Those dark eyes didn’t waver from me, even when I stepped through the threshold of the small cabin, I felt his eyes on my back.
The door shut quietly behind him, but I kept forward, afraid to look too soon. There were too many emotions coursing through me. Half of my brain screamed for me to run while I had the chance and the other already pulled off his clothes.
“Neveah,” he whispered behind me, his breath sent chills up my spine. “You’re shivering.”
I was, bad. It should have embarrassed me, but I knew he was the only person that would cure the ache. Slowly, I turned to look up at him, his grey eyes were dilated, a look of primal need on his face.
“I want you,” I bravely whispered. “I can’t take this anymore.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. One hand rested behind me, pinning me against the nearest wall, and the other rested on my waist. “You don’t have to take anything anymore, because I can’t wait another damn minute for you.”
H
Uh oh. I woke up with my body warmer than usual. Sweat built on my upper lip and hairline. The box fan in the corner of my room must have gone out. I’m drenched—oh crap. Everything from the night before slammed into my memory at once, reminding me of the reason I was so hot. Rage was curled up beside me, his palm rested against my stomach. What time is it? I snuck a look at the old wall clock in the corner. 9:00. Oh, God. Dad would come looking for us soon. Carefully, I slipped from Rage’s grasp and stood up. I noticed Rage was naked beforeI realized I was. But I had a feeling no one would blame me for staring. His hip poked through the thin white sheet, one leg hung half-way off the bed and his mouth parted. Tip-toeing, I tried to pick up my clothes that were conveniently all over the place. When I slipped on my T-shirt, I sighed in relief. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“We’re going to drive the short bus to the match,” Wes called out over the gym. I hadn’t been able to hear anything else he’d said, my head was too messed up to think straight.A week had gone by quickly, and Neveah hadn’t said one word to me. She’d disappeared every time I’d walked into the same building as her. She stood in the corner of the gym in those stupid short shorts and polo shirt. Not once had she looked in my direction, and the primal instinct inside of me was fed up with it. “If it’s the short bus, Neveah needs to ride with us,” Chase yelled out from the other side of our small semi-circle. I clutched my hands on my knees. Neveah rolled her eyes, and still avoided my gaze. “Let’s get moving, guys,” Wes gestured for everyone to exit. “We don’t have enough seats for everyone, so Rage you’ll have to ride with Neveah to Dallas.”S
Call me what you will but I went. I stood staring at the closed wooden door of the guest house. Confusion, anger, fear, want, it all suffocated me. The fact that I stood at his door should have told me I needed help, that I was desperate for him. He’d told me he’d been in prison—in prison. That made sense of the six digit number tattooed on his back, the blank phone and picture of his sister. My stomach lurched as I knocked three times. This was stupid, I was stupid. Despite my inner voice screaming run, I stood on the porch determined to find out why, or how. I needed to know everything. The door swung open two seconds later. Rage’s hair looked like he hadn’t gotten any rest. Both hands were shoved down into his sweats, showing me the sexy V of his hips and the flat plane of his stomach. After several minutes of staring at each other, his eyes tracing me like it was the last time he’d see me, he opened the door wider. &ldq
I was up when the sun hit my blinds the next morning. My eyes ached for sleep, but there was no way in hell I got any. I’d only been in my bed for an hour when the sun rose. My body ached when I stretched from sleeping on the ground next to him. The things he whispered to me through the night had my mind on high. Despite the fact that I didn’t care he’d gone to prison, I wanted proof that he’d told me the truth, and he had. I’d checked online. There was something else teetering in his gaze, something worse, and it made me want him more. I wanted to know everything about him. Lucy jarred my bed with her paws, and it was a great distraction from the war going on in my head. There were more questions I wanted to ask, but my mouth had been preoccupied with his. Prison. The torment in his eyes when he told me what Denver did to him shredded my heart.Despite the fact that he’d withheld information that was
I re-read Dante’s text for the thirteenth time. They’re back. The party turned into a poker night. Tonight is our best move. My sister was back at Denver’s house, and the plan was set. In less than a few hours, I’d have my sister safe from Denver. The same night Neveah was going on a ‘date’ with Cooper. I clutched my phone in my hand, trying my best to keep my calm. There were too many things racing through my brain. Would Hannah come with me? Could I get her alone? Would she willingly leave her life for this? For a one-bedroom guest house. How would Wes take her here? “Rage, can you go get Neveah. She hasn’t left her room in hours,” Wes called out.Wes started supper around six thirty, and I had made myself at home in their living room.There were pictures of Neveah growing up. Her senior picture, her horseback riding and a baby picture of her and her mother. “Sure,&rdq
Kill me now … Cooper pulled into the driveway and turned off his lights. Both hands clutched the steering wheel and judging by the grim look on his face, I knew I’d pissed him off at the movies. He only tried to put his arm around me seven times and hold my hand twice before he got the hint. This wasn’t happening. “Well, this was fun,” I said, grabbing the door handle. He grabbed my knee and squeezed. “Neveah,” he whispered. “You can’t be serious? You didn’t even give me a chance.”“I told you I wasn’t interested. I gave you your date, now it’s over.”His blue eyes darkened in anger. I didn’t care. My part of the deal was done. Shoving the door open, I walked toward the porch. The lights were off inside which told me Dad had already passed out. “Neveah, wait,” Cooper said, shutting the door I’d opened. &ldqu
Chase lifted his water bottle to his lips and chugged what remained, using the back of his hand to wipe his mouth clean. “So, you want to spar?”I shook my head, looking over my shoulder at Dad and Rage in the ring. “No, I want to fight. All out. I want to show what I can do.”Chase ran his fingers through his light brown hair and smiled at me. “You don’t have to prove a point to him, Nev. He likes you as is.”I rolled my eyes. “This isn’t for anyone. It’s for me. I want to see what I can do.” It was definitely a lie. I wanted to show Rage that I could protect myself from a legit fighter so that he’d trust me to help with his sister. Our situation wouldn’t get better until we saved Hannah, and she needed some convincing. “I don’t know—I mean, we fight but never full force. Your dad doesn’t like when I fight you.”“I don’t care wh
Neveah hadn’t looked at me but once during dinner. Once her eyes fell to her plate, she hadn’t looked up. I wanted to get up, pull her into my arms and demand to know what made her so sad. “Did you have fun with Shelly?” I asked over the table, desperate for her to speak to me. Wes nodded and sipped his tea. “Yeah, what did y’all do? Buy anything? Do I need to hide when my credit card bill comes in?”Neveah gave a half-hearted smile. “Just some underwear. We went to Dallas to the mall and ice-skated.” Her eyes jerked from mine when she mentioned Dallas, and my blood went cold. “Sounds like fun,” I whispered.She nodded but avoided eye contact. “Yeah, a lot of fun.”Wes patted his stomach and stretched his arms behind his head. “I’m heading to the gym to do a little paperwork. You two okay to clean the kitchen?”I nodded. “Yes, sir.