Bile surges up my throat because I shouldn’t be having those thoughts right now—or ever—about Knox.

He’s a vicious psychopath. And I refuse to be his pawn.

Therefore, I won’t make this easy for him.

If he wants this, and it’s obvious he does, he’ll literally have to force me to get it.

I clamp my mouth shut when he grips the base of my neck.

His gruff voice vibrates through me, “Open.”

Peering up, I tell him to go to hell with my eyes.

That only makes him chuckle, like this is all a game to him.

A knock on the door makes me jump.

“Aspen, did you need something?” my mother chirps from the other side.

Realizing it’s my chance at freedom, I speak up, “Y—”

Knox takes the opportunity to shove his dick inside my open mouth.

I’m too shocked to move for a few seconds.

His grip on my hair tightens, and he thrusts his hips, forcing his cock so far down my throat, I can’t help but gag as my eyes begin to water. “You shouldn’t talk with your mouth full, sis.”

“Is everything okay?” my mother questions, sounding confused. “What’s going on?”

As if sensing I’m about to bite the damn thing off, the asshole withdraws his dick.

“Everything’s fine,” I tell her, my stomach churning with indignation. “I’m just looking for a curling iron.”

“Oh. It’s on the fourth shelf in the closet.” She makes a sound of irritation in her throat. “I have to go, I’m late for my meeting with the caterers.”

A second later, I hear her footsteps fade away.

I should get up and leave because it’s evident this disgusting altercation is over now.

But then he’ll know he won, and he’ll assume he’s the one with all the control.

Fuck that.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I part my lips and slide my mouth down his thick length, sucking him as deep as I can.

Briefly, I see a flicker of surprise flash in his eyes before they squeeze shut, and he groans, almost like he’s in pain. “Fuck.”

He braces one hand on the sink and clutches the side of my face with his free one. “Good girl.”

Fighting the sudden rush of arousal that hits me, I scrape my teeth along his shaft, expecting to hear him squeal and push me away.

But he doesn’t.

“More.” He grunts, his grip on my face tightening.

I bite down harder, but that only makes him grind out, “Is that all you got?”

The tendons in his neck flex as a sheen of sweat dots his forehead. It’s obvious I’m hurting him.

Yet, he’s also enjoying it.

Almost like he’s the one controlling the pain—controlling me—instead of the other way around.

“Come on, Stray,” he growls, his face tensing as he glares up at the ceiling. “Make me fucking bleed.”

Holy shit. He’s crazier than I thought.

“Jesus,” I exclaim, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

He doesn’t say a word as I push to my feet, and that only makes me more irate.

“You’re such an asshole.” I glare at him. “Pull that shit again and I’ll tell your dad.”

He holds my stare. “Do it.”

Animosity flows like ice through my veins. “I hate you.”

He picks his towel up off the floor and slings it around his waist. “I hate you more.” The corner of his lip curls. “And for the record, you give a shitty blow job.”

I should let it go and walk away, but I can’t. My dad used to always tease me about needing to have the last word, and well, he wasn’t wrong.

“Trust me, it wasn’t like I was actually trying to please you. Hell, you forced—”

“The moment you got on your knees, I let go of the door. You could have left whenever you wanted. But you didn’t.”

Wow. He’s delusional. “That’s because my mother was standing right outside—”

“So you’d rather suck your stepbrother’s dick than have mommy dearest come to your rescue?” He rubs his chin. “Interesting.”

It’s all I can do not to reach over and throttle him. “Fuck off. I didn’t want—”

“Then you should have left.” Smirking, he inches closer. “But here you are.” His heated stare holds me frozen. “Christ, you’re pathetic.”

I open my mouth to speak, but he brushes past me. “I know what you want…but it will never fucking happen.“

“I don’t want a damn thing from you, asshole,” I hiss before the door slams shut.

But even as the words leave my lips, I know it’s a lie.

Because buried deep down…beyond all the hurt and pain.

Beyond all the lies I’ve convinced myself are the truth and all the truths I’ve forced myself to believe are lies…

I want to know why something inside me comes alive whenever he’s near.

I want to know what makes him tick and what makes him so evil.

I wanted a battle…but he gave me a war.

Chapter 12

Aspen

The earthy smell of smoke from the large bonfire fills my nostrils as I step out of Traci’s Volvo.

Staci says something to me, but I can’t hear what due to the rap music bumping from the large speaker someone set up near a tree stump.

I’ve been to Devil’s Bluff lake once before, but never while there was a party going on.

I turn my head to ask Staci to repeat herself, but she links arms with Traci and they both rush ahead of me to be with the sizeable crowd of people gathered around the fire.

Not only do I feel totally out of my element, I’m seriously regretting not bringing a sweatshirt because it’s chilly up here in the mountains.

Dirt and branches crunch under my shoes as I take a tentative step. Sucking in a breath, I look around. There’s a freshwater lake peeking out of the cleft between two enormous mountains, which are surrounded by trees and moss.

It’s serene and tranquil. Like a scene a talented artist would create.

Well, except for the large keg, various bottles of liquor being passed around, the red solo cups littering the ground, and the half-dressed teenagers grinding against each other.