Page 36 of Merciless

I shift in my seat and play with the silverware rolled in a napkin. “I’m fine.”

“Whatever happened, birdie, I can help you. Just think about it.”

A waitress stops at the table and takes our order. It’s a nice saving grace—one that I desperately need.

If I tell Elijah what happened last night, he’ll look at me differently. I don’t know how to articulate what happened. I’m still confused about my reactions to it.

I’m tempted, very tempted, to take his offer. The only thing standing in my way is my fear that Elijah will yank the rug out from beneath me.

But I don’t know that I have another option.

CHAPTER 15

EDEN

DAY 3 OF THE BET

The wind blows in my face as Elijah drives well past the speed limit to the campus. I wouldn’t mind the breeze if my hair wasn’t blowing all over the place. I pulled the ribbon out of my hair earlier, and now I regret it. It’ll be next to impossible trying to tie it back now.

“Here,” Elijah says. He pinches an elastic band between his fingers and holds it toward me.

I frown at it while awkwardly holding my hair out of my face. “Why do you have that?”

“Has anyone ever told you how charming your questions are?” He tosses a teasing smile at me before turning his focus back to the road. “It’s okay to accept help.”

“I still want to know why you have a hair tie.” I pluck the offered band from him and pull my hair into a low ponytail.

“Do you really want to know?”

I nod.

Elijah turns his brooding eyes to me, the corner of his lips curving into a subtle smirk. “It’s for when the woman is sucking my cock and doesn’t have one, and I don’t feel like fisting her hair.”

“That’s disgusting.” I wrinkle my nose.

He chuckles and returns his attention to the road. “You asked.”

I can’t get the visual out of my head. Not only that, but the memories from last night also play out again. Instead of the man wearing a mask towering above me, it’s Elijah’s face that I’m looking into.

A shiver creeps up my spine. Warmth pools low in my belly, and I hate how I’m reacting to him.

There must be something wrong with me.

I peek at Elijah from the corner of my eye and scrape my front teeth against my bottom lip before releasing it. Shaking off the weird feelings, I turn forward and watch the world fly past us.

I sit straighter in my seat when I notice a purple retro sign. “You can drop me off over here.”

“Come on, birdie,” Elijah says with an annoyed sigh. “I warned you that you didn’t have to know.”

I shake my head. “No, stop the car.”

“It’s not⁠—”

“Stop!” I point at the arcade.

He swerves the car to the side and parks by the curb.

“You’re wanting to go here?” He raises an eyebrow.