Page 27 of Sinful Desires

If I thought I had a head start, I was sadly mistaken. Raven caught up to me easily, forcing me to slow down. But my heart was jackhammering inside me; it was impossible.

“Hey,” she said, concern gripping her features. “Is everything okay?”

Licking my lips, I opened my mouth to give her a reply, but before that was possible, something hard hit my back, forcing me into the wall as I lost my footing. Pain splintered through my arm, causing a hiss to escape me. Whirling around with my back to the wall, I turned to face the culprit.

Myles.

As soon as I felt myself flying, I knew he was the culprit. But seeing him so close to me was very different. I could feel my face pale and my heart started pounding more furiously.

He was so close now. Within touching distance. My gaze snagged on his black shoes as he continued to move toward me. His scent was strong—unlike anything I’d ever smelled before. His blue eyes darkened as his breath fanned against my lips, forcing me to turn my head away.

“Little dove,” he purred in a dangerously low tone. “Why would you make such a stupid fucking decision as to come here?”

People were stopping all around us to observe the altercation between us, and it was taking immeasurable effort to keep myself from trembling.

Myles brought his fingertips to my cheekbone, causing me to flinch away from his touch. His lips quirked from the pathetic action, setting fire through my veins. Even now—after all this time, I was still afraid of him. Clenching my jaw, I tilted my head, locking eyes with his oceanic ones. They might have appeared light in color, but blue has never looked so dangerous.

“Don’t you know what happens to snitches,” he continued in that haunting, low voice that had the ability to make my hair stand on end.

“Everything okay?” Collin questioned, taking a step forward as concern washed over his features. Hunter and Raven stood next to him, all with similar expressions.

Myles ignored him, seemingly in a world of his own as he tucked a strand of purple hair behind my ear. Regaining some of my strength as disgust flooded my system, I attempted to push him away from me, but it was hopeless. He was built like a statue and had no intention of letting me go right now. My heart thudded so loudly in my chest that it echoed through my body.

“Don’t touch me,” I said meekly, cursing myself for how pathetic it sounded.

Amusement flickered across his face, pissing me off even more. I could probably manage to knee him in his dick, but I was more afraid of what would happen to me after the fact.

Without warning, his entire demeanor changed. The amusement was gone, replaced with a hardness I’d only seen in him once. My breath hollowed out as his hand moved around my neck, forcing my head into the wall behind me. My eyes were wide with panic. If he was willing to do this in public, what was stopping him from taking it a step further? Where the hell were the teachers?

His grip on me was firm, but not enough to cut off my air supply. “I’m going to do more than touch you, Aspen Palmer,” he began in a growl. “I’m going to hurt you more than you could ever imagine.” He leaned in, his hot breath fanning against my ear, sending goosebumps prickling at my neck and back. “And when I’m done with you, you’re going to wish you were dead.” He pushed off the wall and stepped back, allowing me to breathe a little better. His gaze raked down my slender form before he gave me a snarl of disgust and turned on his heels, making his way toward the exit. (ep 31)

Everyone was silent until he was out of earshot in which they all erupted into confused chatter. My chest was still heaving up and down from the encounter, and once again, I felt weak. Hunter and Collin exchanged worried looks before running after their friend.

It didn’t take long for our audience to move along either and when they did, my shoulders sagged with relief.

Raven was by my side within seconds, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “What the hell was that about?” she demanded. “Do you know him?”

My anxiety was still crippling me, so I didn’t answer. Flashbacks penetrated my mind, forcing my throat to tighten. “I need a cigarette,” I decided, shrugging her off of me before I made my way toward the exit.

Once I stepped outside, I fished out my pack of Marlboros and a lighter. Smoking wasn’t something I needed to do in order to function, but sometimes it sure as hell helped.

I placed the butt in my mouth and lit it, sucking in a long drag as if my life depended on it. The odor was strong, considering it had been a few days since I’ve had one, but it still did the job.

“I met Myles around three years ago or so,” I began, feeling her head snapped in my direction. I didn’t need to look at her to know her jaw was on the floor. “Long story short: he was my foster brother. He and his friends sexually assaulted me, and when I told on him, they stuck me with another family.”

“Shit,” she muttered in disbelief.

I nodded. I’d never told anyone this story except for Connie and Rebecca. It felt…personal. Knowing Raven, she wouldn’t have left me alone until I told her. She already knew something was up, and if she exploited it then that was fine. At least then, I’d know what kind of person she really was.

Neither one of us said anything else as we walked toward the gym that sat diagonally from the soccer fields. I waved goodbye to Raven before striding inside and changing my clothes. I put on a gray T-shirt and black spanks despite how cold it was outside. I knew that once we started exercising, it wouldn’t feel so bad.

Everyone was already out on the field with Collin standing front and center. As I approached the group, Collin’s face lit up when his brown eyes met my green ones.

“Now that everyone is here, we can begin,” Collin supplied. “We’ll start with warm-ups.”

He bent down to touch his toes, his muscles flexing beneath his white T-shirt. The sun complimented his skin, making it look even more gold out here.

Focus, Aspen.

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