Something ugly grows inside me, but I’m torn from my inner anguish when Liam nudges my shoulder.

“This is the best part.”

My brows knit together. “I thought you hadn’t seen this movie before.”

Leaning close, he flashes a smile. “I lied.”

Clearly.

My eyes land on Grayson again while the movie music rises to a crescendo as the car chase on screen ends in a large explosion. I’m up on my feet, squeezing past legs in my hurry to get out. I make sure to walk past the row where he sits, and when I pass him, I tap his shoulder. I don’t have to wait long outside for him to join me. Blinking against the lights, he looks far too delicious in a denim shirt with a white T-shirt underneath and black jeans. “Willow, what’s wrong?”

His question pisses me off, and I shove him firmly before walking off. His thunderous footsteps catch up with me and he drags me into the family bathroom, then flips the lock.

“The hell is your problem?!”

“You’re with her?” I shout, irate, vaguely aware of the cramped room that stinks of piss and cheap, citrusy air freshener.

“What’s it to you?”

I repeat his words from the afternoon after the vigil. “If you ever let another man see you like this, Willow…”

Dragging his big hand down his face, Grayson chuckles, but the masculine sound is void of humor. “It was a mistake. I shouldn’t have touched you.”

His words hurt, slicing me like a sharp knife. Rejection is a flavor I’ve tasted before, yet my tastebuds never adjust. It’s as foul every time.

“You know that ‘boy’ Luca?” I whisper, stepping close enough to breathe in his smell: cologne and soap. “I let him fuck me in the backseat of his Toyota today.”

His hand flies out and wraps around my throat, forcing me up onto my tiptoes. “Careful, Willow. I’m not in control around you.”

“Is that why you fuck her? Because you’re in control?”

Baring his teeth, he tightens his grip on me, stealing my breath. “I fuck her because she’s a good lay.” With a cruel smile, he adds, “An experienced lay. She knows what she’s doing, unlike little girls like you.”

Now it’s my turn to mask my hurt with a smirk. “You like loose pussy, Grayson? Is that it?”

He cuts off my airflow again. I fucking love how he lets his snarling monster out from the shadows when I coax it out to play. “You’re jealous, sweetheart. You’re jealous because I’ll take her home and fuck her brains out after the movie while you sit on your bed, staring at my drawn curtains.” Leaning in close, he whispers in my ear, “I might leave them open tonight. Let you watch me ravage her.”

“I won’t be home,” I choke out. “I’ll be on all fours in Luca’s bed.”

Spinning us around, he shoves me up against the door and snakes his hand inside my skirt. His fingers hook the fabric of my panties and slide them aside while he breathes in my ear, his lips spreading in a dark smile against my sensitive skin. He shoves two fingers into me and clamps his hand over my mouth to silence my pained whimper. I’m sore after Luca.