Kings of Quarantine (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #1) - Caroline Peckham ,Susanne Valenti Page 0,89

cut off my view of the goods.

I rubbed a thumb over the corner of my mouth to hide my smirk at her reaction and decided to keep playing this game. There weren’t many people who could actually hold my attention for this long and I was beginning to wonder how much longer she’d stay interesting.

“Let’s see then…” I dragged my eyes over her and grinned as I began. “You grew up well off but not with the kind of money most of the kids here had so you’re used to a good enough quality of life, but not so good that you’re an entitled brat. Mommy ditched out on you early on so you spent your formative years looking up to Daddy who was a few screws loose of the whole package if we’re to believe the newspaper articles about him. I also read about all of the different labs your daddy was employed in all over the country which means you moved from place to place a lot. That explains why you make friends easily but keep your emotions out of it. With a single male role model, you learned the way to talk to men better than women and as you grew into that body – which is fucking sensational by the way – you figured out that you were pretty much the complete cock charming package. That meant that in the last few years, you’ve worked over several guys, taking just enough from them to satisfy you without giving much back in return so that when you up and leave there’s no wounds to worry about healing. It also explains why you’re going to be so damn hard to break in. You’ve grown a thick skin and you know how to shield yourself just as well as you understand how to dust yourself off after a kicking and come back fighting. How did I do?”

“You missed the part where I was trained in kickboxing and advanced self-defence,” she said cockily. “And despite all of those showy muscles you’re so proud of, I’m pretty sure I could put you on your ass one on one.”

I gave her an honest to fuck, real smile. No smirking, no taunting, no bullshit at all. The kind of smile no one but Blake or Saint had earned from me in years. “Well, fuck, baby,” I purred. “That sounds like a date.”

“In your dreams, mutt,” she snapped.

I laughed at that and ran my tongue over my bottom lip, remembering the paint on my flesh as I tasted it. I dragged a thumb across my jaw and glanced at it as it came away red. Tatum followed the movement with an assessing expression.

“I can’t believe you all painted yourselves up like a bunch of fucking make-believe playing kids,” she growled, her tongue getting real loose now that she realised I didn’t mind it.

“Scared you good though, didn’t we?” I taunted.

Tatum pursed her lips, her gaze slipping over the paint on my body like she was searching for an answer in it.

“Why?” she asked in a low voice. “I get why you all hate me. I just don’t get why you want me to be yours? Is it just so that you can humiliate me? Destroy me? What?” Her voice broke on that last word and I decided to give her what she wanted. At least in part.

“Because we’re monsters of a particular kind,” I breathed, watching her across the water. “And we feast on things that others don’t understand.”

“Like pain and suffering?” she breathed.

“Yes.”

Silence fell between us as she processed that and I watched her as she watched me. I could see that ache in her too, that need for something…more.

“Come here,” I said in a low voice which held no room for argument.

“You promised no sex,” she growled and I snorted a laugh.

“You need to get your mind out the gutter, baby. I gave my word along with the others. None of us will force you to do anything like that. That’s not the kinds of monsters we are anyway. Now, come here.”

She slipped off of her seat and slowly moved through the water towards me, her breasts lifting above the surface as she walked so that I got a view of her pink nipples through the black lace. It was a test, she wanted to know if I was going to keep my word or not. But she wouldn’t be disappointed in that. My word was law. Same went for all the