Ruthless knight

He doesn’t get to flirt with me or use words like adorable when he ripped my heart out of my chest and ate it like a savage beast. 

Oakley rubs his chin, contemplating. “Now that you mention it, I always thought she talked kind of fu

Great. Now he has Oakley joining the dark side. 

It’s officially time to leave. 

Reaching for my door handle, I mumble, “I’ll text you later.” 

“You don’t have my number, sweetness.” 

That does it. 

 “That’s because I wasn’t talking to you.” Every ounce of fury and pain I’ve been bottling up for months rumbles inside me like a volcano as I whip around. “And just so we’re clear, you don’t get to stand there and act like everything is cool between us, because it’s not. I never want to talk to you again. As far as I’m concerned, you no longer exist.” 

It’s the meanest thing I’ve ever said to someone, but try as I might, I can’t muster up the will to ask God for forgiveness. 

Cole hurt me…more than anyone else ever has. 

And given I’ve been bullied most of my life and my mother likes my older sister way more than me…that’s saying something. 

Oakley’s gaze ping pongs between us. It’s as if he doesn’t know whether he should interfere or go grab some popcorn. 

Knowing him, he’s probably leaning toward the latter. 

Ignoring me, Cole focuses on his friend. “You ready?” 

Oakley strolls to the driver’s side of his car. “Hell yeah. I just need to make a few pit stops before Christian’s.” 

Cole’s eyes cut to me. “Fuck Christian’s. I’m in the mood for some new pussy. All the skanks in this town are boring.” Green orbs peruse my body from head to toe. “Well, all except one.” My breath catches when his gaze darkens. “But the only time we hooked up, she turned me off so much I puked.” 

Bile works up my throat as my mind flashes back to that night. 

Is that what happened? Was my body so gross I made him sick?

 “I hate you.” 

I barely manage to choke the words out as I open my back door and toss my bag inside. 

A moment later Oakley starts his car and peels out of the parking lot. 

I should have left the second he showed up. 

I’d been doing such a great job at avoiding him for months, but one stupid slipup and I’m right back where I started. 

The tiny hairs on my arms prickle when I shut my door and feel someone creep up behind me. 

I say a silent prayer it’s not him, but the good Lord above must have taken the night off because Cole’s citrusy scent invades my nostrils. 

I force myself to take a deep breath, refusing to turn around. 

Cole doesn’t deserve my tears. 

He doesn’t deserve a damn thing from me. 

“Go away.” 

“Thought I didn’t exist to you anymore,” he whispers tauntingly, his breath tickling my ear.  

“Go fuck yourself.”

“I bet you’d like that, huh? Watching me jerk it for you.”  

“What I’d really like,” I grit through my teeth. “Is for you to leave me alone.” 

He runs a long finger down the nape of my neck, and I fight back a shiver. “We both know that’s not true, Bible Thumper.”

“Whatever you’re doing, it ends now, Covington.” 

He leans in closer, pressing me against the van. “You sure about that?” His hand finds my hip. “Because it seems like it’s just getting started.” 

“Wow. Does that shit really work on girls?” 

“I don’t know.” His hand shifts ever so slightly. “But if I slip my hand under your skirt, we’ll both find out.” 

 I silently curse myself for not changing out of my school uniform. 

“No.” I place my hand on top of his. “You had your chance and you blew it, remember?”

 “Actually, I don’t.” The tip of his nose skims the crook of my neck and he inhales deeply. “Why don’t you remind me?” 

“I’d rather swallow broken glass.” My pulse skitters when I feel him start to thicken. “Stop touching me.” 

I hate how weak and thready my voice sounds. 

Before I can blink, he spins me around. “What happens if I don’t?”  

Defeated, I let out a heavy sigh. “What do you want from me, Cole?”

He doesn’t answer, instead he toys with the gold cross on my necklace. The one my Na

“Such a shame.” 

“What is?” 

A rush of air escapes me when he skims the pad of his thumb down my cleavage. 

“That some fictional dead guy you insist on worshiping gets the privilege of being buried in these tits all the time.”

I swat his hand away. “What is wrong with you?” 

His eyes harden. “You, Sawyer Church. You are everything that’s wrong with me.” 

I fight the urge to laugh. “Somehow I doubt that.” I look around the empty parking lot. “I’m pretty sure your girlfriend wouldn’t appreciate you talking about another girl’s boobs, so you should probably leave.” 

“I can’t.” He bites his lower lip and I hope to God he never does it again because he looks so sexy it should be a crime. “I don’t have my car and I told Oakley to get lost for the next twenty minutes.” 

“Wow, twenty minutes, huh? Is that all it takes?” Paying no mind to the way his jaw tenses, I pat his shoulder. “As thrilling as that sounds, I’m late for work.” 

I’m so late Mr. Gonzales is most definitely going to lose his shit the second I walk in. 

I try to leave, but my archenemy places his arms on either side of my head, caging me in. “You know what the difference is between us?” 

“Golly gee, where do I begin?” I start ticking things off with my fingers. “You’re selfish, mean—”

Shock flows through my system when he leans in, his mouth a razor’s edge from mine. 

 “I don’t give a fuck.” His eyes shine with malice. “And you desperately need one.” 

My cheeks flame with indignation. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass.” 

His tongue darts out to lick the seam of my lower lip before he eases back. “I wasn’t offering.” The menacing sneer he shoots me is as ruthless as he is. “Besides, we both know if I wanted to fuck you, I would have that night.” 

His words are the equivalent of being dunked in a vat of lava. 

“Go to hell.”  

I don’t bother hiding the despondency in my voice. Maybe once he has validation that he managed to hurt me again…he’ll go away for good. 

Misery etches his expression for one fleeting second before he paints on a cocky smirk. “Trust me, Bible Thumper. If the bullshit you believe in turns out to be true, I’ve earned a first-class ticket there.” 

Once again, I’m torn between wanting to rescue him from whatever his demons are…and wishing the ground beneath us would open up and swallow him whole. 

“Goddamnit.” Closing my eyes, I draw in a shaky breath. “I just want you to leave me alone.” 

Stop torturing me. 

Stop invading my thoughts. 

Stop looking at me like I’m your little toy you can use and abuse whenever the urge strikes. 

Stop making me feel things for you I shouldn’t. 

 “Hurts when you can’t have something you want, doesn’t it?” 

Not waiting for a response, he clutches my jaw. “Remember how much you hate me right now.” The grip on my chin tightens and he inclines his head. “Because the second you think I’m capable of changing, or there’s any good in me, I’ll prove you wrong and hurt you again…worse than before.” 

This time I let the tears fall. 

Not because I’m scared of his threats. 

But because he’s giving me glimpses of how dark and tortured his soul is.