Total pages in book: 186
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
He opened his mouth like he might argue, but the words never came. He just stood there, stuck, shrinking. I finally found my voice, the last of my composure clinging to it. “I want to go home,” I said softly, my throat tight.
Ashton shifted, his mouth parting like he still had something to say, or like he might reach for me.
“I don’t think you need to add anything else to this conversation,” Nick advised as he stepped outside. He turned to me then, softer. “You good, Sanj?”
I nodded once, though it didn’t feel true all the way through. He studied me, his gaze heavy and searching, like he could see all the cracks I was trying to hide. Then he looked at Cloe. “Can you take her home, Cici?”
“You don’t even have to ask,” Cloe said, already stepping forward. Her hand closed around mine with a grip that felt like safety. “Come on, Sanj.”
“What about my car?”
“We’ll get it to you,” Nick said gently, like it was already handled.
“Thank you,” I murmured.
He offered a bright smile. “You never have to thank me for looking out for you.”
We moved away together, a shield of warmth I needed more than air.
I didn’t look back once.
And I didn’t care to see what would happen next.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
RYDER
She left.
She walked out without knowing I’d been two seconds from dropping to my knees and laying everything I was at her feet. I turned the lock again, and the mechanical click grounded me, giving me something to hold onto before I lost what little control I had left. I crossed to the sink, gripping the porcelain until my knuckles strained white. I looked calm and controlled. Clean-cut quarterback. Heir to the Voss name. Strategic and polished. Underneath it was nothing but restrained violence and darker urges waiting for permission to break loose. I felt as if I’d just run thirty laps on the fucking field.
My dick strained against my waistband like it didn’t give a shit that we were in a public bathroom. Sass had been right; it was disgusting. Not to the naked eye, but in the way hundreds of people had left behind footprints and sweat and other things I didn’t care to name or think about too deeply because it made my fucking skin crawl. I wouldn’t have fucked her in here even if she begged. She deserved better than tiled floors with questionable stains and a faulty soap dispenser.
I pulled her Polaroid from my back pocket, the photo slightly bent now. It didn’t matter. I could still see her through the thick black ink. Roxxi’s photo was tucked behind it, the only other one I gave a fuck about in that entire stack she’d collected. I already had the full list of Marked. Xander gave it to us the day after we handled Chess Club. That’s what our circle did. We watched. We kept tabs. We made moves behind closed doors.
Ashton dropped the news of my girl being Marked while I was lacing my cleats in the locker room.
I knew exactly what it was, a weak ass power move. I wondered if he truly believed I hadn’t known. I hated that he had gotten the actual words first, but she said she was going to tell me, and I believed her. I only needed her to say it out loud. To hear it from her lips, so I could know she trusted me with it. I tucked her photo back into my pocket, right where it belonged. I washed my hands, using my elbows to work the sink and the one dispenser that functioned properly, then grabbed a paper towel to open the door. As I crossed the hallway, my phone went off. I flipped it around, already guessing who it was from.
1214
Golden boy always gets first pick.
But even trophies get stolen when they’re not guarded properly.
I was not amused. They really needed to come up with a new nickname. I texted back with one hand.
Get some originality. I’m not impressed.
No response came, not that I expected one. Whoever was behind this thought they were clever, but it was always the same old games, same old taunts. They wanted to see how far they could push before I snapped.
They were going to find out.
I backed out of the thread and thumbed over to the group chat with Cade and our dad. A message was sitting there, casual and predictable. He always took time off when we came up.
You boys want to do anything special this weekend?
I typed back:
Down to do whatever as long as what we talked about gets taken care of.
On top of handling a few loose ends that I couldn’t take care of on campus, I had every intention of showing Sanjana exactly what the fuck we were. I shot one last text off, a quick check-in to Cadence—my little sister, a meme, and a playful threat that she better be staying out of trouble. She was most likely with Sanjana’s sister, doing whatever it was that fourteen-year-olds did when they had too much money and resources on their hands.