Chapter 29
CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE
ISLA
Sometimes people don’t want the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed. - Friedrich Nietzsche
3 months later.
“Mmm…” I groaned in my sleep.
“You feel so damn good,” Julius rasped against my ear, softly kissing down the side of my neck.
Am I dreaming?
I had to be dreaming, but it felt so real.
His lips felt as smooth as silk, making their way down to my chest. My breathing hitched when he slid his way back up to my mouth.
“Ask nicely and I’ll be generous,” he growled, biting my lower lip.
Gripping the back of my neck with his strong, warm hand, he held me in place, kissing me senseless. Deepening our kiss, he pushed me to the brink of ecstasy.
My legs shook.
My stomach clenched.
My body quivered, tightened, and spasmed all at once.
It was forceful, urgent, demanding.
If this were a dream, I didn’t want to wake up.
I wanted this.
Needed this.
Him.
The way his tongue sinfully played with mine, causing a loud moan to escape my mouth.
“Open your legs for me…” In one sudden movement, he reached where I wanted him the most, and my hands fisted the sheets.
I gazed down at him through hooded eyes, while he stared up at me with a piercing green that tore into my soul.
My eyes closed, and my head fell back against the bed as he devoured me. He gripped the back of my thighs, rocking my hips against the pressure of his lips. His fingers dug into my hip bones, enjoying this as much as I was.
My body fell forward, and that was when I locked eyes with Caribbean blue.
In seconds, I came undone, screaming, “Kraven!”
I gasped, shooting straight up in Julius’s bed. “What the hell?” I breathed out, waking up from a dream.
Or is that a nightmare?
My body throbbed, mimicking the pounding of my heart. I shook off the sentiment, pulling off the wrestled sheets that I gripped and throwing them aside.
I took a deep breath, roughly yanking my hair away from my sweaty face.
“What the hell was that?” I repeated to myself as I crawled to the end of my bed, desperately needing to get up and take a long, cold shower.
Welcoming the frigid water as I stepped into the tub, I lay my forehead against the tile, hoping it’d wipe away the guilt I felt from something I couldn’t control. The fact that my subconscious betrayed me wasn’t lost on me. If anything, it made me pay more attention to it.
I’d never dreamed about Kraven before.
This was new.
I pressed my hands against the shower wall, closing my eyes, still feeling his strong fingers all over my flesh. His body on top of mine, the heat of him. No matter how much I tried, how much I wanted to push away the emotions, it was no use.
My mind ran wild.
I stayed in the shower until the water ran cold. After drying off, I threw on some sweats, finished brushing my damp hair, and walked downstairs.
The house was always extra quiet in the morning, especially if Julius didn’t come home from work. I was always an early bird. Kraven was hit or miss. Sometimes I’d wake up and he’d be gone, and other times he was still sleeping.
Color me shocked when in front of my eyes was Kraven in all his glory, wearing only gym shorts low on his waist. He was pouring himself a bowl of cereal, reminding me of the night he came home drunk.
Nothing ever came of that night. We hadn’t spoken about it since, if you could even call that a discussion.
Everything hit me at once, mixing into one big cluster of what the fuck…
Bowing my head in shame, I went to the fridge, which was the farthest away from him.
It was Saturday morning, and Julius was working.
Kraven was staying out late more and more, and a part of me felt like he was trying to avoid me.
If it weren’t for tutoring him with his classes, we wouldn’t spend much time alone.
“You alright?” he asked, calling me out.
“Yeah,” I stated, grabbing a bottle of water. I shut the fridge and looked at him. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
He leaned against the counter, emphasizing his broad, muscular chest and shoulders. “You look flushed.”
“Oh.” I bowed my head again, trying to hide my face with my hair. “I just got out of the shower.”
“You got any plans for the day?”
I stepped toward the pantry. “Just homework.”
“All work and no play makes Isla a dull kitty.”
I chuckled, shifting my gaze to meet his. “What have you been up to since you’re never home?”
He arched an eyebrow.
I couldn’t help myself, and blurted, “You have a girlfriend or something?”
“Or something.”
“Right…”
With a wicked grin, he asked, “Do I detect some disdain in your tone, Kitty?”
“No.” I stood taller. “I’m just curious.”
“Curious enough to go on a double date?”
I shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
“Hmm,” he hummed, eyeing me up and down with an expression I wanted to smack off his face.
He knew I was struggling to maintain a neutral composure, but it felt as if I were fighting for my life at that point.
“Well,” he snapped, grabbing his report card off the table. “How about this to satisfy that ache?”
I sucked in a breath.
Did he know about my dream?
Was I that obvious?
“Curiosity ache, right?”
Oh! Of course, he’s talking about that…
My stare went wide when he handed it to me, and as soon as I saw his grades, I shouted, “Oh my God!” My hand flew to my mouth, beyond excited.
He passed all his classes. On pure impulse, I threw my arms around his neck, full of pride for him.
“I knew you could do it!”
Slowly, he wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close to his chest. It was one of those embraces that you felt in all the right places. The kind you felt hours later.
“Couldn’t have done it without you,” he muttered close to my ear.
I buried my face in the side of his neck, smiling from ear to ear. His scent was as intoxicating as it was lethal. Maybe it was feeling his bare chest and arms for the first time that had me woozy. He was warm, really warm.
“How do you always smell so fucking good?” he rasped, brushing his lips along my cheek.
“Kraven…”
“I know you feel it.” He paused for a second. “I know you feel me.”
The lump in my throat turned into a mountain.
“You’re seeing—”
“I see you,” he replied in a low tone, slightly pulling away from me. “And I hate pretending that I don’t.”
I simply stated, “We’re friends.”
“Like you and my brother are friends?”
My heart pounded. “What do you want from me?”
“Prove me wrong. If it’s Julius, tell me.”
Silence.
“Now, if it’s me…” He leaned in close like we were sharing a breath. “Show me.”
I shook my head, stepping back and away from him. “Are you high?”
His smile resembled a Cheshire cat.
“On you?” he mocked, grinning. “Maybe.”
“I don’t get you,” I spewed, suddenly pissed. “You barely interact with me unless it’s for tutoring, and now you’re acting like this? What’s your deal?”
“What’s yours?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, do you love Julius?”
“Yes,” I said in one breath.
If he was hurt, he didn’t show it. Once again proving absolutely nothing to me.
“Is this a game?” I asked, needing to know. “Have I turned into a game for you?”
“You tell me,” he snapped, cocking his head to the side. “You’re the one who’s obviously keeping score.”
“That’s not an answer.” I countered before speaking with conviction, “I do love Julius.”
He agreed. “So do I.”
“Then act like it.”
He shrugged, pointing out, “If you really loved Julius, you wouldn’t have screamed my name first.”
The garage door swiftly opened, and I didn’t have to wonder who it was.
Immediately trying to lighten the mood, I announced, “Look who might make the honor roll next semester.”
I held up Kraven’s report card to show it to Julius. Thankfully, he looked distracted and wasn’t paying too much attention to what he just walked in on. Once he noticed the grades, he smiled at Kraven.
“Don’t push your luck,” Kraven declared as Julius walked toward me to grab it out of my hand.
Julius teased, “You sure you didn’t forge this? Bribe some teachers?”
“It’d be straight A’s if that were true.”
“But then it’d be too obvious.”
I redirected the conversation. “Maybe you should try a congratulations, Julius.”
He turned his focus back to Kraven and squeezed his shoulder. “Congratulations.”
I could tell Kraven was a little hurt that he was instantly doubted.
Not that I could blame Julius.
Julius must have noticed because he quickly followed it up with, “Let’s celebrate!”
It was supposed to be a celebration, but in reality…
The match was being lit.