“Good,” I said, plain as day, staring right back at him. Look away. Look away. Look away.
Mercedes blew out a bundle of warm air. “What is it with you guys and playing with fire? The Rebels have a way of being repulsively entitled to what they want and not caring who gets hurt. Just about everyone in this school knows that Cade has it bad for you, and not many people stand up to the Rebels.”
“Except Bain.” Just then, I skimmed right over the rest of the Rebels and locked onto the mysterious boy who had been watching me from the very beginning. It wasn’t like I didn’t notice him staring at me from time to time, and I was pretty sure that Cade’s feud with him had something to do with me, but what would I know? Cade was never truthful with me. That part was obvious after learning about the gun-running business that Isaiah was a big part of, meaning that Cade likely was, too.
“Whoa, what?” Sloane stepped in front of me, blocking out Bain’s intent to avoid my stare. Why does he always watch me when he thinks I’m not looking?
My sentence cut right to the point. “I need to talk to Bain.”
“Why?” Gemma asked. “Answer quickly. Here they come.”
I felt the shift of air as everyone made way for Isaiah, Brantley, Shiner, and my least favorite, Cade. My skin grew hot, even if there was a slight chill to the air from the basement being surrounded by the hard, frozen ground. “I have to ask him something.”
Gemma smiled proudly, and Sloane sighed agitatedly before saying, “You two are so much alike it’s scary.”
“Be careful and act quick before Cade pulls an Isaiah.”
I looked over at Gemma. “What does that mean? ‘Pull an Isaiah’?”
As soon as Isaiah’s hand went around Gemma’s waist, she laughed. “You’ll see.”
My brows crowded, wondering what they were referring to when Cade came up right beside me. I kept my gaze level, staring a hole in someone's chest who had wandered up to our group. I swore I could feel Cade’s beating heart racing beside me, right there along with mine. His familiar cologne filled my senses, and my body hummed as my eyes moved to the side, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. Conversations were going on all around us. Something about Tobias not coming to the claiming, which didn’t surprise me. Music was thumping, and loud laughter came from a group behind us, but I couldn’t hear a single thing. All I could do was feel. My blood was rushing, and my fingers twitched by my side to reach out and touch him. I felt the low dip in my stomach as I remembered the way I felt alive with his mouth on mine two days ago. I craved the pause in reality he gave me when we were alone, swept away in each other like he hadn’t betrayed me and left me alone to survive in a place that I could only describe as hell.
“Aubrey won’t be messing with you anymore.” The low rumble of his voice skittered over my skin like a whisper in the dark as he turned his head.
It made me angry. I wanted to turn toward him and shove him so he could stop jumbling up my head and pulling me back to that desperate girl that I was before when I allowed myself to fall for him. I needed to stop that pesky little thought that this time would be different, that I wouldn’t end up alone and desperate for someone to love me enough to not turn their back on me.
“I don’t need you, Cade.” I bit back like a small dog off its leash. Our group paused for a moment, and I could have sworn I heard a snigger from someone—probably Shiner if I had to guess.
The air that was at a standstill between us grew warm, and I became flushed, my chest feeling sweaty as my heartrate climbed. The music cut off, and I knew that Cade was looking at me. I felt his burning eyes on the side of my face. Someone over the speakers announced that it was nearing claiming time, and Cade leaned in so close I felt the brush of his skin against my bare arm. There was a catch in my breath, and even the mere touch of him had me in overdrive.
“You may not need me, but you want me.”
It was as if he could hear the dirty secrets that lived inside my head that I couldn’t even face myself. Before the lights shut off, I snapped my fiery gaze to him and calmly lied right to his face. “Wrong.”
Then, I slipped right through his fingers.