Page 12 of Ly to Me

“I hate you,” she spat, stepping carefully over the glass, her bare feet treading dangerous waters as she made her way up to me. When her hand came flying up, I caught her wrist right before she could make contact with my cheek. Situating the toothpick back between my lips, I used it to point toward the corner cabinet while holding her in place.

“Broom’s in there.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I’m not your maid, just like I’m not your damn plaything. You dropped it, you can clean it up.”

I tsked. “That’s where you’re wrong. You’ll be and do whatever the hell I tell you.” She jerked her wrist free, and my fingers snapped up to claim her jaw, keeping her close. “Since you’re dishing out your body in exchange for a roof over your head,it’ll be my cock that you’ll be taking every night, however it is I want you to.” She opened her mouth to speak, but I squeezed her cheeks harder. “Think before you talk back.”

Her lips parted. “You can’t be serious.”

I leaned in close to her, towering above her. “Deadly serious.”

Her lips pursed, her eyes shining like fine blades. I smirked, tucking her fake hair behind her ear. “If you don’t want to obey, the door is right there. Feel free to leave instead.”

Lyra’s eyes darted to the door. “What do I tell your roommate?”

I smacked my teeth, flipping the toothpick again as I lifted a single shoulder. “Lie, like you always do.” She cursed my name as I made my way to the front door and slammed it behind me.

TEN YEARS AGO

“So…” Shifting my bag on my shoulder, I glanced over at the rather small girl beside me. “You sure you’re a senior?”

Lyra glanced up at the clouds, her eyes wincing from the thin ray of sunlight piercing through. Or maybe it was my fiftieth random question she had no plan to answer. “Last I checked.”

Fuck. This girl wasn’t biting on anything. I tapped a few fingers on my bag and swung in front of her. Seemed to work earlier just fine.

Her feet halted before the rest of her body, and I reached up to steady her by the shoulder. She flinched, her shock turning into a deep frown. It was kind of cute. “Do you have to keep doing that?”

“Asking you things or making you stop?”

“Both!” She sighed in obvious frustration. Also kinda cute. She started tying her long brown hair up, her face still pinched as she glared up at me. “Just…why are you still walkin’ with me? Are you lost? Think I’m leading you down some magical yellow brick road?”

I arched a brow, trying hard not to smile. “Depends. Is your name actually Dorothy?”

She huffed and shoved her shoulder into my side, storming past me. I grinned and turned to follow.

“Are you tellin’ me you didn’t lie about your name just like you didn’t lie about what you were doin’ in the field?”

“I didn’t lie.” Lyra’s voice lowered, her eyes skirting the street before crossing. I tailed behind like a lost puppy. As we came up on the sidewalk, she started talking. Finally. “Why does it matter to you why I was out there? Half the school was out there, and I don’t see you followin’ them home.”

Alright. I can work with this.“You looked like you needed some company, maybe a hand or two—” I held mine up, then gripped her shoulders, moving her to the other side of me. I hadn’t missed the flinch that time, either. “There, that’s better.”

She exhaled deeply. “What’s better?” Conceding never sounded cuter. Man, the guys might have been completely wrong about this one. I’d found three things that were adorable about her, and I’d only just met her. I also found I kind of liked having to work for the small pieces of conversation she was allowing through whatever thick walls she’d erected. I wondered how many people she actually let in.

My shoulders lifted into a shrug, half to myself, half to her question. “Where you’re standing. Don’t you know a man is supposed to walk on the side closer to the road where the cars are driving by?”

Her hands tightened around her backpack straps. “And why is that?”

“You didn’t know that?” I chuckled, hoping she’d start laughing, too. Usually girls loved my laugh.

Instead, the space between her brows creased. “This is the part where you tell me why that’s so important—for a man to be closer to the road.”

I paused, rubbing my jaw. “It’s the sidewalk rule. Ya know.” Another few beats of silence passed. “Has no guy ever walked beside you before?”

“No guy who uses the sidewalk rule.” The words seemed to tumble from her, a slight look of shock appearing on her face. Something about that bothered me.

Okay, everything about that bothered me.

“It’s to make sure the woman is safe from the cars passin’ by, like a shield,” I said, glancing at her shoulders. “Do you get scared easily?”