AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“To be fair, I didn’t know she’d tried to kill me at that point,” I say, fingers playing with the strands of his hair. “I’d definitely be more okay with that now.”
He chuckles and his hand slides from my face down until it’s pressed to my chest. “My point is, you’re guided by this. By your heart. And I find that so fucking admirable. I like that about you, Rosalind.”
I shake my head, curling my hand around his wrist and holding him there. “What if doing this, joining this coven, ruins my softness, Hardin?” My free hand brushes the hair out of his face. “When I look at you and the others, I see this hardness around you, this shell. I know it’s because of the life that you’ve lived. I know it was because of how you were raised, and the people you have to interact with regularly. What if that happens to me, too?”
Hardin watches me for the longest time, before he shakes his head. “You already have a shell, love. You’ve built it around yourself for years. I can see it. I can see that it makes you strong. Love, in the last nine months we threw everything we could at you short of killing you outright and you survived. And you survived with this,” his hand rubs gently back and forth, “intact.”
His nose bumps into mine again, urging my head to tip back a bit. His lips press into mine softly. “But if you’re concerned about it. Then know that I will do everything in my power to keep this heart securely in your chest. I’ll fight for you to keep that softness, love. I’ll tear every asshole apart who tries to destroy it.”
I swallow. Normally, Hardin is the joker. Quick to lighten the mood with some teasing or a quip. But he is deadly serious about this. “Okay.”
His hand slides over my collarbone until he’s cupping the back of my neck, holding me in place as he presses a kiss to my lips. This one harder and more insistent. His lip ring warms between us, his tongue sweeping between my lips.
His kiss is hungry and reassuring, promising me he means it. That he will fight to keep me and my heart safe.
We spend the next fifteen minutes making out and not talking anymore. Oh, no, our mouths and hands are taking part in a much more heated activity.
I’m vaguely aware of Hardin’s phone buzzing, but his hand is down my panties, strumming my clit like his life depends on it, and I’m grinding against his fingers with small moans pulling from my chest.
Maybe I should be concerned about being spotted, but Hardin assured me he’s set up some alarm wards before we’d even reached the bleachers that will warn him if anyone approaches.
“That’s it, love,” he murmurs. “That’s it. Come for me. Right here in the open, where anyone could see you.”
I know no one will. He’s assured me of that. But I can’t help the tingle that rolls down my spine, the feeling of eyes on me I know aren’t there. I come hard. Hardin swallows down my cries, muffling them with his mouth as I slowly come back down.
He smirks as he pulls back, thrilled to have derailed my questions, I’m sure. Little does he know I won’t be put off this line of questioning for long. His phone buzzes and he tugs it out of his back pocket.
“Fielder says we can head back to the dorm now.” I nod and reach between us, stroking his hard cock.
“Good, because I’m not quite up for fucking in public.”
He growls and in a move so fast I’m not sure how he does it. He’s got me over his shoulder and is striding down the stairs of the bleachers toward Proctor.
Twenty-two
The next morning, I groan when my alarm goes off. It’s too damn early and I don’t want to face this day. Not in the slightest.
The arm around my waist tightens, tugging me into Gideon’s chest. I’m on my back, staring up at the ceiling and he’s curled on his side, face pressed into the crook of my neck. He shifts and presses a series of sleepy kisses against my jaw. On my other side, Ezra murmurs something, shifting his legs against mine.
I know Hardin is on the other side of Gideon, but Fielder never came home last night. He didn’t slip into bed in the early hours like he’s been doing recently. Nerves pinch my stomach at what that could mean.
Maybe he’s changed his mind about being with me. Maybe he’s given in to his father’s dark side and he’ll try to get rid of me again. Though really this isn’t his school anymore, so I don’t know how he’d do that.
“Shh, love,” Hardin groans. “You’re thinking too loud.”
Embarrassment colors my face, and I scramble to shut down the connection between us. I’m usually better at not activating it when I don’t want to, but sometimes right before I go to sleep or right after I wake up, when my defenses are naturally down, I find it slipping open.
“Sorry,” I murmur as Ezra shifts onto his side so he’s facing me. His hand slips up the bottom of my tank top to stroke the skin of my stomach.
“It’s okay, Ro,” Gideon whispers right against my ear, making tingles erupt over my scalp. “We like that you feel safe with us, that you can let your guard down.”
I wonder what else they’ve heard when I didn’t intend them to.
Sweeney.Fielder’s voice echoes through my head in a demand that I open our connection again.
What?I respond after making sure I’m only connected to him. No need to inflict this conversation on the others.
I will never not want you, so get that thought out of your head.
