Page 28 of Cruel Academy (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 2)

The voice is feminine and non-threatening, but I still jump and curse at the surprise.

Haley is standing behind me in black running shorts and a pink sports bra.

Justa sports bra.

Fuck J.C. for being right. I’m giving Haley way more than a second look.

Her skin is covered in a sheen of sweat, beads of which slip down her collarbone towards her cleavage. My cock stirs at the sight.

I don’t want her. I know that.

It’s just that her voice startled me, and even now that I know I’m not in any danger, my heart is still pumping blood much faster than necessary. That blood needs somewhere to go, and my dick is as good a place as any.

It’s a physiological response, not an emotional one. And certainly not a rational one.

I tear my eyes from her chest, ignoring the flat plane of her exposed midsection entirely, and meet her blue eyes. They are a bright Mediterranean blue. Clear summer skies kind of blue.

My jaw clenches. I remember those eyes looking at me while her boyfriend and his biker buddies took turns swinging steel-toed boots into my ribs.

The desire in my gut vanishes instantly.

Fuck this girl.

“What in the hell are you doing here?”

“Scaring you, apparently.” Her lips tip into a nervous smile, and she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, bouncing from foot to foot. “I saw your truck and … wanted to talk.”

“You and I don’t have anything to talk about. I thought I made that clear. I’m starting to think you need a more memorable lesson.”

I slam the door shut and stomp towards the front door.

I hear her soft footsteps behind me. “We do, actually. Clearly, we are going to be seeing a lot of each other, and I think it would be nice if we weren’t at odds.”

My hand closes around the key in my palm, and I can feel the metal biting into my skin.

It’s good. The pain helps keep me grounded.

It reminds me that no matter how good this bitch looks right after a run, any interaction with her comes with a very painful catch.

For years now, I’ve managed to keep the two parts of my life separate. My friends think I’m training to be a martial artist. They’ve offered to go to tournaments to support me, but I always refuse, claiming I wouldn’t be able to focus if my friends were there acting like idiots.

They have no idea about the underground fights.

And I want it to stay that way.

Unfortunately, out of all of the people in this godforsaken town who could have blown my cover, Haley Cochran is the one who has stepped forward to do the job.

If she were anyone else, I’d beat her into silence. My fists have always been my best problem solvers.

But when it comes to Miss Cochran, it looks like I’m going to need to find a different method.

Finn was always good at this shit. He knew how to play the mind games. How to hurt people without lifting a finger.

But he’s gone now. Guess I’ll have to pick up the slack.

I halt my march to the front door and turn on my heels. Haley stutters to a stop, her eyes going wide with surprise—and maybe fear.

Good. That’s a start.

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