Shadow’s shift over Loxen’s eyes, like hearing Reed’s name on my lips, sends him into a very dark place. And I’ll admit, I find immense pleasure in getting under his skin. He’s the one intruding on my space, so if he wants a show, I’ll gladly give him one.
“Fuck, Gravenhurst,” Reed groans, sliding his hand up my abdomen to palm a handful of my breast. He pinches my nipple, and I let out a moan, but my eyes are locked on one thing, straight ahead, like he’s the centre of my gravity. He watches me, his gaze dropping to my mouth, my breasts plunging from the top of my dress, and then to my pussy where Reed is about tospill his seed. His eyes drift back to mine, and it does something to my insides.
I feel a satiating heat crawl up my cheeks. We continue to stare at each other, and the intensity of the moment is almost too much to bear. Loxen swipes his tongue over his bottom lip, sending me over the edge. What I would give to feel it lapping at my pussy. To feel his fingers brush over my pebbling nipples, hardened by my arousal for him. My orgasm tears through me, and I cry out in pure ecstasy, my hips trembling while Reed finds his release seconds later.
He collapses on the bed beside me, and in a panic, I look up to make sure Loxen is nowhere to be seen. He’s gone. He disappeared again, and my heart plummets. It seems to be what he’s best at.
“That was fucking incredible.” Reed turns his body towards me, draping his arm lazily over my waist.
I’m too distracted by the thought of swirling midnight eyes to give him any sort of intelligible response, so I smile and place my hand over his arm.
“We’re okay, right? You and me?” Reed asks, peering up at me beneath his long lashes, and I nod, kissing him on the cheek.
“We’re okay.”
Reed and I spend the rest of the evening chatting and making plans for the following weekend. My mind is in a tizzy the entire time, overwhelmed by my need to confront Loxen. By the time I walk Reed to his car, I’m itching with an urge so intense to hunt down my intruder and give him a piece of my mind. I don’t have to search for long, though. It’s as if thinking about him summonsthe demon from the depths of hell where he lurks, just waiting for any moment of weakness to toy with my emotions. Out from the shadows he saunters towards me, like he was waiting for Reed to leave to make his move.
“Did you enjoy your Sunday evening?”
He has some nerve.
“What the fuck was that about Loxen?”
An infuriating smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. He enjoys getting me all riled up.
“You tell me, Verena. From where I was standing, it looks as if you rather enjoyed my presence.”
“Are you jealous or something?”
Loxen laughs, such a wicked sound I’m taken back by the sharpness of it.
“Hardly. What is there to be jealous of? Some rich boy, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, waiting for his father to kick the basket so that he can swim in his riches?” He scoffs. “Ridiculous.”
I glare at him and pivot on my heel, stomping my way back into the manor and ascend the staircase. Loxen follows closely behind, clearly not taking the hint that I want to be left alone.
“You can’t possibly have true feelings for the man, can you?” His question has me quickening my pace.
“Why do you hate him so much? Did he do something to offend you, or can you really just not stand to see me happy?” Loxen doesn’t say a word, just flexes his jaw.
“You don’t even know him. He’s kind, and he cares about me. He doesn’t play hot and cold with my feelings. I’d much rather spend my time with him than with the likes of you.”
My words are like knives, slicing through the cool air between us. Lox doesn’t flinch, though; instead, he follows me right to my bedroom door. His voice is soft, but taunting.
“Is that why you came while staring at my face then?”A flash of triumph passes over his gaze, like he knows he has me right where he wants me.
“I can’t stand you!” I scream and slam the door in his face.
I can hear him chuckling as he walks down the hallway, and just as I’m turning away from my door, I hear him mutter, “Feeling’s mutual, little crow.”
SEVENTEEN
VERENA GRAVENHURST
Reed’s warm hand skims up the expanse of my inner thigh, his hard body pinning me against the stone wall. He kisses me so deeply, I no longer recognize where my lips end and his begin. Though the basement of the academy still gives me the creeps, this week has been interminable, and Reed has been an excellent distraction for quieting my inner demons and their relentless pestering. I’ve yet to see the groundskeeper since his tirade over the weekend. I haven’t spotted him creeping through the manor halls, or even in his usual spot in the garden, and honestly, I feel relieved.
Two fingers trail over my sensitive flesh through the thin fabric of my panties, rubbing my clit in lazy circles. Reed peppers kisses against the crook of my neck, and a breathy moan escapes me, “F-fuck, Sullivan.”
His voice is as smooth as silk as he whispers against my ear, “Come out with me tonight.”
