“Doesn’t know what?” Miranda demanded, oblivious to the bomb in the form of a man seconds from detonating.
“Shut the fuck up!” Jack roared. “You don’t have any idea what you’ve done.”
The potent fear in Jack’s face chilled me to the core.
The one that haunts me the most is myself.
In every situation, I chose flight over fight. But this time, the urge to run away from the imposing danger was non-existent. I laced my fingers with Ollie’s and tugged gently. When his eyes found mine, I fought to hide any ounce of trepidation. Poised like the embodiment of violence, cheek blooming red from the hit, those metallic eyes oozed more than wrath- a thread of pain gleamed back at me, buried so deep that only someone stupid enough to face his stare head on would see it. Whatever orwhoevercaused it deserved his unrequited rage.
He dropped his gaze to our hands, the silver chased away by blue. I led him to the exit, and we walked in silence as the buzz of liquor drained away. He didn’t let go, didn’t try to pull away, didn’t walk too fast or too slow. The silence was heavy, but not strained. Back on campus, I angled for the dorms when he finally stopped.
“It’s true,” he said, refusing to meet my eyes. I waited, knowing I couldn’t push him. I recognized that kind of pain- like an exposed wire next to water. “I went to her, but not for the reason you think,” He admitted.
A stab of jealousy hit me no matter how prepared I thought I was for it. “You don’t have to explain yourself,” I murmured. He grit his teeth.
“But Ido,” he insisted. Then his hands were on my face, tilting it up to look at him- anguish mixed with something I’d denied over and over.Desire. “Miranda is kind of like me. She has an unnatural power too. She can manipulate emotions, so I asked to get high," he explained, "I can’t think, I can’t sleep, I can’t fuckingbreathewithout it coming back to you. I went to her to convince myself that I didn’t want you because you’re dangerous to me.”
His explanation of her power was a gut punch. Her palm on his chest, the instant wash of pleasure that rolled through him- it all made too much sense. But his confession of why he went to her wound me into a tight ball of anticipation.
“How am I dangerous to you?”
He scoffed, “How are you not?” He closed the distance between our bodies; fires kindled at every point of contact. An inferno that I welcomed with open arms. His fingers dipped into my hair. “I can’t hide from you. I can’t erase what I don’t want you to remember, I can’t see what you think of me, I can’t-”
I couldn’t take it another second. I rose on my toes and silenced him with my lips. He froze.
This was a mistake.
Then his fingers tightened in my hair, pulling my head back-
Obliterated.Demolished.
His kiss wasn’t sweet, it wasn’t tentative or tender. It tore through me, shredding and braiding me into pure need for him to take all of me, every cell and mold it into himself. The taste of him had me ravenous while our tongues danced and dueled for more, more,more.
I frantically clawed to bring him closer. He groaned into my mouth, a hand scouring down my back and digging into the soft flesh of my hip. Barely breaking for air, he yanked me hard against him. The feel of him straining through his jeans drew a moan from me.
He broke away, both of us panting.
“You’re coming with me,” he whispered. A delicious shiver crawled down my spine. My hand firmly in his, we rushed to the elevator. A sharp tug, I spun-
My back collided with the metal wall as Ollie’s hands slammed on either side of my head, his forehead bent to mine. Slowly, so slowly, his hands dragged down either side of me. A hint of skin brushing mine, his body curled over me, but out of reach. I needed his weight against me. Arching from the wall, needing friction-
An invisible force pinned me in place, glowing silver eyes and a grin dared me to fight.
“Please,” I whimpered, hating the desperation in my voice.
His eyelids fluttered closed, a strained look crossing his face. “Fuck,” he groaned as those eyes opened again to keep me in place. “Begging like a good girl already,” he murmured.
My toes curled.
He hit the button and crowded me again, teasing me with the tickle of his tongue on my neck while he kept enough distance from where I needed him most. It was the most excruciating elevator ride of my life.
The door opened and I was swept off my feet with a squeak. Finally pressed against his body, I tucked my face into his neck, letting my mouth graze his skin. Salt and smoke on my tongue- my thighs instinctively tightened around his waist. He cursed under his breath, picking up the pace and in minutes, he stared down door 525. It exploded inward, slamming with a glance over his shoulder.
“I’ll never get used to that,” I gasped. A smug smirk crossed his lips as he brought me through the dark dorm to the last room. That door blew in too, only to thud closed. The world streaked as he whirled me around and backed me to it.
Forearm braced over my head, he skimmed his lips across my ear. “I've been dying to corrupt you,” he whispered, warm breath making me squirm. His arousal burned into my belly, nose trailing up my neck. “Do you want me as badly as I want you?”
A threat and a plea. Whatever magic he wielded had a secret part of me stepping into the spotlight. My pounding pulse and fuzzy brain gave fear the middle finger. I peeled his hand from the door, guiding it to the button of my jeans.
