Page 17 of Hate Me Like You Do

“You’ll never have to worry about anything here. You have us.” Landon cocked his head to the side watching me with a sweet grin. “We'll always have your back.”

That was one of the first things Landon said after I had confided in them about how nervous I was to be spending my last year at a different school. I thought having three strong boys in my corner would make me invincible.

Now those words just sit tauntingly in the forefront of my mind like a bitter memory.

Four

Knox

My father adopted me when I was five. I still remember the first thing he said to me when he took in the poorest kid the rich bastard has probably ever laid eyes on. In my ignorant little mind I thought he was a fucking savior for taking me in. A hero in a suit, like Superman.

I was wrong. And his words should have warned me of that.

He said, “Everything comes at a price.”

Dee’s learning that now. Just like I did. She isn’t weak. I know that better than anyone. She won’t break.

But she is suffering.

The thought churns something deep in my gut, some raw unrecognized twinge of guilt that quickly fades away into nothingness. Those emotions don’t register with me anymore. There isn’t room for guilt when you’re a Reyes. To survive with this name and to survive with a father like mine, you have to be numb to those types of feelings.

Guilt. Nope, don’t feel it. It checked out a long fucking time ago.

Shame. Never. I’m a fountain of confidence, and any Reyes’s decision is likely the right decision.

Fear. Ha, you think I’m scared of the dark? I am the darkness.

Frustration, however, that I’m feeling.

It doesn’t matter that our foyer is massive, plenty bigger than the average small home, and right now it feels puny. There isn’t enough room. I’m suffocating in here.

My white tennis shoes squeak against the marble as I pace back and forth, watching out the window. I want to bite my nails but I know if word gets back to my father that I’m not “appropriately groomed” I can kiss any independance I have good bye.

I’m waiting on Violet. Dee. I even like that stupid nickname Reed decided to give her to put some distance between them. Like a nickname keeps him from wanting to fuck her somehow.

Seeing Violet with Damon did something to me. Admittedly, I think it may have done something to all three of us. We won’t break the one rule we set for ourselves, the one rule that will ultimately save our friendship. Not just between Landon, Reed, and myself but between us and Violet.

Don’t have sex with Violet Demure. Don’t touch Violet Demure. Don’t even talk to each other about the vividly intense sex dreams you have about sweet little Violet Fucking Demure.

There are many layers to that one tiny rule. Clearly.

We can’t break the rule but neither should fucking Damon. That fuck boy isn’t good enough for someone like Vi.

I glance out the window again, a growl of irritation ripping out of me. She should be home by now.

She would be home by now but we left her behind like we had this morning.

What if something happened to her? What if someone...I push the crawling, vividly dark images from my mind with a shake of my head.

I’m so mad at myself for not following her like Landon wanted. Yet I’m more mad that Vi would let herself be… what? Carelessly fucked. Or that she would let anyone touch her in that way, in my house, in my bed.

We all have lessons to be learned. Just as my father taught me, we will teach Dee.

If she wanted an orgasm, I would have given it to her. As fucking platonically as possible while staying inside the lines of our one rule.

But she shouldn't be here anyway. My father made that abundantly clear the last time he called and showed a bit too much interest in our little house guest.

What is she to him? What did she do to get under that dangerous man’s radar?

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