without any consideration toward who’s touching me. I’ll take Knight-the-asshole over Duke-the-heartbreaker any day.

Knight looks between Duke and I, and when neither of us offers him anything, he chuckles darkly and gives me a squeeze. “Come on, Remi. Show me to my room.” Then he practically drags me away from Duke and up the stairs.

The moment I show Knight which room is his, he pulls me inside and slams the door. In the next breath, he’s on me, shoving me against the wall with a thud. I hiss in a breath when my head cracks against the surface.

“I’ve played nice with you, Remi, but I’ve about fucking had it. Stay away from Duke,” he snarls in my face, pressing his hard, muscular body against mine to keep me in place. “He doesn’t want you. The sooner you figure that out, the easier it’ll make this whole living arrangement.”

“You don’t need to tell me that, asshole,” I spit out, fury lacing my voice. “He’s the one who wanted to talk. I would have been happy to pretend he didn’t exist.”

“Is that right, baby girl? You over my brother?” he whispers teasingly, his voice dark and threaded with menace.

“Have been for a long time,” I lie. Because what the hell else do I say? I’ve been harboring a painful mixture of feelings for Duke for over a year? That finding his dick in my best friend’s hand last night nearly ruined me? Yeah, I don’t think so. I’m not showing my vulnerable side to Knight. He’d chew me up and spit me out, more broken than how he found me.

“Prove it,” he orders, his face so close to mine that I can smell his minty toothpaste and spiced cologne.

Without thinking about the repercussions, I lean forward and crush my lips to Knight’s. He freezes and then it’s like a rubber band snaps. He opens his mouth and ravages mine, gripping my face with both hands as he presses into my body even more, getting impossibly closer. He groans the second our tongues collide and the sound travels over every inch of my skin, leaving me feeling exposed and raw. I claw at his back, probably drawing blood, but I don’t care. Our kiss is angry and brutal, all of the hatred we feel for each other colliding into an explosive moment.

Knight bends and lifts me up into his arms, and I wrap my legs around his waist instinctively. He keeps kissing me, and I keep kissing him, and somewhere in the middle of it all, I realize that I could have pushed him away by now. I’ve proven my point and this argument should be over. But instead, I pull him closer, grinding myself against the growing bulge I feel in his pants. A sharp thrill shoots through me, knowing that Knight’s not so disgusted by me as he pretends to be. A sound escapes me, somewhere between a sigh and a moan, and it sets Knight off. His kiss turns feral as he walks across the room and lowers me onto the bed, cradling the back of my head with one hand while the other keeps a firm grip on my ass.

The second my back hits the mattress, Knight pulls away, trailing his hot mouth across my jaw and down my neck. His teeth nip my skin and I turn my head to give him more access. My reasonable mind is nowhere to be found right now. I’m too consumed by Knight and his animalistic passion. He slides his hands under my shirt, trailing softly over my ribs until he cups my breasts and pinches my nipples through my thin bra. I arch my back and let out a soft whimper, trying and failing to hide how eager I am for his touch.

Knight leans back and looks at me, his eyes scanning every inch of my face. He stares at me as we each breathe heavily and it feels like I’m exposing my soul to him. His expression is open for once and full of emotions that I can’t quite decipher. His full lips are kiss-swollen and his dark blue eyes are blown wide with desire. He opens his mouth to say something when my father bellows from downstairs, “Remi, get your ass down here and help Rose unpack!”

Just like that, the spell is broken.

I shove Knight off of me and stand, straightening out my clothes, and refusing to meet his eye.If he catches my gaze, he’ll know what’s on my mind.Holy. Shit. That was one of the best kisses of my life.

“This doesn’t mean anything,” Knight says roughly from behind me.

“Of course not,” I snap, barely offering him a glance as I flee his room. I’m so confused as I make my way down the stairs. And angry. Knight doesn’t get to treat me like shit and then turn me into a quivering puddle of hormones. He doesn’t deserve that from me. At this point, I don’t think anybody does.

11

Remi

Dinnerfromhell,herewe go. The first night with ournew family andmy father wants to pretend he’s some gracious host. He pulled out all the stops, most likely spending way too much money on fancy take out that we can’t afford.But being the principal has earned him a slightly higher salary, so I suppose he needs to show it off every once in a while. What a dick.

Before me, on the long oak dining table is a spread of food fit for kings. A honey-glazed ham, green bean casserole, pasta, salad, and bread rolls. To top it all off, there’s a bottle of chilled wine in a bucket of ice sitting smack dab in the middle of it all.

My dad hasn’t had dinner with me in years. He always eats in his office. Usually, food that he ordered from one of the restaurants downtown, and of course, not getting me anything. I taught myself how to cook when I was finally fed up with having boxed mac and cheese or microwave meals. I was twelve.

So color me bitter and agitated when I have to sit here and pretend like I’m a perfectly happy teenager in a normal, loving home that has family dinners every night.

Utter bullshit.

But I bite my tongue, not risking his wrath tonight. With a fake smile on my face, I take a seat across from Rose and fold my hands in my lap as I wait for dinner to begin.

Duke and Knight saunter into the dining room, Knight with a wicked grin and Duke with a softer one, both staring right at me. My heart races as I watch them. Did Knight tell Duke what happened earlier? No way. Duke wouldn’t be giving me thatplease hear me outlook right now if he knew I was seconds away from screwing his brother just a few hours ago.

Jesus, I need to pull myself together. It doesn’t matter that sleeping with Knight would be the ultimatefuck youto Duke. It doesn’t matter that kissing Knight felt like coming alive, being reborn in flames and ashes. And it certainly doesn’t matter that the second he walked into the dining room, my stomach did a little swoop. Because Knight is an asshole who most certainly doesnotturn me on.

Nope. I’m going to push all of that away.

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