Strip Tease

Chapter 11

THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO HELLOOHAYXO FOR BEING SO GREAT. SHE WAS MY VERY FIRST VOTE!
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"Where are we going?" I asked again. It felt like I had asked this question so many times already and every time he found away around answering it. I was currently trying to keep up with his long strides as he dragged me to his car. He had my backpack in one hand and my hand in the other; his fingers still laced with my own. It was starting to hurt, the amount of pressure he was holding it with but I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

"To my house." He didn't even look at me when he spoke. I was growing irritated. He can't just force me to do things.

"Wait!" I rip my hand from his grasp and we both stop in the middle of the empty street. My chest heaving and my brain to scattered to make sentences. I wracked my fingers through my hair trying to get a grip. "I don't even know you. I don't do these kinds of things, I'm smarter than this! I don't go to breakfast with men who stalk me. I don't bring them home and have a sleep over. And I do not let them whisk me away to some undisclosed location just because they think they can drag me there. I don't even know you." I folded my arms across my chest to shield myself from the cold and the emotions bubbling inside of me. He may have saved me from Jason but that doesn't mean all is wonderful and we can be best friends now. I was thankful, don't get me wrong. But I'm not stupid.

The air was tense now between us. I had nothing left to say, but I wasn't sure that I wanted to turn around and walk away from him. Something inside of me told me to stay right where I was.

Orion took a step closer to me, still out of reach but close enough that I could feel his body heat. But maybe that was just the electricity between us.

"But you trust me." It wasn't a question, he was stating a fact. He knew I did, even if I wasn't ready to admit it to myself.

I don't say anything. I squeeze myself tighter and drop my head in defeat. I may not say anything, but I don't have to. 

"Raegan," He was in front of me in a flash. His hands went to either side of my face, protecting me from the cold with his warm palms. "Trust me." His emerald eyes bore into mine, my resolve weakening the longer I stare into them.

I merely nodded in reply. How was I supposed to speak when his eyes held that much conviction? His presence alone made it hard for me to breathe, let alone speak.

His eyes flickered back and forth searching my own. He closed his tight so he couldn't see me anymore and I looked down at his lips. They were pursed, hard. Something in his head was starting a war. Just as fast as it happened, he dropped his hands and walked backwards until he was a safe distance from me. He didn't speak and the silence was growing awkward.

"Mind if I drive?" I finally asked, walking past him and towards his car. I saw his lips twitch into a smile and it restored my confidence.

"If you can reach the pedals, you can drive." He smirked but I knew I would never be able to reach, even if I pushed the chair all the way forward.

He walked to the passenger side and opened the door, waiting with a mocking smile on his smug face. I got in, refusing his hand that was extended to help me in the car and he closed the door after me. He jogged over to the drivers' side and got in, starting up the truck.

"Where are we going?" I asked for the millionth time.

"I told you, my house."

"That's not good enough. Where do you live?"

"In a house." I rolled my eyes but gave up with asking any more questions. It was pointless.

We had only been driving for 20 minutes when a residential area came into view. The houses weren't like the suburbs, but then again I never would have suspected that with him. Instead, the houses were distanced from each other so you couldn't see anything from the neighboring homes. Each house was large with lots of windows. They all had white paint and bright green grass that made you want to lay in it and watch the clouds. I could tell the people that lived in these homes didn't have children. They were just too clean and not lived in. These weren't the kind of homes you raised children or had family barbecues in, these were the kind that got put into home and garden magazines and made you feel bad about your own home.