Chapter 32
Ispend the rest of Sunday evening pacing my dorm room. Max is out, though I’m not sure where, and the silence only amplifies my racing thoughts.
What the hell is on this campus that I need to be so afraid of? Everyone seems to have a warning for me, including my dead father, and nobody seems to be able to give me any details about why I should be careful.
AJ and I had scoured the faculty directory and previous yearbooks, but as suspected, we found no leads.
There were a few people named Charles and one named Melinda throughout the records, but the names are so common and random that we couldn’t assume any of them meant anything.
I wrote down the information we found on the individuals just in case, but my gut told me they’d be dead ends.
Eventually, AJ’s shift ended and he set off to find Mitchell, who was apparently supposed to meet him for lunch and never showed, and I went back to my dorm.
After hours of driving myself crazy, I know I can’t stay in my room any longer. There’s only one person I want to talk to right now about this, and I technically shouldn’t even have the chance to see him until tomorrow.
Before I can second-guess myself, I’m pulling on my jacket and boots, tucking the letter into my pocket, and making my way across campus and toward the staff housing.
My stomach twists itself in knots as I pass through the housing area hoping nobody will see me. I’m not supposed to be over here uninvited, and I’m not sure how Alaric will react to me showing up to his home so suddenly.
I remember him mentioning once that his house was the furthest one from campus, overlooking the coast, and after following the winding path past the small cottages, I spot one lone house on the edge of the cliff.
It’s made of the same dark stone that most everything on campus is built from. Ivy climbs one wall, and a dormant garden sits off to one side. Warm light glows from the windows against the gray evening sky.
I knock, and footsteps sound from the other side of the door before it swings open. Alaric stands there in jeans and a dark sweater, his brow furrowed in confusion when he sees me.
“What are you doing here?” he asks, though he steps aside to let me in.
“I found some information about my dad,” I blurt out as he takes my jacket. “I'm sorry for just showing up like this, but I needed to talk to someone, and I couldn't wait until tomorrow.”
“I see.” Alaric leads me deeper into the house, and the warmth is a welcome comfort after my long walk in the cold.
The space is cozy, with a fire blazing in the hearth, dozens of books filling the bookshelves, and plants scattered throughout the living room.
“Can I get you something to drink? Tea, coffee, something stronger?”
“I’m okay, but thank you.”
He gestures to the worn leather couch near the fireplace, and I sink into it, pulling the letter from my pocket. Alaric settles beside me, close enough that our knees almost touch, and waits patiently for me to find my words.
“Remember how I told you I only had one photo of my dad that I kept with me?”
He nods.
“Well, on the back he’d left me a little note, and underneath it was a number.
I never knew what it meant and sort of just assumed it was an unrelated thing that he scribbled on the nearest piece of paper.
But apparently it wasn’t.” I explain to him how AJ identified the numbers and how we found the hidden book with the letter inside.
Then I hand Alaric the letter, watching his expression as he reads. His jaw tightens, and he blows out a slow breath as he hands the letter back to me.
“Any idea what he’s warning me about? Or who he might be referring to?”
Alaric shakes his head. “The warning is incredibly vague, and those are very common names. I’ve only been teaching here for a little over a year, so I’m sure a lot has happened that I’m unaware of on this campus.”
Disappointment washes over me. “I didn’t figure you’d know, but thought it might be worth asking.”
Alaric drapes an arm around my shoulders and pulls me in close to him. “Well, I’m here for you however you need me.”
Leaning into his warm chest, I whisper, “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. I care about you a lot, Vivian.”
My heart flips. “I care about you too. More than I probably should.”
I realize in this moment that, for the first time, he and I are completely alone without any chance of interruption or getting caught. Not only that, but the tension that’s been building between us for so many months has shifted, still just as sexual but underlaid with affection.
“Can I see the rest of your house?” I ask, needing to move, to do something with the restless energy zipping through my body.
Alaric stands and offers me his hand. “Of course.”
He gives me a brief tour of the small house.
There’s a narrow kitchen with jars of various herbs lined up along the countertop, a cozy bedroom with minimal decor, and, of course, the firelit living room.
Multiple books about mushrooms and the effect of magic on various life forms lay scattered on the table.
The far wall of the living room captures my attention the most. On either side of the fireplace are two massive floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the churning sea beneath the cliffside.
One of the recliners has been shifted to face out the window, and I can imagine Alaric sitting here writing in his notebook while drinking a cup of coffee in the evenings.
“This is beautiful,” I breathe.
“It’s why I chose this house. Most people want to be closer to campus, but being out here gives me more personal space and an incredible view.”
“Well, I appreciate you letting me barge in here tonight. I know this probably isn’t exactly how you wanted to spend your Sunday evening.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be, and no one else I’d rather be with.” His voice has dropped lower, and when I glance over at him, the intensity in his dark eyes makes my breath catch in my throat.
The air between us is electric, charged with all the words unspoken, all the stolen moments that have led to this.
Alaric lifts his hand to cup my cheek, grazing his thumb across my cheekbone.
In a moment of boldness, I close the short distance between us and rise on my toes to press my lips to his. He doesn’t hesitate to kiss me back, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me in closer to him so our bodies are pressing against each other.
Before, all of our kisses have been stolen and rushed with the fear of being caught lurking in the back of our minds. But tonight, it’s only the two of us with no reservations.
Tonight, we can take our time.
Alaric threads his fingers into my hair, tilting my head back to deepen the kiss. I moan softly into his mouth, loving the way he handles me with simultaneous dominance and care, and slip my hands under the hem of his sweater to find warm skin underneath.
He breaks the kiss just long enough to pull the sweater over his head and toss it aside before his lips are on mine again, more demanding now. He mirrors my actions, skimming his fingers beneath the hem of my sweater and tugging upward.
“Is this okay?” he asks.
“Absolutely,” I breathe.
He lifts my shirt over my head, tossing it to the floor. His fingers graze my sides before unhooking my bra and tossing that as well.
In one swift movement, he sinks onto the couch, pulling me on top of him. He’s rock hard beneath me, and when I twist on his lap to drape my legs to the side, he groans with the friction.
Gripping my hips, Alaric leans down and circles my nipple with his tongue before he takes it between his teeth, and I gasp at the sharp jolt in my core. He repeats the process on the other side, lavishing my breasts with attention until I’m writhing on his lap and desperate for more.
Feeling bold, I stand facing him and unbutton my jeans, and he drinks in the sight of me as I step out of them, standing there in only my panties with my long hair cascading over my chest. Alaric leans back on the couch, draping one arm across the seat back, his expression a combination of surprise, appreciation, and lust.
“Your turn,” I challenge, resisting the urge to cross my arms to cover myself.
He doesn’t need to be told twice. He stands, stripping the remainder of his clothes off slowly, his gaze never leaving mine. I make a concerted effort not to let my jaw drop at the sight of his naked body. He’s slim but toned, with a dark patch of hair trailing down from his navel to…
God, help me. With no shame at all, Alaric fists his cock, stroking it slowly. He smirks when he notices me staring, and my heart skips a beat. I hadn’t thought he could be more impressive, but apparently he’s hiding more… pleasant surprises than I’d thought.
In three long strides, he makes his way over to me then kisses me with ferocity. With our bodies pressed together, I’m acutely aware of the way his cock presses against my stomach and the way I’m already desperate to know how it’ll feel when it’s inside me.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he murmurs in a gravelly voice when he pulls away.
“I need you,” I breathe.
Instead of bringing me back to the couch or to the bedroom, Alaric lowers me onto the plush crimson rug beneath us.
The heat emanating from the fireplace warms the side of my body, but I barely notice it as Alaric leans over me, kissing me and slipping his hand between my legs.
I’m already wet for him, desperate for his touch.
He takes his time with me, touching and stroking and kissing me until I’m gasping for more. I arch into his touch as he teases me with feather-light caresses.
“Are you sure about this?” he asks, surveying my expression as he positions himself over me.
“Yes.”
He blows out a slow breath, as if coming to terms with the fact that this is really happening, then pushes into me slowly. Inch by inch, he fills me, stealing my breath away when he bottoms out. He pauses to check that I’m okay before he begins to move again, thrusting slow and deep.
I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him even deeper into me and digging my nails into his shoulders.
“You feel even better than I imagined,” he growls. “So fucking perfect.”
The pressure builds as he fucks me with a combination of reverence and growing desperation.
Alaric picks up the pace, his breathing growing more erratic with every second.
He leans over to snag one of the couch pillows that had been thrown to the floor previously, then lifts my hips to situate the pillow beneath.
With this angle, he’s able to lean back and watch me as he fucks me while hitting that impossibly deep angle that makes me cry out. One of his hands is latched onto my hip while he reaches forward to rub my clit with the other.
The added stimulation causes the pressure inside me to intensify almost immediately. Alaric keeps up his relentless pace with both his thrusts and his fingers, pushing me closer and closer to the edge until I fall.
My orgasm crashes over me, every muscle in my body tensing as I come hard, falling apart beneath him. The strained expression on Alaric’s face tells me that he’s not far behind, and seconds later, he groans as he finds his own release.
He rests his forehead against mine as he comes inside me, his breath shaky, before he shifts to lie beside me and pull me into his arms.
“Stay the night,” he murmurs, stroking my hair while my head rests on his chest.
I nod, because that’s all I have energy to do after the day I’ve had. “Okay.”