Run Bad Boy Run

Chapter 34

"What did you just say?"

The shock that registers on my face makes Hayden look away and I expect him—no, I need him—to roll his eyes and start laughing at my reaction. There's no way in hell he would really expect me to do that! Right? Long dimples form up his cheeks and I almost sigh in relief, but instead of smirking, he frowns.

"Cross!"

Acting quickly, Hayden rolls down his window and pops the center console open to produce a long cigarette and lighter. When I open my mouth to remind him that this is his mother's car, his steel gaze stops me. He presses the cigarette between his lips and inhales deeply, a sunken look transforming his even features. I shudder at the ice climbing up my spine. He blows the smoke in my direction.

The scent is both entrancing and suffocating at the same time.

Much like Hayden Cross himself.

"You heard me," he replies in a leveled tone. Traffic picks up and wind whips through the car. "This is Truth or Dare. Things need to be interesting, right? We can't keep sticking our heads out the window. There isn't much to do here. Be happy I'm not daring you to do something...else." He wriggles his eyebrows suggestively.

"Gross." I grimace, turning away in disgust.

"No passing, remember?"

My nose twitches and I scoff. "What is it with you and wanting people to kiss you, Cross? Can't get a girl to kiss you willingly?"

The golden rays of sunlight illuminate Hayden's features and his gray irises transform into a light, almost clear, color. "There are plenty of girls who would love to—and have—kissed me willingly. I just like the fact that it freaks you out so much."

The last time he kissed me, a vein in my forehead almost ruptured.

"I'm not doing it." I announce, shaking my head and falling back against the pillows. The car rocks over a speed bump as we leave the construction zone. Tossing his cigarette out the window, Hayden picks up speed and we fly down the highway.

"If you want to be a quitter, that's fine." Doing a double take, he laughs. "Are you blushing, Emmy?"

Sudden irritation washes over me and I raise a hand to my cheek. "I'm always red, you jerk." The air in the car has suddenly become tense. Both of us are coiled, ready to fight. Hayden's eyes connect with mine. When he rolls his eyes, the irritation quickly simmers into rage, and I yank myself across the seat to make sure he can see just how red I can really get. "What's wrong with you, Cross? Did all of that time with gangsters push you into all-out sadism?"

He doesn't speak and that is all it takes for the floodgates to finally burst. Something in me snaps and everything I've ever felt comes rushing back. The anger, the hurt, the rage, the confusion, and the sadness—everything he's ever made me feel engulfs my whole being.

"Answer me, you ass! I deserve that much!" I scream, utterly losing control. "Were you the one suffering from major depression at the age of thirteen because of your weight? Were you the one cutting away at yourself when the one person you cared about more than anything in the world left you? Just so you could feel something? And then on top of that you have some asshole who couldn't leave you alone for two minutes?" A sob strangles my throat. "I was so happy when you left. I know it's bad, but I'm glad homecoming went the way it did. I went through fucking hell, Hayden! And you didn't make it easier! And now! It's all your fault that we're going to New York because you brought those sons of bitches to—"

My words are lost to the engine roaring as Hayden whips the car into the next open lane going over ninety miles an hour.

"What are you doing?"