SNOB: A Dark College Enemies to Lovers Romance

Chapter 10

What.

The.

Fuck?

His strong hand muffles my cries, my naked body exposed to him.

Is Malcolm McKinsley in my fucking bathroom?

He steps into the bath like he lives here, like he belongs here.

Is there no escaping this maniac?

“Where do you think you’re going, Butterfly?” he asks, that nickname making my stomach flip. His free hand trails my arm, his finger grazing my naked skin. It’s the first time he’s touched me since he cradled my body in his arms.

Since he kissed me.

TIL: you can still get goosebumps in a warm shower.

Mac’s eyes dart around my body like a hungry lion before I reach for the curtain to cover it. But he catches my wrist. “No sudden movements,” he says, his voice a low growl. My back hits the cold tile and I wince, my body still sore from the accident … if we’re calling it that. Beau’s cries are still so loud in my head. It makes the rest of the day seem tame.

Is he really gone?

Did Mac really do that?

That bubble in my gut rises and I fight the urge to puke. I can’t stay here. I know how this goes. The rich? He’ll get away scot-free. Not me.

He drops his hand before his finger moves to his lips.

“Quiet?” I ask, my voice shaky. “You expect me to be quiet when you’re bulldozing past everything including my boundaries? When you just—” I still can’t make myself say it, and that makes my voice lower to a whisper. I can’t begin to explain this to Uncle Jake. “Why are you here?” I hate that I whisper in my own home to my intruder. “You’re insane.”

He actually chuckles, proving he is. “Yes.” And he owns it like a maniac.

I gasp when his hand comes to my wrist, his hold tight and firm. He brings my hands above my head, exposing my body to him again. He stalls for a minute, his eyes raking me from head to toe.

Can he see my nipples harden? Can he see my cheeks redden? His smirk confirms it.

“I think you like it.” Beau’s voice circles my head as Mac drops his hands. But mine don’t move.

Looking up, my hands hang from the shower head, tied together with plastic chords. “Fuck off, Mac. Untie me.”

He leans back in the shower and… lights a fucking cigarette. “Oh, you’re not going anywhere.” He puffs as I pull. “Struggling will only make it worse.”

Fuck, he’s right. The plastic digs into my skin, burning my wrists. “Untie me.”

“No,” he responds.

“Mac!” I scream.

His hand slaps over my mouth. “Bad idea.” Tobacco rolls off his breath as he stares into my eyes. “I don’t think the ol’ guy will even hear you. Right now, you’re all mine, Everett. Understand?” A sting comes to my nipple, flutters spreading through my body before I hiss. He’s pinching it andI hate the burst of butterflies that come with it. “Understand?”

My stomach tightens, my thighs clenching as the sting turns to a pleasurable tingle. Then back to pain. He won’t let up until I finally nod. The minute he releases my tingling bud, all the heat from my body dissipates with the pain.

“Good girl,” he smirks.

Beau’s words ring through my head again but I ignore them when his hand moves from my mouth. “I thought you wanted me gone.” It’s hard to speak with the way his knuckle trails over my nipple, like he’s nursing the feeling back to it. I shouldn’t like the way that feels.

“Should’ve left when you had the chance,” he says. His finger flicks my other nipple, hardening under his touch. “Does this excite you, Butterfly?”

“No.” Is Beau right? Can Mac see it too?

“Liar.”

“Mac, let me go.”

“Why? You’re blushing so hard, your cheeks match your hair.” He lets the damp cigarette fall to the tub, the water putting it out before both hands land on my breasts. “How big are these, Everett?”

Closing my eyes, I try to ignore the way my nipples land between his fingers. “What’s your plan, Mac?” My voice shakes when I speak, no matter how hard I try to steady it.

A wet hand comes to my face, a slap sending heat to my core. “Look at me when you’re talking to me, Everett.”

“Fuck you,” I spit.

Slap!

My cheek stings, Mac’s hand lingering near it as if he’ll do it again.“What was that?”

My teeth clench. “Fuck. You.”

“You wish.” A hand lands on my ass, a finger heading right between my cheeks. My body stiffens as his finger slides between my slit. “You really fucking wish. You’re as wet as you were hours ago. Except last time, you weren’t breathing.”

I wasn’t?

Mac saved me?

I flashback to waking up on the grass, Mac’s head floating above mine before the shower goes cold. The way he moves his fingers doesn’t change the heat flowing through me. I need it to stop. I need it all to stop. “I-I’m leaving Paradise Hill.” He rubs against my nub and I hate that my body inches closer to him, an intoxicating buzz filling me. “An-and The Valley.” My legs shake, wobbling under his touch and I can’t do a damn thing about it.

“If you leave, I’ll kill you.” His smirk widens, like a maniac. “Just like I did?—”

“Stop.”

He spins me around, the restraints getting tighter around my wrist. “Mark my words, Butterfly.”

Snap.

His hand leaves my slit, and the sound of a bottle opening comes from behind me. The smell of mango fills the air. My shampoo. He presses his chest against my back and despite the wet fabric between us, I can feel every, fucking, muscle.

I hate it. “Get off me, Mac.”

“If you leave, you will die.” Something stings my eyes before his hands move through my hair. He moves his fingers in a way I haven’t felt in a while, a tingling coming with it. My eyes close again as my head falls against his chest. His fingers press into my scalp and… is he giving me a massage? “I will keep you safe, but I stay in charge.” His lips land by my ear. “Understand?”

It’s hard to hear what he’s saying with how his fingers move. When I don’t respond, another hand drops between my legs again, spreading them. With his fingers on my scalp and his other hand stroking between my legs, it”s easy to fall deeper against his chest.

He rubs me in a way I’ve never felt before. Angelo always cut to the chase but Mac takes his time moving his finger in circles. Holding my breath stops me from making noises as something pounds against my back.

Is that his heartbeat?

When he yanks on my hair, bolts fly through me again, distracting from the shampoo burning my eyes. “Do. You. Understand?” He presses harder on my clit, the burn in my eyes disappearing when he does. My thighs close around his hand, something building in my gut. I hate when a moan escapes me but he takes it for an answer. “That’s what I thought.” In an instant, his hands leave me, a rush of cold washing over me as his body eases off mine.

My hands release, both of them dropping to my sides. I’m quick washing the shampoo out of my eyes, with the rest of the cold water.

But when I open my eyes, he’s gone.

With shaky hands I turn the water off. Stepping out of the tub, I look around the bathroom as if he could hide in such a small space. Grabbing my faded blue towel from the back of the door, my clit throbs and my body tingles like his hands are still on me.

What the fuck?

Opening the door, Uncle Jake’s snoring fills the living room and when I”m back in my room, Mac’s not there either.

Moving the tattered sheet out of the way, the window is in place, the same as when I pulled on it before. Plopping my ass on the mattress, my brows knit as I pull the towel tight around me.

Have I officially lost my mind?

My back hits the mattress, staring up at the stain in the ceiling. My heart races as I play the day back in my head.

The fountain. The bathroom. Sun House. Beau.

Get some rest.

I can’t think straight in this state but I still know what I have to do.

My hand comes to my locket around my neck. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to Uncle Jake because of my stupid idea to go to Paradise Hill.

Tomorrow when I wake up, I’m out of here.

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes, my body heavy. Mac’s face comes to my head, his voice still ringing in my ears as my mind blurs reality.

I will keep you safe.

That doesn’t match with how he’s treated me. But the cops haven’t shown up to my door. Not yet anyway.

My hands wander between my legs, still wet from the shower. Still wet from Mac… or what I imagined. When I rub my clit aching between my legs, I’ll never tell anyone what I think happened tonight.

And I’ll never tell anyone I’m about to get off to Malcolm McKinsley.

Pow!

My eyes pop open to the stain on the ceiling, the towel still damp underneath me.

My brows knit as I’m pulled into the day, sunlight pushing through the sheet over the window. My fingers move to the locket around my neck. Then it all comes flooding back.

That car ride.

That mouth.

That chuckle.

Mac.

If you leave, you will die.

“Emmy?” Uncle Jake’s voice brings me out of my thoughts. If he’s still here, and I’m still here, was yesterday all a dream? “Emmy!”

Reaching to the side of the bed, I grab my dying phone off the floor, hoping to see a text from Beau.

“Emmy!” Uncle Jake calls again. “Can you come out here for a minute?”

What now?

My body aches when I climb out of bed but with Uncle Jake calling again, it’s easy to ignore the pain. Grabbing a graffitied shirt off the floor, I pull it over my damp curls before heading out the room. My body stills when my eyes land on the bathroom door.

“Does this excite you, Butterfly?”

“Emmy, you gotta see this!” Uncle Jake calls again.

Moving to the main room, Uncle Jake looks out the dusty window. “What’s up, Uncle Jay?” My voice croaks when I speak as I move to the yellowed fridge. It”s plugged in but the milk is warm when I grab it. Reaching for the off-brand Cheerios reminds me our home is a hell of a contrast to the glamour of Paradise Hill. But at least here, I’m safe from the glares and whispers.

At least I’m safe from him.

Those iron eyes flash in my mind and when my eyes land on the red marks still on my wrist, the box drops from my hand.

It wasn’t a dream.

“I’m as shocked as you are.” Uncle Jake’s voice pulls me back to the room. “What the hell is a Bugatti doing in The Valley?”

Moving next to Uncle Jake, my eyes narrow on the black supercar sparkling under the sun. It stands out against old Hondas and Toyotas with scratched paint and bricks for tires.

“He”s lost, right?” Jake asks, reaching his palm out.

I know that gesture. He wants a beer. Turning to the fridge, I glance back at the window as I grab a brew. Have I seen that car before?

“It’s only a matter of time before someone steals it. And get a load of that license plate,” he laughs. “Mac?”

Crash!

The beer bottle shatters across the peeling linoleum.

”Emmy?”

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

Without another word, I grab the nearest jacket, Jake’s old faded denim from the beat-up sofa.

“Emmy!” Jake calls.

Opening the door, I push my feet into my shoes. It”s still damp and it brings me back to last night as I march towards that car.

“Mac! Watch out!”

My ears ring, the world flipping around me like it did when I was in the backseat of Beau’s rover.

I’m halfway to the car before my legs turn to jelly.

My knees scratch against the concrete when I fall as my nest of curls roll over my head.

We’re in this together, Butterfly.

I’ll keep you safe.

That hurling feeling comes back with intensity.

Hooooonk!

Lifting my head, my curls blur my vision as a truck bears down the road. Trying to push myself up is hard, the honks blending with Beau’s cries in my head. Mac’s voice. That splash. I give in to the pain. I should let it hit me. If last night happened, I’m as good as dead.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Butterfly.” My knees lift off the ground as Mac’s voice comes to my head. “I’m not letting you go that easy.”

We move out of the way just as a truck passes by. A gust of cold wind comes with it but it”s no match to the warmth against my body. Mac stands me up on the side of the road before he releases me. A shiver runs through me when I look at him. My brows knit as confusion stirs the heat inside me. Then my hands come against his hard chest, pushing him away. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Keeping my word.” Moving to his car, he looks around, his sleek collared shirt and slacks wrinkled. His hair is messier than usual, dark circles under his eyes.

“Did you sleep here?”

“You should really pay more attention to what happens outside your house.” He looks past me at our home. “If you call it that.”

Pulling Jake’s jacket around me, I glance back at our trailer. Jake’s in the window and I can see how low his brows are from here. “You need to leave, Mac.”

“Not without you, Everett.” Mac opens the passenger door before it swings into the air like the wings of a butterfly. “Get in. If I stay here a minute longer, we won’t have a ride.”

“You’re lucky Angelo and his boys didn’t get their hands on it. Or you.”

“Who the fuck is Angelo?” Mac’s nostrils flare. “Does he make you moan like I do?”

My cheeks heat before my hands come to his chest again, but it”s so rock solid my palms bounce right off. “Fuck you.”

“If you’re lucky. Get in, Ember.” I hate how he says my name, disdain dripping off his tongue as that knot in my stomach twists again.

“The fuck is it this time, Mac?” My nails dig into the skin in my fist. “The guillotines? A torture chamber? You gonna tie me up in my bathroom again? Or are you gonna get to the chase and murder me like you did Beau?”

Slam!

It makes me jump when the car door shuts. Nothing makes me jump in The Valley.

He stalks up to me, closing the distance between us. “Watch your tone, Everett,” he growls. “Unless you want Uncle Jake to get another injury.”

“Want another of your own?” I smirk.

His hand latches around my throat. His smirk matches mine when a choking sound escapes me. He pulls me towards him, his words in my ear. “You’re a sick fuck too, aren’t you, Everett?” My hands come to his wrist, but he squeezes harder. “Maybe you’re the reason Beau is gone. If you left like I told you, he’d still be here.”

My hand slaps against his cheek so hard my palm stings.

“Ember?” Uncle Jake calls from the door.

Mac loosens his grip before he takes a step back. He turns around, waving at Uncle Jay like he’s a regular guest. Glancing back at Jake, I can see how tight he’s gripping that bottle, then he puts a bare foot onto the brick we use as a step.

“Get out of here, Mac,” I warn.

“I have a task for you.”

“Ember?” Jake calls again, his voice a little closer.

“Leave,” I warn again.

“Why? Maybe Uncle Jake wants to know what you’ve been up to. Casual murder. Sex in his bathroom…” My body stills, his words reminding me how real last night was. My legs feel like jelly again before I wobble. Mac puts his arms out, catching me. Another gesture that contradicts who he is. “You gonna tell Uncle Jake how I make your knees buckle?”

Shit.

Glancing back, Jake storms towards us.

I can’t let him reach Mac.

Who knows what this asshole will say?

Jake’s been through enough. I need to be stable for us both, even if that means dancing with the devil.

Pushing Mac away, I move towards Uncle Jake, meeting him in the middle of the cracked sidewalk.

“Who is that, Emmy?” he asks, his eyes on Mac.

Glancing back, Mac waves again.

“Just someone from my new school,” I respond, trying to push Jake back to our home.

“A friend from your new school who chokes you?” Jake’s bushy brow raises.

I still feel the heat on my neck from where Mac’s hand was. “We were just playing around.”

“Oh yeah?” Jake sounds far from convinced. “Is that how rich people play? I should have a word with your friend.”

“No!”

Jake’s narrow eyes finally move back to mine. “You like this guy, Ember?”

“What? No. No!”

“Sounds like you like this guy.”

“Okay, fine. Yes.” I fucking hate him, but I can play this to my advantage. “Please, don’t embarrass me, Uncle Jay.” I give him the eyes I know he hasn’t resisted since I was a kid.

“Ember…” Jake’s eyes search mine and for the first time in a long time, I see past the drunken haze. “Your father will haunt me from his grave if I ever let anything happen to you. I won’t go to him. I get it. But I don’t trust those guys in The Hill and you know why. Promise me you’ll keep your head above water and be careful.”

Glancing back at Mac, he smiles. His perfect rows of teeth twinkling under the sun makes my skin fry. “I’ll keep my?—”

“Hey,” Jake cuts me off, his hands coming to each side of my face as he pulls my attention back to his eyes. “Promise me.”

“I promise.” But it’s a little too late for that.