Page 57 of Tantalizing Kings

“Which room is yours?” he asks.

“None of your fucking business,” I snap. “Ouch!” He fucking slaps my ass again.

“As sexy as your bratty mouth is, I’m not in the mood.” He starts opening the doors until he finds my room.

He goes over to the bed and pulls back the blanket before tossing me on it. “Stay here. You are not to leave your house at all tonight. Do not go back to the club and do not let any of those assholes in here. Do you understand me?”

“Fuck you,” I spit.

He lets out a low chuckle. “Soon, my lollipop.” He leans over me, boxing me into the bed. “You wanna know why you're mine? I’ll tell you. From the moment your mother brought you home from the hospital, you meant something to me. At first, I felt like your protector, keeping you out of harm’s way any chance I could, like a big brother. But as time went on, it got worse. Why do you think I left? It sure as hell wasn’t because I wanted to. You are my obsession, Sadie. No one was allowed near you without my say so. It wasn’t sexual, at least not until I saw you on the first day of school this year.

“That's when I knew deep in my heart and soul you were meant to be mine. My everything, my whole fucking world. That's why I can’t let them touch you. I should kill them for what they did with you tonight. But I won’t because it would only upset you. You're mad at me. I can see that in your eyes, and it sucks. But over time, you're going to grow to love me as much as I love you. Someday, you will want me as I do you. I plan on waiting my whole life, if that's what it takes. You might be mine, but I’ll make you want me to be yours too.”

I blink up at him, lips parted as I lie there, stunned. He kisses me on the forehead before standing up and leaving.

I continue to lie there, staring at the ceiling while trying to process everything he just said.

Let me get this right. Collin, my old friend, my TA, and guidance counselor is... in love with me?

Yup, he’s crazy. It’s the only explanation for tonight. Some psychotic break or something. Because he can’t love me. He doesn’t even know me. Hell, before tonight I’ve only talked to him for a few minutes for the first time in years.

If he thinks I’m just going to end my deal with the guys because he told me so, he has another thing coming.

Only thing is, how do I face them after tonight?

I groan, rolling over to shove my face into my pillow. They’re never going to want to touch me again after that. God, this night went from amazing to a shitshow in the blink of an eye.

To top it all off, I can’t even tell my friends about it because my phone is at the club as well as my damn clothes.

They are not going to let me live this down.

What the hell am I going to do now?

Chapter 17

Declan

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