“You’re so aggravating. It’s like you live to piss me off and I’m over it, all of it. So go get your slutty little redhead. I’m glad she wants you so badly, because I sure as hell don’t. I really couldn’t give a shit less about what you do with her. I hope you fuck her until her face falls off. ” I turned away and flicked my blond hair with the back of my fingers, making sure it whipped him in the face.

He grabbed a fist full of it and gently tugged me against him. His warm body was pressed against my back. His strong heartbeat slammed into my shoulder, reminding me how tall and big he was. His breath tickled my cheek as he pressed his lips to my ear. Goosebumps invaded every inch of my skin and I shivered. He felt my shiver and chuckled softly. It was deep and dark… sexy.

“Spit all the lies you want, snowflake.” His hand snaked around me and under my shirt. My abdominal muscles clenched, making my ribs ache as he ran his finger around my belly button. “Your body spoke my language the other night and it said differently. I’m not stupid. I see the way you look at me. It’s hot and I fucking love it. I bet you fantasize about me, too. One day you’re going to beg me for the things you fantasize about. If you’re a good little girl, I might give you some relief when that time comes. So I suggest you play nice.” He planted a hot kiss on the side of my neck and then cold air rushed in against my back and replaced him.

I stood there in shock for a bit. For one, I’d never talked like that to another human being in my life. The F-bomb wasn’t something I dropped very often and I surprised myself when the world slipped out. Two, my body was super sensitive and I felt like melting into a big pile of Patience right there in the middle of Finn’s shitty garage.

He was right. I had responded to him that night at his house. I was responding to him now. I wanted things from him that made my stomach flutter and turn at the same time, but wanting and doing were two different things. I fantasized about the things I could never do and then punished myself for thinking the things that were a direct conflict with my sanity.

The point was Zeke was making me even crazier than I already was, and staying away from him was the best thing I could do, but I couldn’t. The messed up part was I loved the way he made me feel. I loved the color he brought to my life. In the moments when life sucked away all my oxygen, he swooped in and helped me breathe. He was practically a stranger, a bad boy from the wrong side of town, but in some bizarre way he helped me survive.

I slammed my empty cup in the trash and headed for the door. Megan was cozy in Chet’s lap and I wasn’t about to take her away from him just so she could take me home. I had two feet and after being barricaded in the house for a week, I needed the exercise. I couldn’t even find it in myself to be afraid of the repercussions of coming in late. With the mood I was in, I’d be more afraid if I were my dad. I could totally see myself breaking his fingers and not giving a shit who in the house knew it.

Finn’s neighborhood wasn’t the greatest. There were a lot of cars on blocks and sirens. I’m pretty sure I passed a few drug deals, and once, a group of guys whistled at me, but after an hour of walking, the area became cleaner. I walked into a gas station that had bulletproof glass around the registers and bought a pack of gum to get rid of the smell of alcohol. Then an hour after that, I was on my side of town.

My cheeks burned from the cold air as I huddled into my jacket. My lungs hurt from breathing in the cold and my ribs were aching so bad I wanted to cry. Walking this far wasn’t my brightest idea, but at that point I was almost home. That was a good thing considering the night was turning gray and I knew the sun would be up soon.

I would’ve called Megan to come and get me, except my expensive phone couldn’t seem to ever hold a freaking charge. A dead phone wasn’t very useful to anyone and it crossed my mind several times to just the throw the damn thing in the road and let someone run it over.

Finally—I’m not sure how much longer due to my dead phone and no watch—I walked through the front gates of my neighborhood. I was coming around the corner and could see my house in the distance when I heard squealing tires all around me. I froze as Zeke’s beat-up car pulled up and he slammed on the brakes right in front of me.

He jumped out of the driver’s side with wild eyes. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialed a number, and then waited

“Hey. … Yeah, I found her. … Okay, I will,” he said into the phone.

He stuffed it back in his pocket, then stared at me with angry eyes.

“Where is your phone?” he asked calmly.