Page 35 of Kings of Westbrook High

“It's not safe to be out here alone in the middle of the fuckin’ night, that's why.”

“Not safe.” I repeat, leaning back when he hits the gas and speeds off towards home, as he called it. “This place is practically Fort Knox compared to the streets I usually run through. A couple handsy rich boys in polo shirts don't scare me, Damon.”

He glares straight ahead, silently fuming about fuck knows what, so I take the opportunity to eye his inked, muscular body in that sexy black t-shirt he's wearing. The light stubble on his jaw tells me he didn't shave this morning, and I feel my thighs squeeze together without permission when I imagine what it'd feel like scratching the skin between mine.

“What's it like?”

I blink away the thought, frowning when I catch him hiding a cocky little smirk. He knows I was ogling him for the third time in a week and he didn't even have to look at me to know it.

“What's what like?”

“Your old neighborhood.”

I shrug, hesitating for a beat but deciding to tell him. “Drugs, guns, whores, dead bodies tossed behind the dumpster outside the apartment building. All that fun stuff.”

He licks his lips, still looking straight ahead. “What were you running from?”

“What?”

“Why run through streets where you could get shot at or worse unless you were avoiding something?” He asks, sliding his eyes mine. “Or someone.”

I don't answer that.

“Your Dad.” He guesses, locking his jaw. “He hit you?”

I've let myself slip with him, which is why I force my features even and roll my head to look out the window. No point in denying considering he thinks he's got it all figured out.

“Your Dad put his hands on you, kept you in a place that put your life in danger every day, and Katherine left you there knowing damn well what was happening to you?”

“I don't know, Damon.” I deadpan, pretending I don't hear the genuine fury in his voice at his own thought. “She was probably too busy up here ruining your life to to give a fuck about me and mine.”

“Anyone ever care about you?”

I laugh lightly despite the solid kick in my heart because yeah, one person did, and look how well that turned out.

“Who was it?” He asks, bouncing his eyes between mine. “A boyfriend?”

I force a cocky ass grin, relieved when he finally pulls up outside the Palace. “Thanks for the ride, big brother.”

With that, I jump out of his car like my ass is on fire and he's right there with me, tossing his keys at Marco without even bothering to spare him a glance. The agonizing ride up to the penthouse feels like an eternity and I have to physically force myself to keep my eyes forward, not even daring to look his way.

He confuses the fuck outta me.

Every time I'm around him I'm constantly at war with myself. My body seems to enjoy his hands on me and wants to keep him close but my head does not. She wants him as far away from me as humanly possible.

He's too dangerous.

He can see something inside me, something I buried a long fucking time ago. He can't possibly know what it is but he knows it's there and he wants to find it, which scares me more than it should.

He scares me.

The doors finally slide open and I make a beeline for the stairs, ignoring his eyes on my back as I all but run away from him.

I swear to god I hear him grin, the cocky prick.

Chapter 13

Callie

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