12. All You Have to Do Is Say Stop

12

All You Have to Do Is Say Stop

Teal

I spin to face Declan and instantly wish I didn’t. It’s obscene how good he looks in a simple black T-shirt and jeans. Black strands of hair fall over his eyes, and it draws out the nearly transparent blue shimmer in them.

The last thing I need is my body betraying me the same way my mind already has. But I don’t step back because I refuse to let him know what the sight of him does to me.

“You want next?” I hold my pool stick between us and rest my weight on it. “You sure about that?”

He steps closer. “Scared you’ll lose?”

“It’s cute that you underestimate me, Declan.”

“I think I estimate you perfectly, Teal.” He flicks a blue strand of hair off my shoulder, circling to Mila and taking her pool stick when she hands it to him. “So, you racking? ”

“I just won. You rack ’em.”

Declan isn’t someone who takes orders, so I can’t help issuing the challenge to see what he’ll do about it. Just because everyone else bows at his feet, it doesn’t mean I will. Besides, I can’t deny the tinge of excitement that bubbles up every time I piss him off even the slightest bit.

Declan rakes his teeth over his bottom lip, watching me. The temperature in the room is nearly unbearable under his gaze, and I swear all eyes are on us, even if that’s not actually the case.

After a long pause, he breaks our staring contest to walk over to me.

He leans in so close no one can hear us. “Guess it’s the least I can do when I’m about to kick your ass. Although, we both know you’d probably enjoy a little spanking more.”

He pulls back, an amused grin stretching his cheeks.

“Asshole.”

Declan shrugs, walking around me to rack the balls.

With a new game set, he waves an arm out for me to play.

After my first hit, I’m stripes, and he’s solids. I sink two balls before I miss. It was a clear shot, and I’m disappointed Declan’s presence is throwing me off my game.

Pool is usually an easy win for me. My father and I didn’t have much in common, when all he cares about is expensive bottles of scotch and the stock market, but he does enjoy playing pool. It’s the one thing we bonded over, and I’ve been playing as long as I’ve been tall enough to see over the table, so I know what I’m doing.

Unfortunately, so does Declan. The second I miss a shot, it’s his turn, and he sinks two balls with hardly any effort.

“So, what are we playing for, Teal?” He sinks another ball.

“Shouldn’t we have decided that before we started playing?”

“Scared?” He arches an eyebrow, looking at me when he sinks his next shot.

“No.” It’s a lie because Declan is way better at this than I thought. “Fine… If I win, you leave me alone.”

“Alone?” He smirks at me. “That’s not what girls normally want from their bo—”

“For the night.” I cut him off, glaring at him when I realize what he was about to say.

Luckily, Mila is distracted with Oxy, and Patience is scrolling social media, so they aren’t paying attention.

“Fair enough.” He leans down, missing his next shot, unphased by it. “ When I win, we’re going to have a chat… alone.”

“A chat? Seriously?”

Declan nods, but something about his expression makes me nervous about what he wants to talk about.

“Fine.” At least the request sounds innocent enough.

It’s better than him negotiating relationship perks again. Fake dating is one thing, but having his hands on me is dangerous. Especially knowing what it’s like to kiss him.

Declan doesn’t take his eyes off me as I line up my next shot, and I sink two balls in a row. Even with the confidence boost, my nerves are back the second I miss. With anyone else, talking is talking. It costs me nothing. But Declan always has ulterior motives.

“You’re up, Tealene.”

I glance at Declan, who is standing with his weight on his pool stick as he watches me. He must have missed a shot, but I was spacing out, not paying attention.

I’m never nervous. I never lose at a game of pool. Leave it to Declan to draw out all my weaknesses.

This time, I only sink one ball before it’s his turn again. He has his shots lined up, and given his skill level, I’m counting down the seconds until this is over.

With a final shot, Declan wins.

“Crap.”

Declan chuckles under his breath at my irritation.

“Here.” I hand my pool stick to Patience.

Her eyebrows pinch. “You’re not actually entertaining him with this, are you?”

“It’s just a conversation.”

Just a conversation.

As if such a thing exists where Declan Pierce is concerned.

Luckily, Patience believes me, taking the stick as someone else at the party walks up to play against her.

Declan doesn’t say a word as he walks past me. He barely even glances in my direction. Still, I follow him deeper into the hellhole they like to call Sigma House, like the idiot he makes me .

We weave through the party, and I expect him to pull me upstairs, but he doesn’t. Stopping in a quiet hallway instead.

“Well, you won.” I click my tongue. “Let’s talk and get this over with.”

Declan crosses his arms over his chest, maintaining an unnerving distance. “You’re avoiding me, Teal. Not very girlfriend-like of you.”

“Stop pretending this is real.”

“Stop pretending it isn’t.”

I narrow my gaze. “I’m not avoiding you. We just played pool.”

“I’m talking about before that.”

“When you were sitting up on your throne when I arrived?” I mock him.

“So you did notice me.” He winks.

“It’s not a compliment.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Are your feelings hurt because I didn’t bow down to you the second I walked in the door?”

Declan doesn’t react to the comment, and I hate that he’s calm while I’m out of breath from our verbal sparring match.

“What do you want, Declan?”

“I thought that was clear.” He quirks an eyebrow.

“Well, it’s not.”

“You.”

A swell of anger pulses between my temples. I don’t know what kind of game Declan is playing, but I’m ready for him to let it go .

“We’re already dating .” I throw up air quotes because I refuse to validate it by using that word seriously. “You already have me.”

“We both know that’s not true.” Declan takes a step closer. “So long as you keep dancing around this with your friends, lying about what we’re doing, and holding things back from me, you’re breaking our agreement. Do I need to remind you what happens if you don’t play along, Tealene?”

He reaches up to tuck my hair behind my ear, and I pull back.

“What are you asking me to do exactly?” I narrow my eyes. “This was supposed to be fake . Why are you suddenly acting like you’re genuinely interested? Don’t tell me it was the kiss.”

“The kiss was fine.” He chuckles.

Asshole .

“Well then, what else do you want?”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said to Dr. Parish.” He diverts the subject.

“The tapes again, really?” I shake my head. “What about them?”

“We both know there are things you’re still not saying.”

“You’re talking about the things I don’t remember?” My eyebrows pinch. “Why would you care about that?”

He shrugs. “Call me curious.”

“Well, if that’s what this is about, we might as well end this now.” I tap my temple. “If you actually listened to the tapes, you’d know there are holes in my head. Shit, even my fucked-up brain knows better than to let me remember. No matter how much anyone tries to dig them out. And they’ve tried. Trust me. Therapy. Hypnosis. Nothing works. Whatever you’re after isn’t coming out. So if that’s what this whole fake ‘us’ thing is, we can end it.”

I try to slip past Declan, but he snatches my hand, pinning my back to the wall and planting a hand beside my head.

“There is no out , Teal. I already told you.” He sweeps my colorful hair off my shoulder. “You’re my girlfriend until I say otherwise. And even if I have to break you to get what I’m after, I will get it.”

“What will you do with that information?”

“That’s not something you need to worry about.”

Except I am worried.

Very worried.

The shadows in Declan’s expression rumble like thunder on the horizon. I’ve been asking why Declan would help me—why he’d want to date me—but now that I know what he’s after, I can’t help wondering just how twisted this game is.

My brain wiped certain memories for a reason. Whatever happened the night I tried to take my life three years ago was bad enough that it ended with me standing in the middle of the road staring into oncoming headlights. And by the time I finally snapped out of my fog, my brain had buried what led me there.

All I remember is the rain.

The headlights.

Alex carrying me into the hospital .

I remember the blood. So much blood.

Alex told the doctors he found me like that. A crumpled mess on the side of the road. And I was left with nothing but injuries to heal and holes my mind can’t ever seem to fill.

Secrets Declan is after, for whatever reason.

“Even if I do remember, I’m not telling you.” I jut my chin up. “That wasn’t part of our arrangement.”

“We’ll see about that.”

I ball my hands into fists. “You’re sick.”

He brushes his thumb over my lower lip, grinning at me. “You’re one to talk. I’m not the one popping pills to get through the day without slitting my wrists.”

“Fuck you.” I shove him away. “I hate you.”

He grabs my forearm when I try to pull away, spinning me around so my chest is pinned to the wall. “Hate me all you want. You’re mine now.”

“I’ll never be yours.”

“Wanna bet?”

Declan drags his nose into my hair, breathing me in. His hand wraps around my body, dipping down to grab me between the legs. His touch burns with the heat of hell. A place that’s destined to house my soul with how my body melts beneath his touch.

“I’m getting really tired of you fighting me on this, Teal.” Declan grabs my pussy harder, pulling my ass against his cock while he dips his mouth to my ear. “I think it’s time you get onboard… fully.”

He releases me, stepping back. And when I spin around, he’s pulling out his phone and typing a text. The wicked gleam in his eyes when he shoves his phone back into his pocket has my nerves on edge.

“What did you just do?”

“You’ll see.” He stands up tall, grabbing my hand.

But when he starts guiding me toward the staircase, I try to fight him.

“I need to get back to my friends.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Declan—” I pull again, but it’s no use.

He turns me to face him, tipping my chin up. “You can either come with me willingly, or we can walk back over to them together to tell them about our happy little union before we go upstairs. Either way, you end up in the same place.”

“In your bed?” I glare.

He tucks my hair behind his ear. “If you’re good.”

Declan is the worst, but I stop fighting him. Because the only thing worse than Declan dragging me to his room is my friend’s finding out the mess I’m in.

When we reach the top of the stairs, he pulls me to a hallway on the right. Either side is lined with eight-foot-tall doors that have the Sigma Sin insignia carved into them. When we’re halfway down, he stops, unlocking one of them and waiting for me to go inside first.

The room is barren. It’s barely decorated apart from the minimalistic furniture. But I freeze when I see what’s hanging over his bed.

“My painting.”

“Mm-hmm.” Declan shuts the door behind us .

He pauses with his chest against my back, brushing his fingers over my bare shoulder.

“Why did you put it in here?” I don’t know what to make of the fact that Declan hung my art in his room, apart from it being one more way I’m trapped in his game.

“Why not?”

He always answers a question with a question, and it’s infuriating.

Taking a step deeper into the room, I look around for any hint of Declan, but there is none. There’s not one decoration or item on the dresser or desk. Everything is put away, and the bed is made. There’s not so much as a wrinkle on the surface of the comforter.

It’s the exact opposite of my dorm room, scattered with sketches and clothes. A complete mess.

“So what now?” I wave my arms out, spinning around. “Did you bring me here to assert your dominance? To take what’s yours ?”

I’m pissing Declan off on purpose. Challenging him like I don’t know how that will end.

“You could say that.” He dips his thumbs in his pockets, watching me.

But the moment I open my mouth to respond, the door swings open behind Declan, and a girl walks in. She’s vaguely familiar, so she must go to our school, but I don’t know her name. Her dark-red hair is tied back, and her eyes match her blue maxi dress.

“What is this?” I glance back at Declan, and my stomach plummets .

Declan doesn’t answer right away. He turns and walks across his bedroom to a chair in the corner. Spinning, he sinks into it, his cold gaze landing on me.

“You’re going to accept what you and I are to each other, Teal. Whether you like it or not. You’ll admit you’re mine in every way. And when you do, I’ll give you what you refuse to admit you want.”

“What is that?” I cross my arms over my chest. “You think I want to have sex with you?”

“I think you want answers.” He grips the arms of the chair. “I think you want something you know only I can give you. Admit what we are, and you can have me.”

“Like you’re some kind of reward.”

“I’m not.” His tone is harsh, and it sends a tingle down my spine. “But relationships are about trust, and until we have that, you aren’t fully mine.”

“I don’t trust you.” I roll my shoulders back in defiance. “And I don’t want anything from you.”

He hums. An evil, dark glare lights up his eyes.

“We’ll see about that. All you have to do is say stop, Tealene.” Then his gaze flicks to the other girl. “Come here.”