CHAPTER NINE
STORM
My alarm went off, scaring me awake. I reached over to my bedside table to silence my phone. Did I even sleep?
I dragged my ass out of bed, pausing to stretch before standing up. It took several attempts to fully open my eyes and get moving. I really shouldn’t stay up so late on school nights. I was going to be wrecked today.
After brushing my teeth and doing my makeup, I dressed in jeans and a crop top. My hair was wavy from the braid I’d slept in, falling down my back. Good enough. I had no time to do anything different. I didn’t want to be late.
“Why did you get in so late?” Chase asked when I entered the kitchen. He sat at the large island, shoveling a waffle into his mouth. “Who were you sneaking around with?”
“Nobody.” I shot him a dirty look, wary of my mom overhearing. She must still be upstairs. “Not that it’s any of your business. I was at Athena’s place.”
Opening the freezer door, I scanned the interior for more of the frozen waffles Chase was eating. None. A glance in the recycle bin revealed the empty box.
“Couldn’t save any of those for me?” I eyed his plate, counting three more waffles. “Jerk.”
He shrugged, not giving a damn. “Grab something at school.”
My brother was the only person who could annoy me so deeply with his mere presence. Although Rebel was running a close second. Chase sat there stuffing his face, oblivious to my irritation. His short brown hair was mussed like he hadn’t bothered to comb it. A pillow crease lined his cheek. Moron.
Snatching a waffle from Chase’s plate, I stuffed it into my mouth, taking a huge bite. He made a pitiful attempt at stabbing me with his fork. Too late. I’d already darted out of reach.
“Asshat,” Chase muttered, glaring as I flounced out of the kitchen.
On my way out, I almost ran into my mother on her way to make coffee. She still wore her robe, her hair in a messy bun.
“Oh, Storm. Good, I was hoping to catch you before you left for school.” She waved me back into the kitchen where she got busy fixing her morning brew. “The Kanes are coming over for a barbecue this weekend, so I’ll need you to grab a few things from the store on your way home.”
My stomach lurched, threatening to eject the bite of waffle. I held the rest of it in one hand, unable to eat. “Why me? Get Chase to do it.”
“I would.” Mom slid a pointed look at Chase who stared at his phone, oblivious. “But I’d like it done properly. That’s why I’m asking you.”
“What day are they coming?” I asked, trying not to be suspicious. “I have plans with Athena this weekend. I might not be here.”
“I expect both you and your brother to be here. We’re new to this neighborhood. It means a lot to me that we make a good first impression. Invite Athena over if you want.” Mom’s back was turned as she stirred cream into her mug. She didn’t see the sour expression I wore.
“Fine. Text me your list. I have to run.” The thought of being forced to have dinner with Rebel and his family was almost too much to bear. What did I ever do to piss off the Universe? Surely this was a punishment of some kind.
I made it to my car and onto campus without running into Rebel. My first two classes were demanding of my attention, making it easy to forget about him for a while. I had an hour before my third class which gave me a chance to grab food and catch up on some work. After buying a chicken salad sandwich, some fries, and an iced latte, I found a free table outside and got busy.
While chewing bites of my sandwich, I worked on a class assignment. The weather was great, providing a gentle breeze that occasionally lifted my hair. I wished I could work outside all day. Going back into a stuffy classroom would suck after this.
As I worked and munched my lunch, a familiar voice reached me. Oh no. Maybe if I kept my head down and ignored him, he wouldn’t notice me sitting here.
Rebel and some girl I didn’t know walked past, coming from the parking lot. She talked animatedly while he gave bored responses. When I dared to glance up, I found him staring straight at me.
He pulled her to a stop, motioning to a nearby table. They sat down, keeping up their conversation. She ran a hand down his tattooed arm, remarking about how much ink he had.
“You should see the rest of it,” he said, his tone oozing fake charm.
She giggled, making me grit my teeth. “I would love to find out how far it goes.”
“I’m sure we can make that happen.” Rebel looked more at me than her. I made sure he saw me roll my eyes.
Was this some pathetic attempt to make me jealous? What was there to be jealous of? Maybe the fact that he hadn’t dumped garbage over her head or left her a dead animal.
Averting my gaze, I did my best to keep working. My mind wasn’t in it anymore. If Rebel wanted a reaction, he wouldn’t be getting one.
“Is it okay if I sit here?”
I glanced up, surprised to find a dark haired cutie standing next to my table. It was the guy the girls had called River. One of the Venom boys.
“Sure, go for it.” I offered him a friendly smile, keenly aware of Rebel’s glare in our direction.
River sat down across from me, plopping a text book on the table. He nodded to my laptop. “Are you catching up on work too?”
“Yeah. I just transferred here, so I’m a little behind. Business stuff. Good times. What are you studying?” Making polite small talk helped me keep my focus off Rebel, although I knew he watched our every move.
“Journalism. It’s not as exciting as I thought it would be. I’m enjoying it though.” He extended a hand. “I’m River. River Harris. Don’t believe anything you hear about me.”
His playful grin was warm and inviting. I shook his hand, aware of Rebel in my peripheral view. He clenched a hand into a fist, no longer listening to the girl beside him.
“Storm Masters,” I replied. “You probably shouldn’t believe anything you hear about me either. Especially if it comes from Rebel Kane.”
River made a face of disgust. “No worries. I wouldn’t trust a thing that comes out of that guy’s mouth. Has he been bothering you?”
I found myself hesitating. I didn’t know River at all. Sharing the truth with him might not be the best move. Would he use it as a reason to make more trouble for Rebel and his friends? As much as I’d like to stick it to Rebel, I didn’t want River to use me as a reason to go after him.
“He’s my neighbor,” I answered honestly. “His mere existence bothers me. It’s all good though. I can handle him.”
A comfortable silence fell as River and I both turned to our work. After several minutes passed, he closed his book and stretched.
“I can’t focus on this shit right now. I don’t want to bother you while you’re working, but maybe we can grab a drink sometime. Maybe this weekend?” River quirked a brow, his expression hopeful.
“I don’t think so. She has plans with me.” Rebel was suddenly there, looming over River. “Now beat it, Harris. I need to have words with my pet.”
I felt the color leave my face. Frozen in place, I stared at Rebel in horror.
River looked from Rebel to me. “Do you need me to get rid of this prick, Storm?”
Rebel laughed, a sound so dark and demonic it left me quaking. “I fucking dare you to try, motherfucker.”
“No,” I said quickly, afraid of seeing a fight break out between the two of them. “It’s fine. Thank you though.”
River rose, grabbing his text book. He had this look, like he thought about smashing Rebel in the face with it. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
The two of them stared hard at one another, mere inches apart. Then River stalked away, clutching his book like a weapon. I stifled a groan.
Rebel rounded the table, sitting down right next to me. He helped himself to a few of my fries before taking a bite of what was left of my sandwich. I watched him with rising anger. He smirked, knowing exactly what he was doing and loving it.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snatched my plate, pulling it away from him. “Can’t you see that I’m trying to work here? I don’t need the disruption, Rebel.”
He shrugged, reaching over me for another fry. “You seemed fine with River interrupting. Do I need to tell you what will happen if you use him to get a rise out of me again?”
“River wasn’t being a pain in my ass,” I retorted. “And I’ll talk to whomever I damn well please, thank you very much.”
“Sure. Do that. Find out the hard way what happens when you push me to the bad place.” He spoke so casually, like he was chatting about the weather instead of promising punishment.
Instead of encouraging him by continuing this conversation, I turned back to my laptop. Although it wasn’t easy, I kept working. His close proximity messed with my head. Why did he have to smell so damn good? No, no smelling Rebel. Must focus on my classwork.
Rebel reached over and randomly closed the laptop on my fingers. My temper flared, chasing back any trepidation I may have had. Even though I knew he was trying to goad me, it still worked.
“Why are you so desperate for my attention?” I snapped. “Don’t you think it’s getting a little pathetic now?”
“Don’t you think you’re trying too hard to convince me that you don’t like it?” He leaned in so close his lips brushed against my ear. “If you hated it so much, you’d have told River to kick my ass. He was ready and willing, and you said no.”
Inwardly I cringed. I hated that he was right. River had given me the opportunity to have someone else step in and deal with Rebel. But I’d sent him away.
Rebel’s warm breath on my skin made me question everything I knew about myself. I flushed with heat, wanting more and hating myself for it. Reminding myself that I was nothing but a game to him helped me strengthen my resolve.
“You need to leave me alone,” I said, proud of how firm I sounded. I sure didn’t feel that way on the inside. Part of me melted into puddles, aching for more of him.
Luck smiled on me when Athena and Luna came to my rescue. They spotted me and beelined over, plopping down at the table.
Rebel didn’t hang around. “See you soon, pet,” he whispered in my ear before ambling away like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“What was that all about?” Athena raised a brow, watching him go.
“He’s totally into you, huh?” Luna added with a teasing smile.
I sighed. “I’m not sure that’s how I’d put it, but yeah, Rebel loves making me crazy. Let’s not talk about him. How’s your day going?”
I made it through the rest of the day without another run in with Rebel. Until I walked out to my car after my last class. He stood there leaning against my car, arms crossed as he waited.
“What do you want now, Rebel?”
Since he leaned against the driver’s door, I opened the passenger side and tossed my bag onto the seat. I had half a mind to crawl in that side and over to my seat so I could speed away and leave him standing there. He seemed to sense my thought process because he quickly rounded the car.
Pressing me against the vehicle, he trapped me with his body. “I want you to beg, Storm. I want you to scream. And I kind of want you to run like hell so I can chase you. Should I go on?”
Excitement ran through me, stealing my breath and making my pulse race. The devious gleam in his eyes went straight to my core. A throb between my legs brought an embarrassed heat to my face.
“None of those things will ever happen,” I promised, not at all confident in my ability to keep my word. “You need to get over yourself, Rebel. You need to get over this sick obsession you have with me.”
“Every one of those things will most definitely happen. I love that you fight it. That will make it so much more satisfying when I get you on your knees begging for my cock.” His hand went around my throat, holding me in place as he nipped my bottom lip.
A gasp escaped me. The sharp sting had been sudden and unexpected. I gazed up at him like a deer in the headlights, speechless and shaken.
Before I could react, my brother’s voice rang out.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing to my sister?”
This was the last thing I needed. I couldn’t have been more appalled. I expected Rebel to let go and back off. He did no such thing.
He looked over at my brother who stood near the back of my car, watching us with growing fury. “Whatever the fuck I want. Not that it’s any business of yours.”
“It is now,” Chase hissed.
He grabbed Rebel’s shirt, jerking him away from me. I tensed. I didn’t trust Rebel not to do something dirty and underhanded.
Rebel eyed up my brother. Cool and unruffled, he said, “You look like a healthy guy. How are your kidneys? Liver?”
Confused, Chase frowned. “What the fuck are you talking about? You need to stay away from my sister, asshole. I won’t tell you again.”
Alarmed by Rebel’s questions, I shoved away from the car, pushing between them. “Okay, Chase. Thank you, but I don’t need your brotherly protection right now. I can take care of myself. Go home.”
“Get in your car and leave first,” Chase insisted, his glare locked on Rebel. “I don’t trust this dick.”
“Smart,” Rebel quipped. “You shouldn’t. You’d lose your mind if you knew what I plan to do to her.”
Chase’s fist flew, nailing Rebel in the jaw. Rebel stumbled back, rubbing his chin with a grin. Absolutely psychotic.
“Hit me all you want.” Raising a hand, Rebel invited more. “It won’t change anything.”
As Chase moved to swing again, I grabbed his arm. “Stop it. Mom will lose her shit if you beat up the neighbor. He’s not worth it, Chase. Come on, let’s go home.”
Satisfied with the discord he’d achieved, Rebel sauntered away, pausing to say, “See you on Saturday. Can’t wait.”
Chase watched him go, his dark eyes flashing with anger. “What the hell is wrong with that guy? Does Mom know he’s so unhinged?”
“He just wants to get you worked up. Don’t give him what he wants. I’ll see you at home.” I got into my car and started the engine, sucking in deep breaths to calm the adrenaline.
I waited until Chase went to his own car further down the lot before driving away. Clutching the wheel tight, I fumed all the way home. Rebel Kane was a supreme shit disturber. Living next door to him was going to make me crazy.