the curtain back, Marek steps out, grabs a towel, and holds it out in front of him. I step into the plush material, and he wraps it around my wet body.
“You didn’t wear a condom,” I say, passing by him to get to my closet.
“Count yourself lucky, sweetie. I’ve never done without one before.” As he steps out into my living room, his pants aren’t buttoned, and his shirt is dangling from his hand. “I’m a cruel son of a bitch, but I’m not that cruel.” He slips the shirt on, the fabric clinging to his damp skin. “I’m clean, so you can go ahead and chill the fuck out.”
“I think I have every right to be freaking out, Marek. You snuck into my shower and had sex with me.” I drop the towel, knowing damn well what my plan is. He wants to storm in here, acting like an entitled cave man, then I get to torture him a little bit. “And it isn’t me I’m worried about.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean, Palmer? You don’t exactly come off as the kind of girl with a permanent penicillin drip attached to her arm.”
“Not exactly what I meant, Marek. You’re smart though. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Maybe next time you’ll be a little smarter, and not take something that isn’t freely given.”
In a flash, his hands are wrapped around my neck like they were in the shower, except this time, it’s menacing, not thrilling. My naked body is pinned against the front door, the handle forced into my back. There will be a bruise there tomorrow.
“Don’t pretend like I pushed anything on you that you didn’t want.”
“Did you ask?” I grab his wrist, trying to gain some relief.
“Oh, we’re going to play it that way, then?” He pries my hand off and pins it above my head. “You didn’t have to ask with words, Palmer. All you had to do was look at me for me to know exactly how eager you are.” He examines my body like it belongs to him.
“You’re hurting me,” I whisper, clawing at his hand.
He releases me, as if my words have burned him, and eyes my neck. Without a response, he scoops up his shoes and pushes me away from the door.
He’s barely had the chance to storm off in his show of dominance when I call out, “Oh, Marek?”
Marek stops at the top of the stairwell, shuffling one shoe on, followed by the other. When he turns, I grin, knowing I’ll have the last word for today.
“What exactly are you smiling about?” he spits out.
“Thinking about how cute you’ll be next year, walking around your fancy college with a baby strapped to your chest.” At my taunt, his jaw bottoms out.
I’ve never seen Marek Hawthorne rattled. There’s something so rewarding about seeing someone so powerful and indestructible become a little weak at the knees and pale as a ghost.
As he takes a large step towards my dorm, I slam the door, and with my back pressed against it, I reach behind me and click the lock shut. The pounding I’m waiting for never comes, so I head into the bathroom.
In the mirror, I check my back to see the beginning of a bruise. My fingers run over my neck where Marek left red marks. A short-lived smile settles on my lips. My body knows what it means to have his strong, able hands on me. He’s cruel, but I’m not afraid of the pain, welcoming it in a way I can’t understand yet.
I’ve been right all along.
Sex makes Marek weak. He may hate me, may even be desperate to destroy me in ways he sees fit, but he’ll never win when his mind isn’t fully in the game.
If I have a say in it, it won’t be.
Chapter Ten
Marek
“Seems big sister left a little bit out of their circle of trust, huh?” Dixon nods at the front door.
Palmer waltzes into the party like she owns the damn place. A short black skirt, fitting her like a second skin, and a white top that shows most of her midriff, expose almost every blessed inch of her body. My eyes fall to her flat stomach. There’s no way she’s dumb enough to go without birth control. She said that to fuck with me. She had to have. I’ll admit, she got me good.
Whatever game this chick is playing, she has no idea who she’s matched up against. Saturday nights at Peter Tillison’s