Page 51 of Merciless

I take a step back.

Shit. He really is here.

Memories of earlier resurface and play out in clips.

The man fucking my mouth, then my tits, demanding that I moan my stepbrother’s name. And I did, all while imagining it was Elijah fucking me and not some faceless bully.

If the pictures and the video get out . . .

If Elijah sees any of it, I’m screwed. It’ll be all over for me, and I’ll have the reputation of being an even bigger freak. For different reasons, of course. All because I got turned on by my stepbrother.

Elijah bangs on the door again, and I flinch before snatching my phone from the bed. Lying on my side on the mattress, I text the unknown number with shaky fingers. I backspace a few times to fix spelling errors, then hit send.

Eden

Use me for whatever you want. That’s what I’ll give you in return.

Just please don’t show Elijah the pictures.

I wait a few seconds, hoping he’ll text me back. But he never does.

I’m sure he’ll make me regret offering myself to him. He’ll use me for his sick desires and make me say things I don’t actually mean.

I meant it last night. The thought creeps into the forefront of my mind, starting small, then growing like an out-of-control weed.

Elijah knocks on the door. “I know you’re in there, Eden. If I have to get the key from the dean, I will.”

I glare at the door.

Why can’t he give up and leave me alone?

I give my phone one last longing look, hoping the masked man will message me back. I can’t face Elijah without the confirmation that he won’t leak the photos and videos of me.

The knocking stops, and everything goes quiet.

I loose a shaky breath and close my eyes.

Good. He’s gone away and will leave me alone. I don’t think the dean will give a student a key to a dorm, no matter what their last name is.

Exhaustion settles into my bones, and I curl up under the blankets. I got maybe an hour and a half of sleep after the masked man left. I spent a good portion of the morning spiraling in the pit of despair and freaking out about the pictures and video being leaked to the whole school.

But now that Elijah has gone, my worries seem to go with him. My eyes drift shut, and I just allow myself to breathe.

“Morning, sleepyhead.” Elijah settles his hand on my waist over the blankets. “Don’t tell me you’re skipping classes today?”

I don’t remember falling asleep. My bed dips behind me as Elijah sits. Spinning onto my side, I look into a pair of onyx eyes glittering with mischief.

“I don’t feel well.” I clear my throat and avert my gaze.

His hand disappears from my hip. He rests the back of it against my forehead. “You’re not running a fever.”

“Please, just go away.” I jerk away from him and wiggle across the bed. The mattress is large enough for me to toss and turn, but Elijah takes up all the space.

“Oh, no you don’t.” He frowns and throws back the blankets before looping his arm around my waist and jerking me into him. He rolls us over so I’m on my back and he’s settled between my spread legs.

My mouth opens and slams shut several times. Elijah threads his long fingers through mine, and he pins my hands above my head so I have no way to escape him.

I swallow hard and stare up at him.