And why was I playing in his web? I had to find his weakness and used that against him to level the field. Or turn the tables on him. I'll find his weakness. If it's the last thing I do. My nostrils flared. "Listen up, buddy—" "You called me babe the other night," he interrupted. "—if you think... What?" "I said you called me—" "Shhh. Shhh. Shhh." "—babe the other night." My face felt hot. Just as I was finding my footing, he pulled the rug out from under me again. He opened it. The box filled with our dark secrets from that night. We weren't supposed to talk about it until after x amount of days or some bullshit rule someone had made up that I was totally willing to follow if it would save me from this. Too late. I was engaging with a player who broke every rule in the game. "I called you babe that night as an insult." His thumb grazed the corner of his mouth, going back and forth, back and forth, as if he was contemplating something. "Tell me," he started. A small smile appeared on his lips. And still, he kept rubbing. "Did you kiss me that night as an insult too?" He did not just go there! If I was a volcano, my lava would be all over him by now. "Because," he continued, looking at me like he wanted to eat me in one big bite. "I want more." Oh, no, no, no. He's not doing this to me again. I blinked rapidly, mentally shaking my brain. Resetting it. Focus. Call upon your inner Jedi. She's in there somewhere. "Is that why you reached for my zipper the first chance you got?" I shot back. "I mean that was my first kiss!" His blue eyes widened in surprise. Aha! Finally! But at what cost to me? I didn't mean to blurt that out. I just handed him another golden weapon he could use on me. "I'm not sorry about that night. I got you where I wanted you, didn't I?" What? My arms started to hurt. I realized I was still gripping the steering wheel the whole time. I let my arms fall to my sides, slumped back against the seat. "But I am sorry for... going too fast." He looked down, hiding his face from me. "I usually don't lose control like that." When he turned his gaze on me, the full power of them penetrated my shield. "Next time, I'll make it good for you, babe." The last word he said with a huskiness in his tone that made me shiver. It felt like a promise. Holy smokes. My face felt hot again. And it was dangerously and quickly spreading throughout my body. I wanted to bite my lip, but I was afraid he would be able to tell that I was... turned on. No! B itch be cray cray. I was not turned on. I leaned away as far as I could, closed my eyes and took a deep breath. His scent had taken over every air space in this car. It was drowning me. I opened the window a crack. Better. "We have—" I cleared my throat "—to discuss this deal. I'm not going to be at your beck and call just because you need a ride. I have a lot of responsibilities." "Give me your class schedule." "You're not getting my class schedule. What are you, my keeper?" "If you want." "I don't want," I said. "I'll give you the times I'm available then you can call me if you need a ride then." "No." He was so disagreeable. And damned argumentative. "You're going to give me your class schedule. Your work hours too. If you don't, I'll find a way to get them anyway," he said confidently. "What time is your class?" "Blah, blah, blah. Stop talking. You're hurting my ears." Suddenly, he moved closer. His face inches from mine as he asked in a soft, seductive voice, "Kara." "Hmm?" Air. I needed air. "What time is your class?" "Eleven." "I woke you up too early," he said softly. "I-I was going to review and do homework anyway." His hand reached out to touch my cheek. I wanted to lean closer, rub my face like a cat against his big, wide palm. Instead I leaned away, gathered all my battery charge so I could find the strength not to succumb to him. "This isn't happening again," I said. "That night. It was a mistake. A mistake I don't intend to do again." He moved away. "I'm driving," he said coldly. "Get out of the car." "You're not driving." "Yes, I am." "This isn't even your car!" "It is until you finished my motorcycle." How did the conversation suddenly come to this point? We were just... Suddenly he slid out of the car, pulled open my door. "We're not leaving until you go to the passenger side." Suddenly I was very tired, my eyes heavy. I felt like the cheese in my whiz was gone. The fizz in my pop had evaporated, leaving me flat and limp. I was too exhausted to argue with him. The car was warming up considerably, and I thanked God that I could barely detect Dylan's toxic cologne. I yawned, covering my mouth with my hand. I only had three hours of sleep last night, and just a little more than that everyday this week. Trying to fulfill my work and school duties at the same time was taking its toll. And it was so easy to just give up trying to control everything for a while. Just for a little while. Instead of getting out the door, I crawled to the passenger side as slow as a turtle, taking my sweet time. I heard him sigh, then suddenly he was on the other side of my car, closing the door. How the hell did he get here so fast? "Did you teleport?" I asked him sleepily when he settled in the driver's seat. "What?" "Nuthin'." "Seat belt," he said. I was going to put it on, but now that he said it, I didn't want to. "Kara," he growled. I turned away from him, lowering the seat so I was lying down at a comfortable angle. It was so warm in here. His sweater smelled so good, so comfortable. If I had my own place I'd want this scent to cover every surface of it. I let out a contented sigh, closed my eyes and fell asleep.