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His eyebrow arches. “Impressive speech–how long have you been practicing that?”

“God, you’re infuriating. None of this is happening, Brent. It’s not like you need the money. And I know you were helping CJ out before but come on, you and I both know making money off of me on LonelyFans isn’t going to help him in the long run.” I take a step back. “I have no fucking clue why you’re so obsessed with it.”

Then it hits me. Maybe, after all this time I was wrong about how Brent felt about me. I thought he saw me as a piece of trash to be used and tossed away, handed over to his friends, but now… God. What if I was reading this wrong the whole time? Maybe Brent isn’t obsessed with exploiting me. Maybe he’s just obsessedwith me.

My reaction is to blurt, “I have a boyfriend.”

“Rakestraw?” He cuts his eyes at me. “You realize that out of every man on this campus, he’s the one that knew what you were capable of.” He crowds me against one of the bikes. “He knows exactly how slutty and desperate you are. You think he didn’t want a taste of that for himself?”

“That’s not true.”

“No?” He scoffs. “How long did it take for you to fuck him? One date?”

The memory of our first night together comes back. The epic fuck-up.

As if he’s reading my mind, he chokes out a laugh. “Less? A one-night stand? God, you’re more pathetic than I realized.” I can’t come up with the words to defend myself, so he just continues to pick apart my life. “Let me guess, after that, he agreed to go slow. Take his time with you because of everything you’ve been through.” His grin is wide and mean. “He got you to trust him, didn’t he?”

“You don’t know anything about my relationship with Axel.”

“But that’s the thing, Nadia, I do. I know him, because Iamhim, and he’s me. We’re all the same, testosterone-fueled alpha males who want the one thing we can’t have.”

“You could have had me,” I whisper. “I would have done anything.”

Ididdo anything and that’s the whole problem.

“You still don’t get it, do you?” He leans toward me, mouth close to my ear. “You’re the forbidden fruit. The vixen who will play out in our every fantasy. You’re the one we want to fuck. To secret away and keep for our own. But you’re also the one that won’t make it past our PR teams, or get parental approval. They want the girl next door. A woman that knows how to smile and say the right thing to the press. That have perfected how to look on the sidelines, or wearing a pristine white dress as they lock us into marriage. They glow while carrying our babies. Those women convince the world that we’re the All-American heroes worthy of the millions they pay us to lead their team–their city–to victory.” His fingers graze down my arm as he describes his current girlfriend, Shanna. “But they don’t ignite the hunger in us that a woman like you does. They don’t make me hard with only a dirty, secret, look. Or the knowledge that you’ll let me dowhatever I want, whenever I want, for as long as I want. It’s not that we don’t want you, baby, it’s that we want you too fucking much.”

Somewhere during his speech I’ve become frozen. My breath trapped deep in my throat. He takes advantage of my silence and adds, “Before you think that your boyfriend is different, let me explain it to you. There is no future for you with Axel Rakestraw regardless of if he goes to the NHL or heads into the family business.” He nods when I startle. “Yeah, I know all about Daddy Rakestraw and his multi-million dollar religious Kingdom. Axel is the heir and those people willneveraccept a piece of trash like you.” He presses his hips into me, forcing the hard line of his erection into my lower belly. “You’re better off working for me, than being nothing at all.”

I recoil at his touch and snap into motion, shoving him back with both hands.

“Talk to me again, I’m going to the police.”

The grin he responds with tells me he doesn’t believe that I have the guts to do it.

That makes two of us.

20

Axel

“Where is she?”I push past Twyler and enter the Teal House, eyes scanning the small living room.

“In her room.” Twyler’s little legs follow behind me. “I can’t get her to come out.”

I rap on the bedroom door. “T, it’s me.” I try the knob, but it’s locked. “Can I come in?”

“No.” Her voice is muffled, but I can tell she’s crying. “Go away. And tell Twyler to go away too.”

Ouch.

“What the hell happened?” I ask Twyler. I’d been sitting in my tattooist’s chair, getting a few new pieces of ink, when Twyler texted telling me to get over to her house right away. After a few more back and forths and all I knew was Nadia was upset and locked in her room.

“She came home from work early, obviously freaked out about something, and ran into her room. She won’t talk to me or let me in.” She wraps her arms around her upper body. “I’m scared, Ax, this isn’t like her.”

I run my hand through my hair, agitated and trying to figure out what to do. I’d already tried texting her and now I’m locked out. Logic tells me to give her some space and let her come to me when she’s ready.

I’m not really one for logic.