Page 27

The ice pack presses against my cheek, numbing the ache but doing nothing for the simmering frustration in my chest. I replay the fight with Caleb over and over in my head, the words he’d snarled at me still cutting deep.

“Don’t act like you’re above it, Grayson. You’re into the same shit as me.”

The fucked up thing is he’s right.

I see myself in him.

I throw the ice pack onto the counter and run a hand through my hair. The thought gnaws at me, making my skin crawl and my jaw tighten.

My phone buzzes on the counter, and I grab it, seeing the front desk’s number. Finally, my car.

I answer, “Yeah?”

“Mr. Grayson, we have a… visitor for you. A Sienna Jacobs?”

I freeze, the blood draining from my face. “She’s on her way up?”

“Yes, sir.”

Fuck.

I hang up, trying to pull myself together as I hear the elevator ding. My face still aches from the hit I took earlier, and I’m sure I look like hell.

The doorbell rings, and I grab the ice pack again, holding it against my cheek as I open the door.

She’s dressed in a simple black skirt and a fitted red sweater, her auburn curls brushing her shoulders. She smells like citrus and vanilla, and she’s holding an empty Diet Coke can in her hand.

“Hey,” I say, leaning against the doorframe.

She doesn’t say hi back. Just shoves past me, shoulder hitting my chest, moving like she owns the place. The crushed Diet Coke can lands on my counter with a hollow clang before she turns to face me, arms crossed tight, eyes burning with fury.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Her voice is sharp, slicing through the quiet of my apartment.

I shut the door slowly, watching her, taking in every small, furious movement. The way her hands curl into fists at her sides. The way her chest rises and falls too fast, like she ran up here just to rip me apart.

I exhale, forcing calm. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”

Her lips part in disbelief before she lets out a bitter laugh. “Oh, don’t do that. Don’t act like you don’t know exactly what I’m talking about.”

I tilt my head. I do know. But I want to hear her say it.

Sienna steps closer, and for a second, I think she’s about to slap me.

“Caleb.” Just his name, but she spits it like venom.

“You let him—” Her voice cuts off, throat working as she swallows, forcing herself to keep control.

“Was it some kind of joke? You and him messing with me, seeing how far you could push me?”

I tense. My hands curl into fists.

“He’s got nothing to do with me,” I say, voice low. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

Her eyes stay stern on me. “Right. So, it’s just a coincidence you’re both obsessed with fucking with me?”

That gets to me.

I push off the doorframe, stepping closer. “Whatever happened between you two, that was him .” I keep my voice calm, even though my pulse is slamming against my ribs.

She doesn’t back up, but I see the flicker of hesitation in her eyes.

I reach out. Just to touch her wrist, to feel her, to prove something neither of us can name. But the second my fingers brush her skin, she flinches.

I go still.

The reaction is fast, instinctive. She catches herself just as quickly, straightens her spine like she didn’t just pull away like I burned her, but I fucking saw it .

My jaw tightens. My hands clench at my sides.

I know what Caleb is capable of. I know how he plays.

I exhale through my nose, keeping my voice even. “Did he hurt you?”

Sienna hesitates. That hesitation tells me everything.

My stomach knots. I lift my hand again, slower this time, careful, but she steps back. “Don’t,” she says. “Stop pretending to fucking care!”

That stings.

I don’t move. Don’t give her an inch. “Tell me what he did.”

“I’m not doing this with you, Eli.” She shakes her head. “I came here to tell you that whatever this thing is? It’s done. I’m done.”

Something dark coils in my gut.

I take another step, backing her up toward the counter. She lifts her chin, but she’s got nowhere to go. I study her. The slight tremble in her fingers. The way her breathing shifts the closer I get.

I run my tongue along my teeth, dragging my gaze over her face. “You came all the way here just to tell me you’re done? After letting Caleb–”

She bristles. “He didn’t—”

I move fast, gripping the counter beside her, caging her in. “Then what did he do?”

She swallows. “Why do you care?”

Because she’s mine. Because she was mine first .

I don’t say that. Instead, I run my thumb along my bottom lip, letting my gaze drag over her. “Did he fuck you?”

Her breath stutters.

My gut twists. I need her to say no . I need her to tell me she’s still mine. That her virginity is still mine to claim. “Answer me.”

Her eyes blaze with anger. “I don’t owe you a fucking answer.”

I laugh. “That’s not a no.”

She shoves at my chest, but I don’t move.

“Then why are you here?”

She hesitates. That half-second of hesitation is all I need.

I let my hand lift, fingers trailing just barely along her jaw. She stiffens but doesn’t move away this time.

My voice drops lower. “Tell me you don’t want me.”

Her lips part, but no words come out.

I smirk. “That’s what I thought.”

The silence stretches between us, thick and electric.

Then the sound of my phone vibrating on the counter breaks it.

Neither of us move at first. Then Sienna exhales sharply, stepping around me, putting space between us. I grab her wrist before she leaves.

“Do I need to talk to him?” I ask.

Her eyes flick to mine as she shrugs, and then she leaves my place.

I let her go.

I grab my phone and press it to my ear.

“Yeah.”

Mr. Coleman’s voice is calm, measured. “Your father has been transferred. It’s a better facility. More security. He’s safer now.”

Safer. Like I fucking care. The bastard can rot for all I care. I drag a hand down my face, exhaling slow through my nose. “Great.”

“Eli—”

I hang up.

I don’t want to think about him. About any of it.

I roll my shoulders. There’s tension coiled deep in my muscles, something restless, something dark. I need to work it out.

So I do. I let my body take over. Push-ups until my arms shake. Squats. Abs. I hit the bag in the corner of my room until my knuckles sting, until the ache in my chest settles into something manageable. I shower. The hot water does nothing to cool the fire in my veins.

It’s late when I climb into bed, but sleep doesn’t come easy. Not when my mind is thinking of her. I don’t even fight it. I close my eyes and let her consume me.

But the dream is all wrong.

She’s there, Sienna , but she’s not alone.

Caleb’s with her. Hands on her body. Fingers gripping her hips, yanking her close. She’s looking up at him, wide-eyed, lips parted, like she wants him.

She wants him.

Not me.

Not me.

Rage explodes in my chest, tearing through me like wildfire.

I wake up sweating, fists clenched, stomach twisted with fury and need. The dream won’t leave me. I can see it, burned into my brain. Caleb touching her. Kissing her. Taking what’s mine.

It was just a dream, but I know the truth. If I don’t do something now, I will lose her. She’ll slip through my fingers, and I won’t survive it.

That’s not happening.

I shove the sheets off and sit up, breath ragged. My hands are already moving, grabbing my keys, my wallet. I don’t even have to think about where I’m going.

The bell chimes when I walk into the tattoo parlor. The guy behind the counter looks up, bored. “You have an appointment?”

I ignore him, stepping up to the counter. “I need ink.”

He nods, setting down a pen. “Yeah, sure. What are you thinking?”

I slide a piece of paper across the glass. He picks it up, eyes scanning the design.

He lifts a brow. “You want this where ?”

I smirk. “Not on me.”

Confusion creases his forehead. “Then—”

“I’ll take the gun and the ink.”

His mouth opens. Shuts. He looks like he wants to argue, but I pull out a stack of cash and drop it on the counter. That shuts him up.

He eyes me warily but hands over the kit. “You know how to use this?”

I don’t answer. Just grab the supplies and walk out.

The house is dark when I pull up. The porch light is off, but I know she’s inside. Sleeping. Unaware.

I climb out of the car, moving fast, quiet. I know where her room is. I’ve climbed through that window before. But when I reach it, my jaw tightens.

It’s locked. She locked me out. I stare at it, breathing through my nose. My fingers curl into fists.

Fine. If she wants to play games, I’ll play.

I move to the front door instead. I have the spare fucking key, but the window invitation was a lot more fun than strolling on in. Slipping inside the house, I close the door behind me, careful, silent.

The house is still. The only sound is the faint hum of the fridge in the kitchen. Coach is here somewhere, sleeping down the hall. If he wakes up and finds me—

Doesn’t matter. He’s never going to know.

I take the stairs slow, my heart pounding steady in my chest. When I reach her door, I press my palm against it.

She’s right here.

So close.

I push it open.

She’s curled in bed, her body relaxed, her breaths soft and even. My gaze drags over her, taking in every inch. The way her hair spills over her pillow. The way her lips are slightly parted.

She’s fucking perfect.

I close the door behind me and move to the side of her bed, setting down the tattoo gun. I pull the small vial from my pocket. One pill. A sedative. Not enough to knock her out completely, just enough to keep her calm .

She stirs when I brush hair from her face.

Her body shivers, and I smile.

She’s already mine.

Now, she’s going to wear my name. Forever.

I press my lips to her forehead, then lower, dragging my mouth along her temple, her cheek. She smells like vanilla and sleep, her pulse fluttering under my lips.

Her lashes flicker. A soft inhale, groggy and confused. “Eli?”

“I’m here, baby.” I stroke my fingers through her hair, down the curve of her throat. “I couldn’t stay away.”