Page 58 of Loving the Tormentor

Xi stays silent, striding toward the couch as Alex shrieks and jumps off the back of it. "Don't you dare go caveman on me right now."

Without a word, he hoists her over his shoulder, head down as he wraps an arm around her thighs.

"I'm going to be sick," she groans.

"Maybe don't drink so much next time."

"Maybe don't be such an a?—"

The spank is so hard, my eyes widen with shock.

"Watch your language."

Before I know it, Xi carries her out of the house, Chris and Ella leave while she gives him the silent treatment, and Peach's door slams upstairs before I hear Wren knocking, begging her to open it.

"And then there were two," Achilles purrs as I get off the couch and put my glass on the coffee table. "Looks like all your girlfriends are busy with their boyfriends. Should we find something to keep us busy too?"

I lick my lips, still tasting of salt and tequila. "Speaking of boyfriends," I say, avoiding his gaze as I look for my bag. "Chase is coming over tonight. I should go."

Pretending to be busy with my phone, I walk past him, but there's no way to avoid him when he grips my upper arm and stops me in my tracks.

"Don't make me compete with him for your company, Nyx. It gets ugly when I do."

I can't control my racing heart despite the deep breath I suck in.

"I'm not trying to make you compete. He's my boyfriend. You're not."

A slight grunt of disagreement rumbles in his chest, and he pulls me until I'm standing in front of him.

"I could change that any time I want. I've just been nice enough to give you some space while I was busy."

My lungs tighten, but there's nowhere I can go, stuck in his hold while he takes pleasure in torturing me.

"Will you ever stop bullying me, Achilles? I don't deserve this."

He pushes my fringe out of my eyes. "Probably not."

"Why are you doing this?" I rasp. "You've got everything you could possibly want in life. Any woman at this college would gladly be your girlfriend.Whyare you so hellbent on making my life a living hell? I've done nothing to you."

He observes me languidly, as if he wants to take all the time in the world to look me over. Pausing at my lips, he brings his thumb to my mouth and rubs off some salt I missed.

"Good question. I'll show you why."

Then, he's dragging me out of the girls' house and next door to his. I came here for the thrill of potentially bumping into him. Now, I have, and I'm too scared to even think straight, sobered up by the fear of what he'll do once he gets me alone in his house.

Chapter Fourteen

Nyx

GOOD FOR YOU – xxtristanxo

Achilles only has Wren as a roommate, and the latter is currently busy trying to get back in Peach's good graces, meaning there's no one to witness whatever happens here. No one to protect me from the madman who's starting to develop an unhealthy fixation with me.

He takes me all the way to the basement. Shit, this is when I die. How did I, for even a second, think this man could have a soft spot for me? He said so to coax me into thinking he could care. Every step down to the basement makes me more certain that he's going to cut me into tiny pieces. He loves to scare me, and being cut into pieces is pretty fucking scary.

I'm still trying to count how many chunks of me he's going to have to shove into trash bags when he releases me, putting himself between me and a second door they have downstairs. We're inside a room.

"Look around, Nyx."