Page 26 of Facade

Jace hadn’t kissed her on the lips, or made even the tamest of sexual overtures. Her seeming manly was probably weird for him. Or, he was holding back for the same reasons she was, possibly both.

Clarke wanted to progress their relationship. But it would be more difficult to keep her distance once they were on that path. Then, there would be added frustration from only being able to take things so far.

There was nowhere for them to spend the night, and explore each other at their leisure. Getting a hotel room in Clementine would be risking exposure. Most, if not all of the staff lived in town.

There just weren’t any good options. No matter how sexy Jace was, Clarke wasn’t about to get frisky on concrete in a mice-infested basement. She would have to keep her libido in check.

Still, it was hard not to fantasize about all those rippling muscles. Clarke just knew Jace would look even more delicious naked. It was a crying shame to have such a buffet of hotness right at her fingertips, and be unable to touch him.

Clarke sighed as she hiked back up the stairs to the powered dorm. They would figure out a way to explore their relationship without being discovered by the staff, even if they had to wait for winter break. She had an amazing mate that she trusted, who was helping search for her dad. They would have to take the good with the bad, and be patient.

On Monday morning, Clarke showered, ready to jump back in case of a sudden temperature change. She scrubbed down fast as she stared at the showerhead with distrust, but nothing happened. Clarke had taken to showering at random times, hoping to keep Mitch from messing with her.

Maybe it was actually working. Or not. When she stepped out of the shower stall, the bath mat slid out from under her feet, sending Clarke careening across the floor, which looked to be covered in a sheet of ice.

Her left knee slammed into the toilet, and damn, that hurt. Reverberations of pain from the impact shot down to her toes, and up her thigh.

Clarke did manage to catch herself on the sink vanity before hitting her face on the faucet. She gasped and cussed a blue streak, trying to catch her breath.

That motherfucker! Did he have nothing better to do than lurk outside her dorm and torture her? A powerful elemental could manipulate his or her element from a certain distance. But Clarke was positive that Mitch wasn’t strong enough to attack her from his dorm.

Moving cautiously, Clarke made her way to the door leading into her bedroom, using handholds to keep her balance and prevent another fall. Her knee and elbows were already beginning to bruise from her collision with the sink and toilet.

Clarke tried to shake it off as she dressed, ate a light breakfast, and prepared for the day ahead. The injuries would probably ache for a few days, but weren’t serious.

She reported the sheet of ice in her bathroom, sending it to the maintenance department. They’d been out twice already, to check the pipes and toilet, finding no mechanical issues. Hopefully, Russell’s plan was working. Clarke was sick and tired of being the target of Mitch’s vendetta.

She had a shift in the library that morning, and braced herself to deal with Russell’s persistent flirting. The sharp pain in her knee had subsided to a dull, throbbing ache by the time she left the dorm. But her knee protested the second half of her walk across campus.

Clarke made an effort not to limp or wince as she entered the library. She wasn’t successful, however. Rather than greeting her with innuendos and a naughty smirk, Russell scrunched his face in a frown, and looked at her with concern.

“You’re moving stiffly. Did something happen?”

“A sheet of ice on the bathroom floor resulted in me getting into a fight with the sink and toilet,” Clarke replied dryly. “I lost.”

“That asshole,” Russell fumed. “I tried talking some sense into Mitch on Friday. Obviously, it didn’t do any good.”

“He seems impervious to logic. Thanks for making the effort, though.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that. He’s gone too far,” Russell said.

She was distracted by the sight of Professor Halston entering the library. With a brief nod in their direction, he strode purposely toward the spellcasting section. Clarke’s eyes followed his tall, lean form appreciatively as he walked.

What was wrong with her? She had a mate who was just as sexy and gorgeous as Heath Halston, albeit in a completely different way. Clarke told herself she had no business drooling over another man.

Her eyes didn’t listen to the lecture, seeming to have a mind of their own. It was like she couldn’t help herself. A loud, dramatic sigh from next to her caught Clarke’s attention.

“I know,” Russell said sympathetically. “Halston is so dreamy, with a fantastic ass, and brains that surpass his physical perfection. But unfortunately for your supposedly non-gay self, and my honestly-gay self, he isn’t remotely curious. Trust me, I tried, and used all the charm in my considerable arsenal.”

“I was lost in thought, and facing that direction, not staring at Professor Halston,” Clarke lied through her teeth.

Damn Russell’s keen powers of perception, anyway. He was far too observant for her comfort.

“With your eyes glued to those flexing ass cheeks? Sorry, not that gullible,” Russell teased.

Having no idea what to say, and knowing Russell wouldn’t believe her anyway, Clarke marched off to shelve a cart of books with his laughter following her. It wasn’t even noon yet, and the day had gone to hell.

Heath