Page 128 of Tempting Little Thief

That’s not a real dedicated employee if you ask me.

Tension tugs inside me and I put a pre-roll between my lips, flicking my Zippo open and pulling in a long drag.

Rocklin said this man’s the only reason she could be with me.

Like he could keep her from me.

Like any of them could.

She let me inside her, came to me when she was feelin’ heavy.

She wanted me, then needed me, and that makes her mine.

I need to bridge the gap, and I know exactly where to start.

She’s going to be one pissed-off prep, but she’ll get over it.

She’ll have no choice.

Rocklin

Sia pulls into the curved driveway, forced to slam on the brakes, when my dad more or less throws himself in the front of the car. He bangs his fists on the hood, the expression in his eyes manic as they catch mine … Even though he can’t see me through the windshield, the man knows where I sit.

“Oh shit,” I whisper.

“Yeah.” Kylo grimaces. “It’s bad.”

“Could have warned me.”

“Was coming to get you not warning enough?” He chuckles. “Besides, I only heard his rant from afar. The asshole is in rare form tonight, even for him. He came in guns blazing, bitching and moaning, and the second he saw me, he went stone cold, turned around and stormed off. The others had to chase him, just to get their heads ripped off.”

Okay, yeah. That sounds about right.

Blowing out a long breath, I glance at my uniform with a wince, then follow Kylo out the door.

My dad grips my elbow, drags me inside, and slams the door in Sai’s face. The staff is nowhere to be seen, but all my friends and Boston are here, and as soon as my dad sees Kylo walk in, Kenex stepping from around the corner, his brows snap together. He gives them his back, and the others use that moment to offer apologetic smiles, their frowns bouncing from my dad to me.

My dad releases me, voice booming through the wide space as he gets in my face. “Where the hell were you?!”

“Out.”

“Where, daughter?” he demands.

“I went for a swim,” I tell him.

His eyes narrow. “In your uniform? Off campus? In a pool where they don’t use special chemicals you require when you have one that does in this house?!”

My muscles tense, but I don’t show it, avoiding looking over his shoulder toward the others. “I dipped into the lake.”

“You are lying. You weren’t with your car … that I told you not to be driving around in. And you better give me a damn good reason Sai would leave you unattended before I go out there and put a fucking bullet in his head,” my father seethes, tension deepening the wrinkles at the edges of his eyes.

Shit.

Fuck.

Why did Sai let me go? He didn’t even put up a fight, and while I told Bastian he’s the only reason I get to go see him, it’s not as clear-cut as it sounds. Sai allows me my escapes, understanding the need I had to break out when I started to feel caged in, but it’s not like we sat down and had a conversation about the guy I’m … more than fucking. We haven’t spoken about why I’ve been going out more and more with a smile on my face in place of a frown. But it’s like I said before, Sai?

He knows everything.