Page 61 of Undertow

“Stop it, Landon,” I whisper.

His tone is unyielding, remorseless. “I’m waiting for you to say the magic word.”

I didn’t say it that night, and I don’t want to say it now, but I know it’s my pride stopping me. The same thing that’s stoppinghimfrom getting in that car and going to dinner with us.

I guess I can’t ask him to let go of his if I’m not willing to part with mine.

We have to compromise if we want to get through this year living under the same roof. We won’t make it if neither of us is willing to bend.

It kills me because he’s beingsucha jerk, but I force myself to look up at him and give him what he wants. “Please come to dinner with us.”

He smiles, but it’s not a nice smile.

He reaches out and touches my lips again, this time grabbing my neck with his other hand so I can’t pull away.

My breath catches.

“I changed my mind,” he murmurs, watching my face.

I don’t want his hands on me, but his grip only tightens when I try to pull away.

I force myself to relax, to just appreciate the ground I’ve gained and not fight him. He’ll let go in a second, and then we can leave. Once we’re in the car, we won’t be alone together again, and he can’t do shit like this in front of our parents.

“You’ll come to dinner with us?”

He shakes his head. “Not about that. I think I’m going to like living with you.”

His confidence makes my stomach sink.

“See, at school, you avoid me as much as you can. You request classes I’m not in like a fucking coward. I only see you around on occasion. But now? You’ll be in my territory all the time. You’ll sleep under my roof, right down the hall from me.”

His words suck the breath from my lungs and plant seeds of fear in my heart.

His gaze drops. He’s standing so close to me, holding my neck, I know he can see right down the front of my dress.

“Nice dress,” he murmurs. “Nice tits, too.”

“Let me go,” I say, blinking first and breaking away from him. I can’t stand his hands on me. I can’t stand the words he’s saying, or the way he’s looking at me.

I can’t stand the thought of sleeping in this house knowing he’s down the hall.

For a terrible moment, I can’t escape the fear and dread he makes me feel, and all I want is to be away from it forever.

This will never work.

But it has to work.

My mom deserves to be happy, and I know his dad makes her happy. I’ve seen it for myself, and she has sacrificed so much for me over the years.

Landon chuckles as I turn and hurry up the steps to get away from him.

“You still want me to come to dinner?”

I shudder, not dignifying his taunt with a response.

He can starve for all I care.

I sprint through the foyer and rip open the front door. A gust of warm air hits me as soon as I step outside and brings me back down.

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