Page 17 of Merciless Angel

“Yeah, got it. Is that all?” Not knowing how to talk to a guy like Daire, I was eager to get back to my laptop. Burying myself in my work felt like the only way to escape the last few days.

Daire still held tight to my wrist. He used his hold on me to paste me up against the side of the car. “Trying to get rid of me, Clover? What’s the rush? Don’t tell me that you want to get back to Zane. You’re ours now, remember?”

“It has nothing to do with Zane,” I protested, feeling weak when Daire pressed against me. “I have an assignment to finish. I didn’t take the summer off like everyone else.”

He held my wrist with one hand, the other bracing against the car as he trapped me with his body. God, why did he have to be so warm and smell so good? Like sage and cedarwood along with that telltale male scent that reached deep inside me.

“You smell like bubblegum,” Daire remarked, leaning in closer to press his face to my neck. “Do you taste like it too?”

He didn’t wait for me to spit out a flustered response. The warm, wet sensation of his tongue darting against my skin sent a shockwave racing through me. Surely he was only doing this for Zane’s benefit. Right? That’s what I tried to tell myself as Daire licked a hot path along my neck.

“Not quite like bubblegum,” he murmured against my skin. “Good enough to eat though. What do you say, Clover? Should I eat your pussy right here in front of Zane?”

“Please don’t. There are cameras everywhere. The school would have us charged.” Trying to be logical with heat flooding my core was both difficult and ridiculous. Part of me wanted very much for Daire to do as he’d said. It wrestled with the part of me that wanted nothing to do with him.

Daire pulled back to peer into my eyes. His grin was both dangerous and sexy as he tapped the tip of my nose. “Blaze was right. You really are cute as fuck. So damn inhibited too. I can’t wait to change that.”

My eyes widened. I’d really gotten in over my head with the Angels. It was all Zane’s fault.

“I should probably get back to work,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Daire held me against the car a moment longer, his gaze on my lips. Then he stepped back, releasing me. “Remember what I said about the bracelet. Wear it. All the time. Otherwise you’ll be getting an ankle monitor locked around your leg.”

Just like that, he reminded me what the Angels were capable of. The thought of having a tracking device locked onto my body sent chills down my spine. What the fuck?

“I know. I’ll wear it.” Now that I was free, I hurried away from Daire’s car, speedwalking back to the bench.

Daire peeled away with a squeal of tires. My racing heart reverberated in my ears. Zane was on his feet by the time I reached him.

“What the fuck was that?” he barked, waving a hand in the direction Daire had gone.

“It was nothing,” I insisted, wary of his rising temper. “We were just talking.”

“That was not just talking. Are you fucking that guy?” Zane stepped toward me, the veins in his arms protruding as he clenched both fists.

I scowled, insulted by his assumption. “Of course not. If I was, it wouldn’t be any of your damn business anyway.”

Daire had done a good job of making it look like there was something between us. He’d known exactly what he was doing. Sending a loud and clear message. Maybe I shouldn’t deny it. Maybe it would get Zane off my back.

His face reddening, Zane huffed like an angry beast. I braced myself, not sure what to expect. If he hurt me, I could use the bracelet to get Daire back here. Of course, that would only end in blood or death. I didn’t want that.

“Fine. Whatever. Fuck you too, Clover.” In a fit of rage, Zane snatched up the Dr. Pepper can off the bench and whipped it at me.

The open can crashed against my arm, splashing me with sticky liquid. I let out a little yelp, surprised more than anything else. Zane saved me from having to make a tough choice by storming off across the grounds.

I sat heavily on the bench, trying to calm my pounding heart and catch my breath. As much as I hated to admit it, he scared me. The Angels scared me too in an entirely different way.

Feeling helpless and powerless, I stared at the spilled soda on the ground and tried not to cry.

CHAPTER NINE

CLOVER

By the time the weekend rolled around, I felt like I’d earned a night out with my friends. I planned to meet Lyra and Raina at a frat party in an hour. The summer didn’t slow down the parties. If anything, it amped them up.

There was a good chance that Zane would be there. I didn’t care. I’d decided that I’d had enough of his crap. I didn’t want to use the Angels against him, but if he gave me another reason to, I would.

With the latest Taylor Swift album playing on my phone, I busied myself with getting ready. I was feeling super cute in a black and rainbow skirt with a silver top that matched the silver and pink eye shadow I wore. Dark purple lipstick decorated my lips. My shoulder length locks were slightly waved from the braids I’d weaved into it earlier.