Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
BONTE
Why had I pushed to come back to school?
I guess I forgot how painstakingly boring it could be.
I’m only paying half attention to my civics teacher.
I don’t think Jax is paying attention at all.
His class right now is the art of watching Kinsley.
He’s staring at her like she’s teaching the class herself.
When really, she is taking notes on her laptop.
It’s adorable and annoying. Most of all, it makes me miss Eros.
My stomach cramps at the thought. I’m becoming rather dependent on him. I haven’t been paying attention to how much he’s pulled me in under him.
When people get too close, it’s a bitch when you lose them. That shit cuts deeper than anything else. I’ve been trying to make sure I never experience that pain again. That ship has sailed, and I can’t do the stupid thing of pushing him away. No, I’m already in too deep.
The classroom door opens, stealing everyone's attention. Grant comes walking into class, his lip busted and his cheek red. That's going to turn into a bruise.
“Did you need to go to the nurse’s office, Grant?” our teacher asks.
“No, it’s from basketball practice.” Going off his rumpled clothes, I’m not sure I believe him. I also don’t think we have basketball right now. He drops down into one of the chairs in the front. Not his normal seat.
I glance over to Kinsley, who is of course paying attention. She’s no longer typing on her computer but has moved to one of her many notebooks. I bet her notes have switched from civics now to every detail about Grant at the moment. The girl is always itching to find a new story.
The teacher goes back to his lesson. I go back to being bored. A message pops up on my computer that is still linked to my old phone. Shit, Eros got me a new one because mine was gone. Lost long before I was put down into the hole.
My stomach drops and my heart flutters with excitement when I see that the message is from an unknown number, but the word Sweetheart captures my full attention. Sweetheart. That’s what my father always called me.
He always said I was the sweetest girl he knew, and I held his heart. It brings back a flood of memories, and not the dark ones. No, the ones before everything came crashing down around us, and I was ripped from my life and turned into bait.
I notice a slight shake of my hand when I go to click it but pause before I do, tilting my laptop more at an angle so that no one else can see it. Mainly Jax and Kinsley. I don't have any guilt over it either. The Marinos have all kinds of secrets they keep for their family; I can do the same.
When I click the message, that's all that's there.
I stare at the screen, wondering if he's going to say more or he's waiting for me to respond. I wish I could predict what he wants me to do, but I really don’t know the other side of my father. It’s been so long since I even had a conversation with him.
But I do know he loves me in his own way.
I go back and forth over what to say.
“Blair.” Kinsley elbows me, and I slowly shut my laptop. “Blair.” Oh shit, I realize it’s me the teacher is calling on.
“That’s me.” I kind of forgot my name for a minute. I’d gotten used to being around the Marinos, and they are all calling me Bonte.
“They need to see you in the office.” I glance over to Jax, who gives a shrug, and I take that as it’s okay to go.
“Okay.” I go ahead and shove everything into my bag in case I don’t make it back before my next class.
Why am I getting called to the office? It's not completely crazy that I might be in trouble, but I don't think I've fucked with anyone. It hits me; it's likely due to me missing school and not having a parent call in.
I know my handler Kirkland wouldn’t go this route to get in touch with me. I don't have a clue where he is, and I don't think he's trying to find me either. But then again, I was told many times that my case was different from others.
I'm uncertain whether that's true or not. I don't know anyone else in WITSEC to compare notes with. Everything they tell me could be bullshit. I head down Silver hallway, thinking of what to tell them about being gone. I’ll probably say it was a family emergency and that I had to leave town. I mean, it’s not a complete lie. The people that were pretending to be my family did have an emergency. One they are never coming back from, but I don’t need to share all that.
Suddenly, a door opens, and someone grabs me. A hand wraps around my wrist as I am pulled into the room. I try to let out a scream, but a hand masks my mouth. A light flickers on in the closet.
"Hellcat." I want to smack Eros and tell him he scared the shit out of me. Instead, I decide I'll just fuck with him back. I lick his palm and watch his eyes light with fire. "Careful," he warns, making me laugh against his palm. Eros's brows pull together, and he lets his hand drop from my mouth.
"Careful?" Another laugh leaves me. "Yeah, because I'm scared of you."
"You're a brat." The side of his mouth curves up. “Why are you alone? I could’ve been anyone.” He doesn’t look happy about that. I should have known it was weird that Jax was just letting me walk by myself to the office after he swore to guard me with his life.
“This is entrapment.” I try to glare up at him. Normally I have a killer glare, but not so much when it comes to this man.
"Hellcat, I've had you in my trap from day one." Eros's hands flatten on the wall over both of my shoulders. I am pinned here, right where he wants me. The air between us changes, growing heavier. My body becomes so attuned to him when he’s near me. It’s been that way from the very start.
I tilt my chin up higher, baiting him. It doesn't take much. "And maybe I've got you right where I want you."
"Has my prey become the predator?" His dark eyes sweep over me.
So dark at times they almost appear black.
It has to be a haunting stare coming from a man like him.
I know how people perceive him, and I'm sure they think they see nothingness behind them.
It never scares me. In fact, I find comfort in them.
"I don't think you're prey to anyone or anything." His hand comes up, his thumb brushing across my bottom lip.
"I think you could get me to be anything just for you." Those words slam into me, harder than he knows, but hell, maybe he does realize. That is why he will always be the predator.
"Anything?"
"Anything. As long as it doesn’t include me having to give you up." There it is.
"If I only asked?" I clarify. He gives one firm nod of his head. "You'd walk away from all of this? To be with me if I wanted to leave? Start new without all the darkness that fills up our lives?"
"Yes," he says without hesitation, giving me what the one person I ever loved couldn't. To stop. To choose me. "I might have things in common with your father, but I'm not him." No, Eros is so much more.
"I know." His mouth comes down onto mine. My body melts into his. I grip the front of his shirt, arching my chest to press myself more into him. Desire is lighting up inside my body. The same way it always has when it comes to Eros.
A deep groan rumbles from him, sounding more beast than man. His hands grip my hips to lift me off the floor. I wrap my legs around his, his mouth going to my throat. His teeth scrape across my bare skin, making a whimper escape me. I welcome the touch of pain mixed with pleasure.
"Quiet," he orders, nipping me. I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, and it's not like I can’t hear all the people in the hallway going to their next classes.
The thought of getting caught only ramps up the desire.
"Do you know how much I missed you?" I shake my head no.
"You keep making those little moans, and I'm going to claim all of you. Right here.”
"Eros." I sink my fingers into his hair. "You could have taken me a million times by now," I whisper back to him.
"I was giving you time." He lifts his head. "But today has tested my control. Not being able to get to you so easily." A small laugh pops free.
"I think you managed just fine." He lured me right out of a class and into one of his many traps. Though they never feel like traps. All I find in them is comfort and understanding.
"That's because I will always find you." His mouth takes mine again.
This time it's rougher and filled with hunger.
I kiss him with the same intensity right back, my tongue tangling with his.
"Need to feel you." My feet find the ground again.
"Hold it." He orders me to push my skirt up.
I grip the fabric, doing as I'm told without question.
Yeah, he's the only one who gets that from me, too.
Eros yanks my tights and panties down my legs. I can hear the fabric of the tights rip. The sounds filling the small closet make me fight a whimper, trying to be quiet, but damn, he makes it difficult.
His warm breath tickles my thighs as he lifts one leg to throw over his shoulder, the other hand staying firmly on my hip to keep me in place… Right where I want to be.