“No, no, I don’t need that,” she says finally.
“You don’t deserve that shit. And if you want, I’m happy to pay him a visit and teach him how one treats a lady.”
“The only favor I need is for you to treat my friend well. I’m so glad she’s got someone like you, Brexley. Someone who’s nice to her.”
A dark bark of a laugh escapes me. I clap a hand over my mouth, but I know it’s too late. Goldie may not have heard it, but I know Brexley has.
After a pause, he says, “Don’t worry, I give her exactly what she needs.”
Any mirth in me dies as I replay how he did that last night. It was exactly what I needed, but I hate it. I hate that I needed it and I hate that I want it again.
After such an intense banging, I’m totally cured of my monthly “episode.” A day early even!
I don’t feel any arousal or need, especially not toward Brexley.
A little voice whispers in my head.Liar.
Chapter24
A Quick-ie Study Break
BREXLEY
Red emits a growl of frustration and starts to slam her book around before massaging her temples.
Yet again, we’re back in the dusty library. Red has taken two practice tests. I peeked at the scores, she’s making passing grades, but apparently, it’s not enough.
Tomorrow is Monday which not only means she has classes, she has two finals. One she is prepared for, but the other she’s close to tearing her hair out over.
“Why are you so freaked out about this test? It’s not like it’s the end of the world if you don’t do well.”
She turns to me, her mist-colored eyes flashing like flint. “If I fail this class, I have to repeat it.”
“So?”
“So?” she echoes in outrage. “I’m behind enough as it is after dropping out of FFA. I failed most of my classes there and I refuse to be the same loser I was.”
“How can you blame yourself for failing a mage academy when you have no magic? That’s as ridiculous as it is unrealistic.”
Red fiddles with her septum ring and mutters, “It wasn’t all magic application. I flunked the magic theory and history classes as well.”
That takes me aback. I’ve never seen someone so fanatical about their studies. Red is no dummy, so why did she do so poorly then?
I say the next part very carefully. “At the risk of being skinned alive, do you maybe have a learning disability or something?”
She drops her hand, as her mouth opens then closes like a fish out of water. “No, I don’t have a learning disability. In my defense, this financial auditing class is one of the hardest. And the professor is nicknamed the dragon because she is so ruthless. And the FFA was difficult because there were,” she halts as if afraid of revealing too much. She finally lands on the word she can live with, “distractions."
“Hunter?” I ask.
Instead of confirming or denying, she nervously licks her lips.
“Can you cut that out? You lick your lips more than any other person I’ve met, and it’s annoying as hell.”
It also makes me want to kiss you senseless, every faefucking time.
Her brows lift in surprise even as she tightens her lips. “Sorry, it’s a habit I thought I’d broken.”
Now I feel bad for making her self-conscious about it. What is this girl doing to me?
