Chapter 41
FORTY-ONE
COLE
I trail my fingers up Lana’s spine as she lies next to me, both of us sated and relaxed.
“So…” I say before clearing my throat. “What now?”
I don’t know what I’m doing, and I don’t know what I was thinking when I blurted everything out outside of the library. I just know that I’ve never done this before and have no idea how I’m supposed to act.
Play it cool? Tell her I want her? What the fuck are you meant to do in this situation?
She rolls onto her side and props her head on her elbow, those blue-gray eyes boring into mine.
“What do you want to happen?”
Truthfully? I have no idea.
I shrug. “I don’t know how this shit works. Besides, I spilled my guts to you and you didn’t say a word. You just dragged me back here and jumped me,” I murmur before a smirk curves at my lips. “You were dying for it.”
Her eyes roll, but her lips twist. She seems contemplative for a while before an expression of disgust paints her face .
“God, this is awful,” she spits as though she’s tasted something rotten. “Why do people do this?”
I raise a brow in question, even though I know exactly what she’s getting at.
And she’s right, it is fucking awful.
She sighs. “I don’t know how to do this, Cole. We only stopped hating each other, like, two days ago.”
I nod. “I know, and that’s why I think we should just see how things go. We’ll see what happens. We won’t make plans or give each other labels, we’ll just work our way through it together.”
She smiles, seemingly satisfied, before something flashes over her face. Her eyes narrow and the smile vanishes from her lips.
“If you even so much as think about another girl while we’re doing this whole s eeing how it goes thing, I’ll not only chop her into pieces, but I’ll feed you those pieces and make you choke on her before I remove your balls and fuck you with them.”
Well, that was… graphic.
I snort. “And if you so much as even think about another guy while we’re doing this thing, I’ll tie him up in my basement and make him watch me fuck you while you’re gagged and restrained before I slice his neck and make you kneel in his blood while you clean my cock with your mouth.
After that, I’ll keep you tied up down there, day in and day out.
The only company you’ll have will be whenever I decide to use you as a fuck toy, and the only nutrition you’ll get will be my cum. ”
She laughs, and not just a snort or a chuckle or what short laugh she usually does before she catches herself, but a full-on belly laugh, and I can’t help but smile at her .
Fuck, she’s beautiful.
And so fucking dangerous to me.
I guess it’s a good thing I’ve never shied away from danger. I don’t mind taking risks, as long as there’s a chance I get to keep her for as long as she lets me.
Speaking of keeping her… this entire thing could be over within a second when I ask her what I need to.
I’ve been thinking about it all day, about me leaving for Thanksgiving next week to see my family along with the other guys doing the same, and the fact that we’d be leaving Lana here all by herself.
I fucking hated that idea, which is why I need her to come home with me.
It’ll be a fucking nightmare, of course. Not only of having to persuade Lana to come in the first place, but having her around my family.
I love my parents, but my mom tends to worry too much, and my dad tends to push and push and push until I have nothing left to give. I don’t want Lana to see that side of my life, but if I’m going to take this thing between us seriously, then I need to start letting her in.
“I… um—” I start but cut myself off and rub my palms together.
Why are they sweaty? Am I… oh God, am I nervous?
Jesus Christ.
“I need to ask you something,” I blurt, and her gaze searches mine before she nods for me to continue.
“Thanksgiving is next week. I need you to come home with me.”
Her brows rise to her forehead before scrunching together. “You need me to come? Why?”
Yeah, Cole. Why do you need her to come ?
“To act as a buffer between me and my parents. They won’t hound me about shit if you’re there.” I hope . “And besides, it’ll get you away from campus for a couple of days, and you’ll be safe there,” I add, since that’s the truth. There’s not much that could rival my family’s security.
And while I don’t actually need her there as a buffer, it was the best that I could come up with as an excuse to get her to come with me.
Her tongue darts out and swipes across her bottom lip before she nods slowly.
“And what will you tell them?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, am I a friend? Or am I…” She trails off, but she doesn’t need to finish the sentence for me to understand her meaning.
Do I tell them that she’s my girlfriend? Fuck buddy? Friend? Temporary roommate?
“I won’t tell them anything. I’m sure they’ll make their own assumptions, but I’ll just introduce you as Lana James, a pain in my ass and little menace,” I say with a grin, and her hand flies out, ready to punch me, but I catch it before she can make contact and roll on top of her, pinning her to the bed beneath me.
“You’re gonna regret that, baby.”