12. Go
12
Go
R YU’S hand cupped her naked breast, his breath brushing against her skin. A sound beeped them awake. He slightly squeezed her breast, and her nipples reacted to him.
“What is that awful noise?” Ryu groaned.
“Shit, my alarm.” Roselin turned it off on her phone. “Double shit. I’m never going to be on time.” Ryu’s home wasn’t close to campus.
“In time for what?” He nuzzled her neck, placing flutter kisses down her body and stopping at the top of her naked breasts.
“School.” She closed her eyes for a second, taking in his soft, warm lips. “I need to go to school.”
“Skip,” he said, like it was nothing.
“I can’t. I’ll lose my scholarship.” Déjà vu. Didn’t they have this conversation already?
Ryu kissed down her stomach. “I’ll be your patron,” he breathed against her skin. A sharp breath left her as his lips nibbled her spot between her legs. Her hands clenched the bedsheet, and her back arched. He pulled away. “But you want me to stop, right?”
Muttering unintelligibly, her fingers dug into his hair as she pushed him back in place. His tongue continued what he started, swirling over her clit. A whimper escaped her. His fingers curled up inside her. Roselin pulled his hair a little too hard. She wanted to apologise, but couldn’t do anything but moan until she came. The warmth spread through her body like a wildfire. He kissed her breast, nibbling her nipple, and up her neck, until he reached her lips. Roselin pressed her hips against his hard cock, wanting more. Her pussy was wet and ready. Her nails jabbed into Ryu’s skin as he entered her, his fingertips digging into her hip as he pounded in a maddening rhythm.
His lips burned every part of her he touched. Shadows rose on the wall, but she hardly noticed. God, damn the devil and his tricks. He picked up his speed, hitting her G-spot as she rolled her own fingers over her clit.
His soft moans made her toes curl. His fingers held her face, making her look at him, but it took all Roselin’s strength to keep her eyes open. “You need to come,” he said with a hoarse voice.
And Roselin did at his demand.
Her muscles contracted as the fire spread again, filling every part of her body. His brows lowered, his mouth parted, the bliss filling his eyes. “Fuck, Rose.” He collapsed, holding his arm above her head to keep his weight off, his lips inches away from her. Fuck, indeed. Ryu stayed on top of her as they both caught their breath. Her body wouldn’t mind more, but Ryu carried her to the shower.
The warm water washed over them, and she pressed herself against him. Shit, she became needy. Ryu grinned. His hand kept teasing her until she couldn’t take it anymore. “Ryu,” she breathed, and he delivered again as he playfully bit her shoulder.
A hard knock came from the door, making her shriek.
“What!” Ryu snapped. Hugo’s voice sounded through the door, speaking in a language she didn’t understand, but whatever Hugo said, Ryu’s body language told enough.
“The Driver will take you to school,” Ryu said, turning off the shower and taking a towel. His shoulders strained as if he wanted to roll them any moment.
“Ryu…” With the warm water gone, a cold shiver ran down her spine.
“Rose.” Ryu turned to her. His face softened. “Hugo will lead you through the back, where the Driver waits for you.”
She pursed her lips together, and her face fell. “Will we ever speak the same language?” she mumbled, as she took the other towel. There was always a distance between her and others. Often by her choice, but she hated it when she had no say on the matter.
He grabbed her hips and kissed her lips. “We speak the same language.” Something lay within the depths of his eyes, and she wished she knew how to translate it.
She stayed silent for a moment before nodding her head. “I trust you.” And she meant it.
A sorrow crossed his face, and he pecked her lips before she could really see it. “My beautiful Rose,” he whispered in her ear.
As the Driver drove her to campus, an uneasy feeling kept crawling up, making her stomach turn. She swallowed back some bile and knocked on the window. “Could we please go to my place instead of school?”
No answer, but she assumed the Driver listened. Her nerves eased when the car rolled to a stop at the parking lot, and he walked her to the door.
“Thank you,” she said, and the Driver nodded, but he stepped inside before she could close the door. She blinked at him as the Driver took a quick glance around the apartment before leaving. What was that all about?
Roselin crawled into bed, still wearing Ryu’s sweater. His scent reached deep inside her nose. “Shit.” She was catching feelings. “Stupid hormones and body reactions.” A groan slipped from her mouth, and she hid under the blankets. “He’s a killer, Rose. Ryu isn’t interested in anything more than sex, and even if he was, he’d be a terrible partner— because he kills people … and protects people. But not the way you should do it.” What was the way someone should do it?
She closed her eyes. “It’s a temporary thing. Put your feelings back in a jar where you can’t find them.”
The next day, she called in sick. She was only missing a short art history class, which she could read about in her book. Roselin stood naked in front of the mirror. The canvas on the easel showed her drawn body lines on it. The rough brushstrokes kept revealing more and more of her figure. Tilting her head, she switched between her reflection in the mirror and the artwork. She worked her lips between her teeth.
Her phone buzzed. Ignoring it, she put another layer of paint on the canvas. Her phone stopped for a moment before buzzing again. “Not now,” she groaned. As if the caller heard her, it stayed quiet. “Thank you.” The painting consumed her mind once more.
A creak shook her out of it. Roselin spun around. A squeal pushed past her lips. The once closed bedroom door stood open, and Ryu stared at her with a grin from ear to ear. Stumbling back, she tripped and fell to the ground. He tilted his head slightly, still looking at her naked body.
“You should close your mouth before you drool on my floor.” She reached for the blanket to cover herself.
“Please, don’t hide your body from me. I’ve seen it before. Even tasted it,” Ryu said, and Roselin stuck out her tongue.
The painting caught his eye. Captivated, he stood before the canvas, giving her some time to search for her clothes.
“I want it,” Ryu said in a non-negotiable tone.
“Well, sometimes you don’t always get what you want.”
“I’ll pay.” He glanced over his shoulder, only to have his eyes drawn back to her art.
“It’s priceless,” she says, pulling on Ryu’s sweater she wore before.
“A million?”
Her mouth dropped. “Are you serious?”
“You’re right. I should pay you more.”
She pulled her jeans over her hips. “It’s not done yet.” She considered his offer—she’d be a fool not to. Besides, she still owed him a self-portrait.
The smile on Ryu’s face wavered as he watched the painting. “We need to talk.” He turned to her as Roselin sat on her bed. It didn’t sound good. “Not here.” Finally, he broke free of the artwork and strode out of her room, forcing her to follow.
They walk to the bench under the tree where Ryu waited for her when she painted. The chill wind sent a shiver along her spine. She couldn’t wait for spring to arrive.
He took off his jacket, hanging it around her shoulders. His cologne filled her nose, and memories of their intertwined naked bodies flashed through her mind. Put it in the jar, Rose. They stared at the ducks swimming in the lake.
Out of his pocket, Ryu pulled the note that was left on her bed. He gave it to her as an icy distance grew between them. The seriousness on his face brought a pit to her stomach. This was about the Sin Eater. Shit , could they go back to her room and lie naked in bed?
Roselin stared at the note she'd given to Ryu. In thick, red letters the name Nadia Savko was written over the warning that had been left in her room earlier. The breath she held escaped her lips. “I don’t understand.” Was Nadia the Sin Eater? It couldn’t be. Her brows furrowed as she looked at Ryu’s stone face. His lips pressed together, and his jaw clenched. She swallowed the bile coming up.
“It’s the name of the one who wrote the note,” Ryu said, but she still didn’t understand. What she did know was that Nadia was in trouble. It reflected in Ryu’s body language, and Roselin was desperate to connect all the information to save her friend.
“She doesn’t know this Sin Eater,” Roselin tried. Right? But who or what was it, and why was it threatening her?
As if he read her mind, Ryu’s dark eyes met hers. “I’m the Sin Eater.”
The blood drained from her face, and her heart seemed to stop. She opened her mouth, only to close it again. The pieces she attempted to put together fell into some of their places. Nadia kept warning her about Ryu. She must’ve learned more than Roselin did… Gale might know more and told Nadia. Roselin guessed she was the only one out of the loop.
“When will Nadia be home?”
“I can’t tell you.” She averted her gaze.
“Can’t or won’t?”
“You should come with answers first.” He couldn’t drop a bomb like this and move on as if nothing happened. As if he hadn’t started a process, that she didn’t know how to stop. “What are you planning to do?”
Ryu leaned back on the bench, his arm resting on the backrest behind her. “I just want to talk.”
“Yeah, right.” She closed her fist around the jacket. “What does a Sin Eater even mean? And does it matter if Nadia calls you that?”
“Rose,” he reached for her chin, but she slapped his hand away and jumped up.
“I’m so tired of this.” Tired and confused. “Stop giving me half answers,” she said. Ryu opened his mouth, but she continued before he had the chance to say anything. “Don’t you dare say I don’t need to know it for the relationship we have.” A hot tear ran over her face, and she cursed herself. “I was scared out of my mind these past few days.” He should’ve told her she had nothing to worry about from the Sin Eater.
Ryu stood up, trying to hold her. “Not here, Rose.”
She avoided his touch. “I kept looking over my shoulder. Every knock on the door startled me, thinking someone could jump me any minute to kill me or my friends.” Her hands trembled while she hugged herself. “You should’ve told me it was you. You could’ve told me I was safe.”
Ryu’s lips formed a thin line. “Rose—”
“You don’t get to call me Rose.” She stepped away from him. “I told Nadia you weren’t like Gale.”
A shadow flashed in his eyes as his jaw clenched together. “I’m nothing like Gale.” The shadows of the tree seemed taller than usual, and his own more threatening.
Roselin didn’t know what to say or what to do. Ryu had no intention of telling her anything. He never would. A shaking breath pushed past her lips, and she turned around, ready to walk away.
“Roselin.” Ryu grabbed her arm. “Where’s Nadia?”
Great, that was all he cared about.
“You’re not going to see Nadia. You won’t hurt her.”
“I never implied I intended to hurt her,” he said in a low voice.
“I mean it. You’ll leave Nadia alone.” The shadows were definitely bigger compared to normal. She watched the darkness rise from the ground, and her own shadow gripped at her ankles. Her heart pounded in her ears.
“Or what?” His tone almost sounded threatening.
“I’ll hurt you.” Her words held no true meaning. What was she going to do against him? Yet, something in his eyes changed, the shadows falling away from them.
She expected him to laugh in her face, but he let go of her arm. “Okay, Roselin,” Ryu said.
“Okay?”
“Your responsibility.”
Not this again. “Not everyone is evil, Ryu. Nadia tried to warn me because she recognised your tattoos.” As fast as the tension died, as quick as it came back alive. The cold of the shadows surrounded her in an icy dark cloud around her feet. She wanted to step away from Ryu’s dark eyes, but her body refused to respond.
“My tattoos?”
“I drew them,” she whispered almost inaudibly.
“You drew them.” His eyes spit fire. “You drew my private sacred tattoos, which aren’t for anyone’s eyes but my inner circle?”
She didn’t know what to say. “But I saw them.”
His fingers wrapped around her chin, the coldness like something she had never felt before. Shadows danced around them. The colour drained from her face. She held her breath until she turned light-headed. On the tree crawled a shadow in the form of a dragon.
“Ryu, please.”
His face fell together with the shadows, which returned to their normal self. “I would never hurt you,” he said softly.
But he did. “How can I be sure of that when the shadowy things come out?” There was still a wound on her arm as proof.
His fingers raked through his hair.
“Ryu, you can’t—”
“Just go!” He turned around.
“Fine.” Tears streamed down Roselin’s face.