~ ~ ~
By lunch I was suffering from severely low blood sugar, and the dizzy spells were growing stronger. I’d been so nerve-racked in the morning because of Santiago coming to pick me up that I hadn’t eaten. I definitely needed food.
Ignoring the other students’ gawks, I stood in line with my tray: a slice of greasy pizza, red Jell-O, and orange slices. I neared the register and felt a very deliberate push from behind. “Bitch!”
The contents of the tray went flying, as did I. My body slammed onto the cold tile floor, sending the air whooshing from my lungs. I immediately heard grunting and a guy behind me scream.
I rolled onto my back to see Santiago gripping the boy—only he wasn’t really a boy, but a mannish teen with a beard, BO, wide shoulders in a letterman jacket—by the collar of his shirt. His name was Jer. Mr. Dipshit Quarterback. It was a widely known fact he worshipped Janice.
“Get the fuck off me, dude!” Jer struggled, but Santiago whipped him around like a tiny rag doll, threw him facedown on the floor, and placed his thick boot in the small of Jer’s back. Santiago kneeled and grabbed Jer’s hand, twisting his wrist and placing him in some weird pretzel hold.
“Don’t ever fucking touch her again. Do you hear me?” Santiago said in a low, menacing voice. “I know where you live, where you eat, I know where you piss. None of which you’ll ever do again if you lay another fucking finger on her.”
The entire cafeteria fell into a horrified hush as everyone froze in their tracks, including the register lady.
My eyes practically did somersaults out of my head. Oh no! “Let him go, Santiago. You’re going to break his arm.”
“Say you heard me, asshole,” Santiago was as cool as a lethal cucumber, and ignored me.
“I heard you.” Jer’s bright red face was smushed against the dirty floor as he managed to form the words.
“You’ll never touch her again,” Santiago whispered. “Right?”
“Right.”
Santiago released Jer’s hand, slid his booted foot to the floor, and looked at me. “You! Outside.”
I pointed at myself. “Me?” Oh no. I wasn’t going anywhere with this madman.
Just then, Ms. Marie showed up. Her eyes zeroed in on Jer, who was picking himself and his very battered ego up off the floor. “Mr. Jerold Parker! To my office!”
Jer pointed at Santiago, who simply nodded his head to greet the principal. “But this guy just—”
Ms. Marie pointed to the exit. “Office! Now!”
Jer did as he was told, clearly baffled by the situation.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Asturias,” Ms. Marie groveled, grinning goofily before returning to her frown and trailing behind Jer.
Santiago’s lethal gaze shifted back to me, and the entire lunchroom continued to stare in silence.
“You. Outside. Now,” he growled.
Oh my God, he was going to kill me and no one was going to stop him.
I turned slowly and walked outside, listening to the students’ voices explode as we left. I suddenly felt the urge to run and never look back. Instead, I walked at a brisk pace, weighing self-defense options.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going, Dakota?”
I didn’t answer, but headed for the parking lot.
“Dakota…” he warned.
“Stop! Okay! Just stop!” I turned, and he almost rammed right into me. “You are not my father. Don’t tell me what to do. I don’t even know who the—”
He moved so fast that I didn’t even see him coming. He cupped his hand over my mouth and pulled me into him. “Don’t. Don’t say another word.”
Though he towered over me, his dark eyes were inches from mine, his anger palpable. But I didn’t feel afraid. Not even close. I felt…riled up. Then I noticed the heat from his body, the hardness of his chest against mine, and the feeling of his hips pressed against me. They only made me think about one ridiculous thing. Sex.
Damned you, stupid hormones!
Well, my brain was stronger than my hormones, and my rational thought wouldn’t be overridden by some ridiculous, biological response to this man’s body. And face. And…everything.
“You’re making a scene, and everyone is watching,” he seethed. “You will calm yourself. You will remember everything I told you. And you will never challenge me again. Nod if you understand.”
I nodded, but only so he’d let go.
“I’m going to release you now. I’m trusting you.” He slid his hand from my face, and I immediately opened my mouth to scream at him. But before any sound made it past my lips, he covered my mouth with his.
His lips were hard and soft and hot. All in one. He pulled me closer, and though a part of me really, really wondered why he was kissing me, the other part was too busy noticing the roughness of his stubble scraping the edges of my lips as his hot mouth worked over mine. That other part of me also noticed the heat explode from every point of contact between our two bodies. It noticed his strong hands pushed into the small of my back, pressing me to him like a vice. Damn it. The man tasted like fifty-one flavors of sin—sweet, salty, sexy—and I wanted more.