8 – Ciara
I t’s late, and I have tossed and turned but I have been unable to get any sleep. The image of her eyes in my mind is haunting me. My body feels shaky and my chest is tight. I haven’t heard from Spike, and it’s breaking my heart. Addison called, she told me she let him know and that he was on his way, but that was hours ago. She offered to come and be with me, but I told her I’d rather get some rest.
Pushing to my feet, I stare out the window, and that’s when I notice a man standing by a dull light. A dull light that belongs to a motorcycle. My heart skips a beat, and I know it’s him. I don’t need to question it. Turning, I rush out of my room and out of the dorms, running past the front gates and coming to a stop at the man, standing in the darkness, a cigarette in his lips, his big body only illuminated by the light of his rumbling motorcycle.
Dropping the cigarette, he crushes it out with his boot and takes a few steps toward me, coming into the light at the front of the campus. The moment I see those familiar eyes and that rugged face, I crumble. I don’t mean to, it’s a reaction I can’t seem to control. My knees wobble and then my legs give out.
He’s there.
Like he always is.
He leans down, scooping me into his arms and then he strides toward the entrance to the dorm, not a single word said.
I curl my face into his chest, breathing in the faint leather smell masked by his cologne. He reaches for my pass and takes it from my hand, using it to unlock the front door and then he’s striding toward my room. I don’t care if anyone sees, I don’t even care if I get kicked out for having him here, I need him and nothing is going to take that from me right now.
Reaching my room, he shoves the door open and then moves toward the bed, lying down with me still in his arms. I clutch him, the tears flowing from my eyes as he holds onto me, his arms strong and safe. I cry until sobs wrack my body and only when I’ve exhausted all my tears do I finally stop and sniffle into his now tear-soaked chest. Pulling back, I look up at him with puffy red eyes and no doubt I look like a hot mess.
He reaches down, swiping a lone tear off my cheek as his eyes study me.
“They think I did it,” I croak.
“Nobody is goin’ to touch a hair on your head, I promise you that.”
His voice is crackly and rugged.
“It was horrible,” my voice trails off as it breaks again. “She was just staring at me, her eyes blank.”
“I’m sorry, baby.”
“Someone killed her. I don’t understand why ...”
“Not up to you to understand why, but I won’t let anyone come after you for it.”
“I just started here, now I’m going to be that girl.”
“Listen to me,” he growls, pulling us up into a sitting position, “who gives a fuck what other people think. The Ciara I know doesn’t go through life worryin’ about everyone else. They’ll find who did it, and someday soon, this will be a distant memory.”
He’s right, I know he’s right, but I’m having a hard time convincing my brain of that. I don’t want to be known as the girl who found the dead body, or worse, the girl who did it. I know people will think that—everyone saw me. The rumors will spread, and before I know it, I’ll be the topic of conversation.
That is unless I find out who actually did it.
An idea springs to my mind.
If I want to clear my name and keep going with this new change in my life, then I need to figure out who the hell killed Alyssa.
“Don’t like the look on your face right now,” Spike murmurs.
I glance at him. “I’m going to find who actually did it.”
His eyes flash. “For fuck’s sake, Tom Cat, that ain’t a good idea.”
“Why not? It’s better than walking around being labeled a killer.”
“You’re not a cop.”
“Neither are you, yet it doesn’t stop you from taking justice into your own hands.”
He scowls at me, but he can’t argue that I’m wrong.
“Can we not talk about this anymore?” I ask, reaching for him, my fingers trailing down his shirt. “You haven’t spoken to me for days, and I need a distraction.”
He growls low as my finger trails down his chest, over his abs and stops at the top of his jeans. “Probably because you’re a stubborn fuckin’ woman that doesn’t listen.”
I grin. “I could say the same about you.”
I run my hand over the outside of his jeans, and I can feel his cock jump to life. Oh, he wants this as much as I do. Reaching over, he takes my chin in his hand and pulls me closer, our lips lingering but not quite touching. “You want me to fuck you, baby?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
I keep rubbing at his dick, which is now hard and swollen in his pants. With a growl, he flips me over until my back hits the bed and then he’s reaching for my pants, pulling them off. He tosses them aside, staring down at me hungrily before lowering his mouth between my legs. Oh, fuck. I’ve missed this. When his tongue swipes up, stopping at my clit, I mewl in response.
He sucks it into his mouth with slow, precise movements that have me squirming beneath him. I arch my hips up, trying to make him suck harder, faster, but he takes his time. Long slow licks that heat me from the inside out. I’m clutching the sheets and thrashing my head from side to side as desperation builds in me. It feels so fucking good, but I want it a little harder, I can’t take it like this.
“Harder,” I plead. “God dammit, suck it harder.”
He growls against my flesh, which only makes it feel that much better.
Then he sucks it harder, and I unleash, my screams of pleasure filling the small room as shudders are ripped from my body. That doesn’t stop him, he continues to lick and fuck my pussy with his tongue until I cum again, and when he goes for round three, I’m forced to push him away, my legs like jelly. I need him inside me, and I need it now.
“Take them off with your mouth,” he orders, pushing to his feet, his cock straining in his jeans as he lowers them, letting it spring free.
He’s talking about the spikes.
Licking my lips, I push to my hands and knees and crawl toward him, taking the base of his thick shaft in my hand and then bringing my mouth down. I start slowly, swirling my tongue around the head, and then one by one I pluck each spike off with my mouth, dropping them into my hand. With every one I remove, I run my tongue up the length of his dick, making him shudder with need.
Before I can taunt him too much more, he steps back and orders me up. I do as he asks, watching him sit on the end of the bed and then nod at his lap. Oh, I fucking love it like this. Moving over, I crawl onto him, my knees either side of him on the bed, facing each other. His mouth moves to my neck as I take his cock in my hand, bringing it to my pussy and slowly sinking down onto it.
His arm is wrapped around my waist, the other behind him on the bed so he can lean back a little.
He bites my neck as I take him fully, and my moans fill the quiet space.
Then, I fuck him.
I like fucking Spike almost as much as I like him fucking me.
Rocking on his dick, I ride him slowly as his mouth moves up to find mine. He kisses me with need, with intensity, with a lust that runs deep. I’ve forgotten how much I have been missing this with the way things are lately. His fingers bite into my flesh as I move faster, grind deeper, thrusting my bottom forward and back to create the perfect movement.
I can’t hold on, and I find my release with a guttural groan against his lips, my fingers digging into his shoulders, my body trembling against his. Only then does he bring up his other hand, taking my hips and using me to drive his thrusts. Harder, deeper, he drives up into me with an almost desperate intensity.
When he cums, he does so with a feral hiss and a tremble I can feel through my whole body.
He needed that as much as I did.
When his shudders stop and his warm breath is coming rapidly against my mouth, I slide my fingers up into his hair and pull back enough to meet his eyes.
“I don’t like fighting with you.”
“We were born to fight,” he growls, “so we could have fuckin’ epic make up sex.”
I laugh, tugging his hair. “Well, it’s not healthy.”
His expression grows more serious now. “You’re right, it ain’t.”
“Does that mean you’re going to tell me what’s going on?” I ask, slowly sliding off his lap.
He exhales. “I’ll tell you about it when you’re not havin’ the kind of night you’re havin’. Right now, you need to sleep.”
I pull on my pajama shorts. “Stay with me?”
He shrugs off his jacket. “Was never plannin’ on leaving.”
Oh, thank gosh.
I CAN FEEL ALL THEIR eyes on me.
As I walk to class the next day, I know everyone is talking. They’re all wondering if I did it, if I killed her. I want to scream that it wasn’t me, but it doesn’t matter what I say, nobody will believe me. Not until the killer has been found. The police ruled her death a homicide and are conducting interviews today. The students have been told not to attend class if they don’t feel safe, and extra security has been added.
I considered going home, but I really want to talk to Alyssa’s best friend.
It’s risky, but I have made it my mission to find out more about her and try to work out who might have wanted to hurt her.
It didn’t take me long searching social media for me to find the name of her best friend, who also goes to this school. I won’t forget her cries last night when she found out, and I have no doubt she won’t be here today, hell she might have gone home, but I’m going to try and find her after class anyway. That is if anyone will tell me where she stays.
Most people are giving me a wide berth.
Even Pervy Pete doesn’t come near me when I enter his class. He gives me a suspicious look, and suddenly, he’s very uninterested in me. The only person in this place who believes I’m innocent is Paulie. He called this morning and told me he’d meet up with me and we’d find who did this together. When I asked if he was scared I did it, he laughed and said it has always been his fantasy to be kidnapped, and so long as I included my biker, he’d be okay with it.
He makes me laugh.
But he believes in me.
By the time I get to Gerard’s class, I am tired of the whispers.
So much so that when the next wave of them come my way as I’m walking down the hall, I stop and yell, “I didn’t do it, you fucking imbeciles. Stop gossiping.”
This only makes them gossip more, and me look even more guilty.
I need to learn to shut my mouth.
“Bad day?” Gerard asks when I storm into his class early just to get out of the halls.
“Everyone in this school thinks I killed Alyssa. I didn’t fucking touch her. I didn’t even know her. I just happened to go into the shower at the wrong damned time, it could have happened to anyone. Now all those gossips out there are spreading lies.”
I exhale once I’m done, letting my shoulders slump.
“Maybe you should go home until next week. You don’t have to be here, and you don’t have to put up with that.”
Shaking my head, I hug my laptop to my chest. “No way, I’m not going to let them beat me. I didn’t do anything so I’m not running. I’m sure they’ll find who did it, and then this will all go away.”
He nods. “I’m sure. Just keep your head down; they’ll get bored eventually when something else comes along to take their attention.”
“I hope so.”
“Are you feeling okay? It was a big night.”
I purse my lips and shrug. “I don’t know. I’m trying not to think about it, but I can’t stop seeing her face. It’s haunting. I probably should be taking the time off to deal with it, but I don’t want to be alone right now.”
“Well, you’re always welcome in my class early.”
I smile at him, weak as it is. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Help me put these books out.”
I help him set up for the lesson and then everyone arrives and we get to work. Anyone who whispers in his class is immediately sent out. I’m grateful he’s trying to keep it away from me. I really like Gerard; he’s a good teacher, and he cares about his students. By the time the class is finished, I feel a little like I might just get through this after all.
Paulie meets me outside before I head to my room and immediately throws his arms around me. I hug him tight, not realizing how much I needed this until this very moment. Pulling back, I notice a few people have stopped and are staring at us. Paulie, not holding back, spins on a group of them and yells, “Mind your damn business or I might just start committing murder myself. Nosy bastards. Nothing better to do.”
They move along, and I can’t help but laugh.
“You’re scary when you’re mad.”
He grins. “I know, it’s my secret weapon. How was class?”
“Awful. Gerard made his class bearable, but even Pete wouldn’t come near me.”
Paulie’s eyes widen. “Girl, you’ve scared Pervy Pete off, you’re a queen!”
“Hey listen, do you know where Alyssa’s friend stays? I want to go and talk to her. I heard her last night, and she was so upset ...”
Paulie frowns. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You don’t want it to look worse for you.”
“I did nothing and they’ll find nothing, but I’m not going to let this go. I’ll clear my own name if I have to. Are you going to tell me, or do I have to ask around?”
Paulie’s eyes flash, then he grins. “I do love a good murder mystery. Okay, let’s go, I know exactly where she stays. She’s going home tonight I heard, so you’re just in time.”
That’s perfect.
I don’t want to bother her; I just want to see what she knew about Alyssa and who she was spending time with.
Clearly someone had it out for her, but the question on everyone’s minds is who?
But most of all ... why?
It takes guts to murder someone on campus, which means it must be someone familiar with the place.
I will find out.
I will clear my name.