"Don't you want to hurt me as much as I hurt you?"
"I want to rip your heart out."
"Do it, then. Fuck me like you hate me. And rip my heart out."
***
Everyone at Fairmont High School knows that Cleo Fitzgerald is to blame for putting her boyfriend...
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CLEO
AGE 18
IT'S 4 AM.
I wished Brookes a happy birthday and then lied about having a headache. I escaped to the quiet of my bedroom right as the party was reaching the height of its chaos. My brother waved me away without a backward glance.
I've been lying in bed for almost an hour now.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Metallica pounds between my ears, but, for once, music does nothing to settle my nerves. I remove my headphones and listen carefully to what's going on downstairs. The noise is starting to die down. Anticipation twists into apprehension.
I know I asked Dax to be discreet, but where the hell is he?
Did he change his mind?
What if he's having too much fun with Brookes and forgot about m—
That's when I see the door to my bedroom swing open. The sudden sliver of light stings my eyes, and my heart nearly leaps out of my chest. Relief and joy surge when he appears in the doorway. I drink in the sight of him. He cuts a tall, dark figure in the shadows. The unmistakable black hair. The broad shoulders. The tapered waist. The long legs. He steps inside. The door closes and locks. Darkness floods my room again. His footsteps are quiet on the hardwood.
I'm mesmerized by his movements.
He's here.
He's here.
He's really here.
Dax has been to my room plenty of times during the day. But never at night. His presence feels forbidden. When his feet slow to a standstill, the edge of my mattress dips. He climbs into bed and cages me with his body.
With my pulse thrumming away, I breathe out softly, "You finally came."
It's criminal how much I want this boy.
"I was going insane downstairs," he murmurs, "knowing you were up here."
For a guy who can't stand being touched, he certainly doesn't seem to mind my closeness right now. I revel in the hard, intimate edges of his muscled frame pressing against my softer curves. I never knew how perfectly our bodies fit together. It makes me breathless and lightheaded, all of a sudden. We haven't held each other like this before. Definitely not in my bed.
"I was afraid that you might not come."
"I would've done anything to get to you tonight."
"Really?"
"I never want to leave."
Strong arms tighten around me, and I fucking melt into the solid warmth of his chest.
