Ah! I snapped back to reality and tried to knee him in the groin, but he caught my leg. His kiss became even more aggressive, a frenzied assault that felt like a vengeful rampage. I could barely keep up, my mind bombarded by the relentless onught of male hormones.


    A shiver ran through me. If this had been in the past, I might have thrown myself into his arms, turning the tables on him. But now, I would rather kiss a cute little dog on the street than kiss him.


    I found him filthy. From his lips to his entire being, I didn''t want to touch him anymore! I bit down hard on his lip. Nichs pulled away, looking at me in disbelief, his eyes zing with anger.


    I barely caught my breath before he was back on me to pin me down. I opened my mouth to bite him again. This time he pulled back immediately.


    "Are you a dog?" he snapped, irritated.


    "Don''t touch me!"


    "Do you not want me to touch you, or do you not want me to touch you in front of Pete?" Nichs wiped the blood from his lip with his thumb andughed lowly.


    I looked over his shoulder at Pete, who stood frozen not far away. But what did a kiss matter? We were all adults now.


    Pete had probably kissed many women before. I remembered how fiercely he pursued my deskmate, the school beauty, back in the day.


    "You said you wouldn''t touch me again."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    I shifted my gaze from Pete back to Nichs and, without further argument, opened the door and got in. Nichs reached over to buckle my seatbelt, his hand pressing mine down.


    He didn''t leave right away, but instead asked, "Why didn''t you refuse? Don''t you hate me?"


    I shook my head and closed my eyes, my voice void of emotion. "You didn''t use to be like this."


    The Nichs I remembered had always been a gentleman. The person he was now felt like a stranger.


    He paused for a couple of seconds before gripping the steering wheel tightly. With a bitter tone, he said," You didn''t use to be like this either."


    The car roared to life, and as we sped away, Pete''s figure quickly receded in the rearview mirror. We drove in silence.


    On the way, he received a phone call and changed our destination to udia''s hospital.


    His expression was grim, so I asked cautiously, "Is udia''s condition serious?


    It was supposed to be just a superficial injury. She should''ve been fine after some stitches to stop the bleeding and proper rest. There shouldn''t have been any furtherplications. But his eyes told a different story as if something serious had happened. Nichs looked at me with suspicion and questioned, "Ariana, tell me the truth. Was udia being stabbed by a homeless man your doing?"


    12


    ""It wasn''t me!"


    I was a person of principle. If I had done something, I would admit it. But if I hadn''t done it, no amount of coercion could make me confess.


    The car screeched to a halt by the roadside, the tires making an ear-piercing noise. He propped one hand on the steering wheel, his eyes filled with deep disappointment.


    Then, he closed them wearily while pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers.


    I forced a smile, feeling the sting of his repeated suspicions. I told myself not to cry, but the tears were uncontroble, welling up and threatening to spill over


    "Nichs Hawk, you''re not a judge. Investigations should be left to the police."


    As soon as I finished speaking, he let out a coldugh. The police are at the hospital now, waiting to take you in. If you admit your mistake now, I can help you out of this mess."