28. Depraved
DEPRAVED
Lorelei
“Get away from him, you asshole!”
My heart slammed against my ribs as I darted across the empty parking lot. Once I was close enough, I pressed the trigger on the pepper spray, holding my breath as I aimed it at Micah’s masked attacker.
Ever since that unexpected encounter with Brock, I never left home without it. If that monster thought he could shove me into the back of a car, he had another thing coming. Just like this guy. What the hell was wrong with people?
The guy managed to avoid the cloud of pepper spray dropping to the ground so quickly he hit the asphalt with a smack.
“Get out of here, Lorelei!” Micah shouted from beside his car, blood dripping from his temple and across various lacerations on his face.
He leaned against the tire, pinching the bridge of his nose to keep the deep crimson from flowing into his mouth. One eye was already swollen shut and the other seemed to be blindly searching the parking lot.
“No way. I’m not leaving you.” I marched toward the masked assailant and pointed the pepper spray at his face. Even with the narrow eye holes, I was fairly certain I could do some damage. “Get the hell out of here, you lowlife scum.”
Why did big, strong men think it was okay to prey on the weak? I was so damned tired of it.
Blue eyes peered up at me, the brilliant gaze so familiar I startled. The tiny can slipped right from my fingertips. The metal hit the asphalt, the click-clack sharp against the sudden silence.
The man leapt up and tried to run, but something came over me, a need to unmask this asshole and show the world what a coward he was for hiding behind a polished mask. Okay, maybe my Brock trauma was kicking in here, but I couldn’t stop my feet from propelling me forward.
He jogged across the parking lot and back toward the library. I traced his broad shoulders, the familiar slope of his torso and narrow hips. I blinked quickly, shaking out the crazy thoughts. Damn, I really needed to get Axel out of my head.
Micah’s attacker clearly never expected me to follow him because when I grabbed a fistful of the back of his shirt by the thick copse of trees encircling the library, he spun around, eyes wide.
Again, those damned familiar spheres of pure sapphire.
“Get out of here before you get hurt,” he growled through clenched teeth.
Every nerve ending in my body lit up at that voice. It was deeper and rougher but… “Axel?”
No, it couldn’t be.
Why the hell would Ax be wearing some creepy stalker mask? And why would he attack Micah in the middle of the night?
The guy lunged at me, wrapping thick arms around my torso. My shoulder blades slammed into his unyielding chest, and he clapped his hand over my mouth.
“Shut up,” he snarled.
“Let go of me!” I squirmed and kicked, but the man was a beast.
He drew me further into the cover of the trees. Shit. Shit. This was not good. His arm tightened around my waist, stealing the air from my lungs. Bloodied, torn knuckles caught my eye before they disappeared beneath my jacket.
My heart climbed up my throat, my pulse a manic drumbeat. Why did I think this was a good idea again?
I wiggled an arm loose and tried to reach for the mask over my head, but the guy ducked and weaved, avoiding my fingers. He trapped both my arms beneath his, and I was stuck.
“Just let go of me!” I screeched and jabbed my elbow into his side. I barely did any damage since I couldn’t quite get any leverage considering my current position.
He backed us up against a massive trunk and pressed me tight against his body. Warm breath ghosted across the back of my neck, and a tingle raced up my spine. A swirl of heat kindled between my legs at the feel of him.
Oh, fucking hell. What was wrong with me? Maybe Brock was right, and I was as messed up as him. How could I be turned on by this?
Something thick and hard pressed against my ass, and I suddenly realized I wasn’t the only one. I should have been revolted, but I found myself rubbing up against the masked man’s hard on.
I was depraved…
A groan rumbled his broad chest, the deep sound vibrating through my back and sending another tremor through my body.
His ragged breaths and the wild thrum of his heart vibrated through my ribcage, my shoulder blades pressed firmly against his muscled torso.
His forearm brushed the bottom of my breasts, eliciting a wave of goosebumps across my bare arms.
“Mmm, you like that?” His voice was so low I could barely make it out over the thrashing of my heart.
“No!” Even as I blurted the lie, I could feel the moisture pooling in my panties. I was so fucked up.
The guy’s hand drifted from my waist, dropping lower and a maddening twist of excitement and fear pummeled my veins. His hand moved devastatingly slowly, his cock still nestled between my ass cheeks, as his fingers inched toward the hem of my skirt.
Damn it, what was wrong with me? Was I really going to let this monster touch me?
A faint breeze blew off the bluff, rustling the leaves overhead, and a familiar scent filled my nostrils. That musky citrus I’d recognize anywhere.
Axel?
“Hey! Get away from her!” Micah appeared between the thick oaks waving a tire iron.
My attacker’s arms unraveled from my waist, and I sucked in a gulp of air when he pushed me forward. I stumbled over a thick root and barely got my arms out in time to steady myself as he sprinted away. I was panting, sweaty, my entire body lit up.
“Are you okay?” Micah darted toward me, concern etched into his bloodied face.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I huffed out.
“Are you crazy? Why did you go after that guy?”
Maybe I was a little insane… Or maybe I did it because somehow, deep inside I wasn’t really afraid.
I gave a weak shrug and dragged my hand through my hair. “Must have been the adrenaline.”
“Well, I guess I owe you again,” he mumbled.
“You sure do, Preston. I hope you’re keeping track of all the times I’ve saved your ass.” I shot him a smirk before leading the way out of the thick copse of oaks. “We have to call campus security—”
“No!” Micah’s swollen eye snapped open a crack, and he winced. “We can’t…”
“But that guy just attacked you.” And I almost let him touch me, but that was besides the point.
“It’s not a big deal. Shit like that happens all the time. I’m going to head over to the infirmary to get my eye looked at.” He pulled a pair of glasses out of his pocket, both lenses shattered. “Sorry it took me so long to find you by the way, but I couldn’t see shit without these.”
I waved a dismissive hand. I never really felt like I was in great danger, not like when I was with Brock. It was the weirdest thing. “What was that about anyway?”
Micah shook his head and blew out a breath. “Just stupid fraternity stuff…”
I cocked a brow as I scanned his bruised, swollen face. “Fraternity or fraternity?” My gaze dipped to the serpent and dagger tattoo on the inside of his forearm.
“The less you know the better, Lorelei.”
He was probably right on that one. Too bad my father always said I never knew when to mind my own business.
“I have to go. Are you going to be alright walking to the infirmary by yourself?”
He lifted the tire iron clenched in his fist and smiled. “I think I’ll be able to handle myself.”
“How about you? You dropped your pepper spray back there.” He hitched his thumb over his shoulder toward the parking lot.
“I’ll be fine. I have a boyfriend to see.”
Micah nodded. Before turning away, he offered one last thank you and a quick wave.
As soon as he disappeared up the pathway to the quad, I doubled back toward Fraternity Row. It was time to get some answers.
Axel’s dorm room was empty when I arrived, the sound of rushing water coming from the adjoining bathroom. I plopped down onto his bed, thanking my lucky stars Killian wasn’t here. He was probably off with Lexi on their little love boat.
My feet tapped out an incessant rhythm on the gleaming wood floorboards as I waited, my stomach and fingers in knots.
I hadn’t exactly figured out what I was going to say.
How do you ask your fake boyfriend if he just assaulted a mutual friend and then proceeded to grope you under the cover of darkness?
I wasn’t sure what was the best scenario: that it was him and we had a dirty moment beneath the towering oaks or that it wasn’t, and I’d been turned on by some random attacker.
When the rush of water stopped, my heart kicked at my ribs, my feet increasing their tapping to double time. The creak of the bathroom door opening sent my eyes up to meet a pair of deep blue ones.
Our gazes met and held for an excruciatingly long moment as he lingered in the shadows of the threshold.
It was him.
I didn’t know how I knew, but I could tell by the hard set of his jaw, the tension radiating off his broad form. He wore only a towel, slung low on his hips. I had to force myself to keep my eyes on his face and not trail that perfect torso.
Once he stepped out of the dim lighting, my gaze drifted down to a cut along his bottom lip. Then, all restraint forgotten, I traced his exposed torso and landed on the knuckles of his right hand. The blood had been wiped clean in the shower, but the fresh wounds were still noticeable.
“What the fuck, Axel?”