Torment Her (Rebels At Sterling Prep #5) - Caitlyn Dare Page 0,40

to know that. This will crush him. When he realizes—”

“Stop, okay?” I heave a ragged breath. “Just stop.”

Silence fills the space between us as Hadley stares at me with pity. She doesn’t understand. She can’t, but she wants to.

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re making a big mistake. Conner cares about you so freaking much. All you have to do is let him in and give him a chance.”

A reply bubbles up my chest, but I force it down.

Hadley says he cares. Cole too. But the harsh truth is that for as much as Conner might care now...

He didn’t care enough then.

Chapter Sixteen

Conner

I come to with memories of the night before playing out in my mind and a raging hard-on. Despite the insane number of times I came last night, it seems my body still craves her. I'm not surprised, I've waited long enough.

With thoughts of how well we fit together, how right it feels when we connect filling my mind, I once again drift off. I'm not sure if it's from the alcohol or just pure exhaustion. I'm not complaining, whatever it is.

I have no idea if I fall back to sleep for five minutes or five hours, but the next time I wake, I'm much more alert.

Moving my arm, I search her out, ready to pull her hot little body back into mine to give her the wake up she deserves, but I'm only met with cold sheets.

My eyes fly open, confirming what I already know.

She left.

No. She didn't just leave. She snuck out.

After the time we spent together, she just walked away.

Anger surges through me, turning my blood to lava.

Throwing the covers back, I climb naked from my bed and start searching the floor for my cell.

I don't find anything of hers left behind—not that I'm expecting to. I already knew. I felt it.

Shoving my hand in my pants pocket, I pull out my cell and wake it up. But all I find staring back at me is a handful of messages from Aimee that I don't even bother opening.

"Fuck," I roar, kicking the pile of clothes at my feet, although it does very little to settle the storm brewing inside me.

Finding her contact, I hit call.

It rings, and rings and rings. It doesn't even go to voicemail. It just cuts off.

I don't even realize that I've pulled my arm back, and it's not until my cell collides with my bedroom door that I even register that I've thrown it.

Pacing back and forth, I try desperately to tamper down my growing need to storm over there and have it out with her. The crack of my knuckles fills the air as I try to convince myself to do the right thing.

She doesn't want to talk. I understand that, but right now, I'm not fucking happy about it.

I thought we'd made some progress last night. I thought it might have been the start of her letting her walls down.

How fucking wrong was I?

My heart twists in my chest, a pain lancing through me that I'm becoming all too used to.

A soft knock on the door has me pausing with my back to it.

"Fuck off," I bark, not wanting to see anyone unless it's Kenny, and I already know it's not her. I know when she's near, I feel it.

She isn’t in this house. She's run as far and as fast as she could.

Am I that fucking unlovable that she couldn't even wait until this morning to pull the plug?

There's another knock before the door is pushed open.

"Conner, are you—"

"Leave me alone, Hads," I snap.

"What's wrong?" Hadley asks, totally ignoring my request and instead stepping inside, despite my tone or the fact that I'm still naked. I turn away from her and stare out of the window. "Where's Kenny?"

"Gone," I spit.

"But, I thought—" Hadley starts, but I cut her off.

"Yeah, me and you both." I blow out a defeated breath, my shoulders lowering and my head dropping.

"I'll go see her, make sure she's okay."

"I thought... I... we..."

"I know, Con," she says sadly, stepping up to me and pressing a kiss to my shoulder blade. "It'll be okay, you'll see."

"How? How is this going to be okay? She couldn't even bear to see me this morning."

"I'll talk to her."

I don't respond. Part of me wants to tell her not to bother, that Kenny isn't interested in talking, but another, more insistent part is desperate for Hadley to go and plead my case. It seems I can't do it with