Page 16 of The Monster I Am
There’s a begging to his tone, and regretfully, my resolve starts to waver. Damn baby blues.
“Fine,” I huff. “But surely you can get your hands on the footage somehow. That would help speed things up.”
Tai strums his fingers on my other knee. “We’re working on using Elizabeth’s credentials. Or Marcus’.”
My eyes flit over to Lannister. “Really?” I remark sarcastically. “Your father’s login details?”
He sneers at me. “It’s the only way it won’t get flagged and brought to their attention. We’re waiting for him to commence that part of his own inquiries so we can fly under the radar.”
I can’t help but dryly laugh. “He’s not going to bother, Lannister. You’re wasting time on a miracle that’s never going to happen.”
“Election campaign,” Rylan points out. “They have to if they want to save face.”
“Oh, of course,” I mock. “They need to be the heroes saving the poor disadvantaged Cedar Heights students.”
Lannister cocks an eyebrow. “Are you done yet, Duchess? So far, we’re the only ones who have contributed anything meaningful to this conversation and effort. All you’ve provided is useless commentary.”
Maybe I was definitely hallucinating during the fire, because this version of Hunter Lannister is cold as ice, nothing like the man I thought I saw that night. I should have known better. A wolf in sheep’s clothing is still a wolf.
“Whatever,” I murmur dismissively while standing up. “My apologies for being laid up in the hospital and nearly dying. I’ll be sure to be more productive for the team from now on.”
This time, I’m faster than Rylan, already heading toward the door before he can stop me.
Tai offers to give me a ride home after school. Originally, I had offered to hang out with Soph, but apparently their dad is back in town and breathing down their necks.
I’m a little heartbroken to miss out on Mary’s snacks, but from everything I know about Rylan and Lannister’s fathers, I can’t say I'm surprised that Tai’s is no different.
“Where are we going?” I ask him when I notice he misses the turn into my street.
“We could both use a break,” he says simply, hands tapping away on the steering wheel in beat with the song blasting through the speakers. “I’m not ready to go home yet.”
I immediately clue in on his mysterious route, my suspicions confirmed when the beach comes into view. Tai pulls into the parking lot, killing the engine before stretching and letting out a groan. “This is exhausting.”
Amused, I snort, patting his leg sympathetically. “You get used to it. Toughen up, princess.”
Tai glances over at me. “Princess is still above duchess,” he grins jokingly before letting out a yelp as I punch his arm. “Gentle, Bexley! I’m not like Rylan. I’m a delicate flower, you know.”
“You’re a rose bush full of thorns,” I remark. “Nothing delicate about you, Beckett.”
He smirks dangerously, dropping the act. “You know—I think you’re right.”
I raise an eyebrow at his hand coming toward me. I don’t stop him, interested to see where this is heading. He runs it up the inside of my leg, purposely dodging the bandages. When it starts to disappear under my skirt, I snap my thighs shut, clamping his hand between them. “And just what do you think you’re doing?”
“Open your legs, Spencer,” he orders in a deep, gravelly voice.
“No.”
“Open. Your. Fucking. Legs.”
His fingers curl and dig into my skin before he surprises me with a strong yank, prying my thighs apart.
Well, shit. I didn’t know Tai Beckett had this side in him. I can’t say I hate it.
The push and pull of a power struggle, the battle for dominance… It always awakens something in me. I think that’s why the chemistry between me and Rylan is off the charts.
When Tai and I had sex, it was the polar opposite—intense, raw, sensual. Exactly what I needed at that moment in time. But now? I crave the power struggle. I think as much as I always want to win, there’s also a part of me that wants to know what it’s like to lose. I want someone else to be in control for a moment, to give my mind and body a rest and just allow myself to fall into uncomplicated bliss without having to analyze everything.
I’ll still make them damn well work for it, though.
