Page 80 of Princess of Hawthorne Prep

That’s all the confirmation I need.

Even though it’s tempting to wrap my hands around her throat and choke the very life out of her for being a conniving bitch, I force my lips into an easy smile. “Come on, you can tell me the truth.”

When she attempts to turn her head in order to avoid eye contact, my fingers settle beneath her chin before holding it captive so she has no other choice but to meet the steeliness of my gaze.

“I didn’t want anything to do with it,” she whines. “But he wanted her so bad and I…”

“Wanted me,” I finish darkly.

“I know it looks bad, but I made sure that he didn’t do anything more than take pictures,” she says in a jumbled rush, color stinging her cheeks.

As if that makes the situation better or her any less culpable.

Then again…

Thank fuck she did. How could I ever forgive myself if Jasper raped Delilah while she’d been passed out?

The thought makes me gut sick.

When I remain silent, lost in a tangle of dark thoughts, she says, “It’s not like anyone got hurt.”

Didn’t they?

It’s becoming more and more difficult not to lash out. I flex the fingers of my other hand in an attempt to maintain control.

Fear riddles her voice. “You’re not mad, are you?”

Fuck, yeah I am. But there’s something else circling at the back of my brain, and I need to know. I nip her lower lip with sharp teeth, tugging on it before releasing the soft flesh.

“Delilah falling overboard yesterday wasn’t an accident, was it?”

Wariness settles over her expression. “The boat rocked, and I accidentally knocked into her.”

Lie.

My knuckles stroke along the curve of her jawline before trailing down her throat until the fingers can settle loosely around the slender column. Her gaze stays pinned to mine as her pulse flutters like the wings of a hummingbird beneath them.

“She doesn’t know how to swim and could have drowned.”

Her eyes flare. “I…didn’t know. I just thought it would be a little dip in the lake. That’s it.”

“Not for her.” My grip tightens, biting into her flesh. It would be all too easy to crush her fragile bones with one squeeze. “You almost killed her.”

Her hands fly to my forearm as her eyes bulge from their sockets.

“Austin!” she rasps as I cut off her flow of oxygen.

I pop a brow. “What?”

“You’re hurting me! Let go.” Barely is she able to rasp out the words.

A slight smile lifts the corners of my lips. “No, I don’t think I will. You purposefully put Delilah in danger and for what? Because you wanted a chance to get with me?” I shake my head. “No way. You’re the last person I’d want anything to do with. Especially now that I know what you’re capable of.”

“But you said—”

“Yeah, I lied. Kind of like you.”

Tears spring to her eyes. “I honestly didn’t think anyone would get hurt.”

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