Page 44 of Promise of Destruction

It's why I go to her before lunch, drawing her attention from the laptop open before her as she drags elements around the screen.

When she sees me, her eyes fill with irritation, ready for whatever fight I'm about to bring.

"What?" She snaps.

"We're leaving early. There's somewhere we have to be."

Soren only blinks up at me, not comprehending that I'm telling her to get her perky ass out of that chair and put her work away.

"Where? When?"

"Now." I tell her, pressing on the back of the laptop so that it closes, emphasizing the point. A sigh of frustration rips out of her and she starts to argue before she clamps her mouth shut, shaking her head. I watch as she stands, gathering her belongings. When she reaches into her purse for her keys, I shake my head at her. "You won't be needing those. I'll drive."

Her suspicion narrows on me. "I can drive myself. Where are we going?"

"You'll ride with me and that's final." I say, striding to the door and pulling it open, waiting to usher her forward. She goes quietly past me, though she does fix me with a stare like daggers as she goes.

I let her in front of me, so that I can watch her ass bounce in the black skirt she has on. The slit in the middle of it is tasteful, but I want to shred it apart.

She looks like she's dressed for a funeral today, and I fucking hate it. After seeing her in color, black just doesn't suit her.

We're silent the whole way to the parking garage, until I click the button on my key ring and the headlights flash.

"That's us." I tell her, nodding toward the gunmetal grey Mercedes.

"I'm aware." She grumbles, crossing her arms as she strides over to the passenger side. "It's been across from my house all week."

"Notallweek." I argue. Just most of it.

She doesn't dignify that with a response as she slinks into her seat and immediately crosses her arms over her chest.

I push the button to start the ignition but turn to her before taking it out of park.

"What?" She glowers after a minute of my waiting.

"Seatbelt." I tell her, my eyes flicking over her shoulder as if she has no idea where a seatbelt would be.

"I don't wear one when I'm in the passenger seat." She says simply, like that's the end of the conversation.

"Well, you will wear one when you're with me. Not negotiable."

"Then I can drive myself." She snaps, her fingers already on the door handle. I engage the locks before she can open it, which earns me a venomous glare.

"Seriously?" She growls, moving to find the unlock button. If she wants to see who can be more stubborn, I'll gladly show her. I hit the locks again and she tenses, turning to me like she would smack me if she wasn't worried about retaliation.

"You ride with me, and you wear your seatbelt, or we will stay in the parking garage all day locked in this grudge match."

"Then wherever we're going must not be all that important." She smirks, leaning back against the seat and looking at me like she thinks she's got me in check.

In a battle of willpower, I'm certain I'd win. Spending the afternoon by her side is not the punishment she seems to think it is.

"It is," I tell her, reaching over her.

My entire upper body crosses into her space as I reach for the seatbelt, and I feel her tension and panic as she demands, "What are you doing?"

I don't answer her, appraising her face as I reach above her shoulder and tug on the seatbelt. She doesn't even realize what my goal was until the click confirms I've buckled the seatbelt for her, since she won’t do it herself. I tug on the slack for good measure, locking her in place. Her fingers move immediately to the release, but I stop her with a hand over hers.

"If you so much as touch that seatbelt, I'll tie you up in the backseat and fuck you until you pass out. And when you wake up, I'll still be fucking you."