Chapter 14

Hunter scooped up peanut brittle-flavored ice cream and stuck it in his mouth, his ice-blue eyes regarding me curiously as if he expected something. What that might be was anyone’s guess. But when he lowered the spoon from his lips, stuck it in the ice cream, and leaned against the table, I figured it out.

It was in the way he stared at me, unsmiling and looking all scary—the way you’d expect from a rogue. I bet he was used to people fearing him, fleeing his presence with their tails tucked in tight.

Me? I was not leaving this room first, even if I had to die here. Besides, I was here before him, and I wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon.

“Just like you, I felt like a snack,” he drawled. “Is that a crime?”

I eyed him for a moment, then added another item to my list. Stock up on toiletries. “No. But don’t you think it’s rude to do that in someone else’s house?”

“I see. I guess you’ve got a point.” He took another bite of ice cream and then licked the spoon clean. “I’ll remember to wake you up and ask each time I feel like snacking.”

I sighed, writing; Buy more notebooks.

“You should know I wake up at least every two hours and snack, so I hope you don’t like your sleep too much.” He leaned in toward me, offering me a deliberate grin. “I get grumpy when I don’t eat often.”

I snorted. “Oh really? You’re a ball of sunshine already.”

“You have no idea.”

I rolled my eyes, pressing the tip of the pen to the paper, about to write something, then forgetting what I was about to write. I dropped the pen, glaring at him. “Why don’t you take your tub of ice cream and go eat somewhere else? Why here, right in my space?”

“I was here before you,” he shrugged matter-of-factly. “You’re the one invading my space.”

I blinked at him, incredulous. “No, you weren’t.”

“I was standing right there.” He lifted the spoon and jabbed it in the direction beside the fridge, where the fridge’s shadow fell, making it almost impossible to see anything there.

I hesitated. “But the kitchen light was off.”

“And your point being?” he grinned. “Are you afraid of the dark?”

I huffed. “No. And that wasn’t the question.”

“I didn’t realize you asked one.”

My lips turned into a tight line. “Not that it matters. As this is my home and not yours, you can go sit somewhere else.”

“This is your father’s house.”

“I don’t care,” I gritted, clutching my pen so tight my knuckles turned white. “Go away.”

“No.” He stabbed the spoon in the ice cream, shooting me a deliberate look, and he slowly, purposefully licked that damn spoon. His eyes were not once shifting away from me. There was something obnoxiously sexy about the motion, and I had to work my brain hard to distract myself.

I threw down the pen, snapping at him, “Was the money worth it?”

He paused for a moment, then lowered the spoon. “Should I know what money you’re referring to?”

“The money you got from my dad as payment to destroy my life?”

One of Hunter’s dark brows arched. “Oh. That money.”

My body was suddenly hot, and my hands were shaking. There it was. Something that made sense, that was reasonable to me. My anger. This fucking guy was the one who did the most dirty work to land me in juvie, all for a chunk of money. “I’m asking you again. Was it fucking worth it?”

“Yes,” he deadpanned.

“You piece of shit.” I was on my feet even before I could process my emotions properly. “Do you even know what the hell you did?”

“Helped your father get you arrested and sent off to the juvenile centre for your safety?” he supplied.

An incredulous laugh escaped me. “Do you know what they do to girls in that place?”

“Discipline them, I believe.”

“They destroyed me!”

He gave me a long once over, then pushed up to his feet, towering over me. “Looks more to me like that place made you.”

I crossed my arms to my chest, suddenly feeling vulnerable. “Maybe it did. But look at how my pack reacted. They wanted to exile me. I have to work to prove myself to them. Hell only knows with what…” I shook my head, not wanting to think about that. “Don’t even get started about my reputation. My family doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“You’re telling all this to me?” He said it in such a way as if making a point.

“Of course,” I ground out. “You wouldn’t know about how that feels, would you? You’re a rogue.”

Hunter moved so fast I didn’t realize he had until I was pinned with my back against the fridge on the other side of the room. My mouth fell open, having no clue how he did that, or how it was even human, or wolf, possible to move like that. “How did you…?”

“Listen carefully, little monster,” he spoke in a dangerously low tone. “Don’t think for one second you know me or how I fucking feel.”

I gulped, anxiety sprouting inside my chest. “I didn’t say—”

“I know exactly what you meant,” he bit out. “You voiced it perfectly clear.”

My lips pursed. He was right. I had meant what I had said. I was letting the panic of him pinning me to the fridge get to me, and that wouldn’t do, would it? “You’re right. Maybe I did mean it.”

He lifted a hand, his knuckles grazing my cheek slowly. I almost closed my eyes and sighed with pleasure from the contact. “No, little monster. Not maybe.”

“Maybe,” my voice croaked.

His face was so close to mine that I could feel his warm breath caressing my cheeks as he spoke. “Say it.” Dang it, he smelled like freaking fresh leather and sandalwood. It didn’t help that he was out of this-world gorgeous, too.

For hell’s sake, Elise. He’s a rogue! One that got you framed for quick cash—mind you!

“Say what?” Dear moon on crack, my voice sounded way too raspy to my liking.

“You meant it,” he breathed. “Because maybe is an insult to the little monster I’ve gotten to know.”

Fucking hell. This guy was going to be the death of me. I forced my heavy lids up to meet his gaze and spoke in a firm, intent tone, “I. Meant. It.”

Then I kneed him in the balls.