Melody
Chapter twenty-one
The eyes follow me everywhere, and for the first time since it started, I don’t show an ounce of hesitation.
I’m no longer scared of the man lurking in the shadows because I know without a doubt that it’s my brother.
My spirits pick up as I breeze through college life.
I join study groups to give the illusion that I don’t want to be alone, and still periodically glance over my shoulder to make it seem like I’m worried, but that’s so far from the truth it’s laughable.
The select few students from my advanced research study class are just finishing up compiling our notes into a very helpful PowerPoint in the lecture room used for tutoring.
As Melissa, the organizer and a work-study student with a stellar GPA, draws our session to a close, I slap my laptop shut before gathering my things.
I’m so lost in my thoughts about our upcoming exam that I don’t notice the shadow crawling over my form from behind.
I startle, swiveling my head around to see Dylan, one of my classmates, standing awkwardly behind me.
He looks nervous, his straight brown hair falling into his eyes.
He’s attractive with a charming crooked smile and dimples that poke inward, but he isn’t really my type.
While the rest of the women in our study group gush over him, I can’t help where my interests lie…
Because I’m a sick pervert who’s only interested in her brother.
“Hey,” I smile cordially, standing as I smooth down my sundress.
He rocks back on his heels, using a hand to scratch at the back of his neck. “Um, I was wondering—”
Another guy, one that’s short with a wickedly mischievous smile, slaps a hand over Dylan’s shoulder roughly. “Come on, man! Spit it out. Don’t leave the poor girl hanging.”
Dylan shoots him a glare before shoving him away. My amused gaze bounces between them as I tuck my laptop to my chest.
The other man laughs as he shouts for someone else to wait up, and he leaves us alone. Dylan runs a hand through his hair, laughing uncomfortably. “Sorry about him. He doesn’t know when to shut up.”
“Is he your wingman?” I ask lightly.
Dylan sucks his teeth. “A pretty shitty one. All he does is embarrass me.” He puts his hands on his sides, looking up at the ceiling as his cheeks turn rosy.
“Okay, I’m just going to come out and say it.
Are you going to the Halloween party that Alpha Chi is throwing?
It’s in two weeks, and I was wondering if you had a date… ”
My eyes widen a fraction. I’ve seen Dylan hanging out with another woman in our study group, so it’s a shock he’s even asking me. I thought they were getting pretty close.
Truth be told, Kodi and I have already picked out our costumes for the party.
We went to an adult Halloween store close to campus and chose out a theme for ourselves.
It’s a little cliché, but since it was my first real college outing, I wanted us to match.
Kodi, being the good sport she is, agreed easily to help me feel comfortable.
I wince apologetically. “Sorry, but I’m going with someone.”
He releases a breath, disappointment cracking across his features before he shakes himself out of it. “Okay, quick question. Are you seeing anyone?”
My brows jump. I could answer truthfully and politely turn him down…
Or I could keep playing this little game. If Kaden wants surrender, he’s going to have to earn it. I won’t give in so easily. Not without a fight.
A Cheshire grin tugs at the corners of my lips. “No, I’m not seeing anyone. I’m going to the party with a friend.”
Dylan rolls his head back, closing his eyes. “The embarrassment was worth it. I’ll see you there, right?”
I tilt my head as awareness clings to me. It wraps around my psyche, and I know my brother is watching. “Yup. You’ll see me there.”
Later that night, Kodi is out late at a bar with some peers from her economics class.
I’m alone in our dorm, my lamp at my desk providing the only light as I curl forward in my horrible, leather chair.
The wooden armrests bite into my hips, and I grumble under my breath as I flick a page in my textbook.
My back is beginning to ache, and my eyes burn from staying up late, but I only have a few more chapters to go.
I need to fit in as much study time as I can before my exam.
I open my laptop to give myself a break as the words in my book begin to melt together.
I pull up the shared PowerPoint, snorting at the thirteen other people currently awake at twelve in the morning doing the same thing.
As I open the middle of the slideshow and continue where I left off, a message bubble appears in the farthest corner of the screen.
I click it, revealing a thread that Dylan started.
What are you doing up?
I roll my eyes as I type.
The same thing everyone else on here is doing. Studying.
The bubbles dance before his reply comes through.
Fair enough. Where are you?
Slide fifteen.
He joins me, the circle with his name hovering to the side as he edits the document.
I’m so tired that I’m seeing double. Is this meant to say palmate?
I humor him, responding in the document.
Sure. If you squint hard enough. It says pinnate.
Well, fuck me. Now I know why I’m not majoring in Botany.
I snort, shaking my head as another bubble joins his. The newcomer types in the middle of Dylan’s sentence, making my lips roll in with amusement.
Stop flirting on the damn PowerPoint. Get a fucking room.
Am I flirting?
I frown as I ease back in my chair. I try to compartmentalize my feelings and come up with one stark contrast. With Kaden, everything feels natural—easy.
We know each other, and anytime he looks at me, it’s like the world becomes brighter.
I get butterflies in my stomach, and my throat clogs with emotion.
With Dylan it’s…
Platonic. I have no desire for him, and I’m pretty sure if he tried anything on me, I would reject him quickly. Just the thought of him coming onto me feels wrong, like I would be cheating.
I don’t like the guilt that eats away at my gut. For leading this man on and for what I’m doing to Kaden. It isn’t right to keep this act up. I know where my heart lies.
I sit forward, typing up a reply.
Sorry, we were just joking around. No flirting here.
Ouch.
Dylan types before his bubble disappears.
The newcomer’s cursor blinks a few times before they disappear too, and I’m left by myself to finish my study session.
I sigh, the sound heavy and laced with exhaustion, before I get lost in identifying plants by their leaves.
Another hour ticks by, and before I know it, I’m asleep at my desk, my arms folded under my head as I snore gently.
I’m still partially awake—able to sense everything around me.
I’m not fully sucked into my slumber as the bedroom door clicks open.
In the back of my mind, I convince myself that it’s just Kodi, and I let myself fall deeper.
I’m slipping into peace, letting my dream state take me wherever it pleases.
Until there’s a sharp slap from my laptop, and I shoot up. Kaden’s left hand is pressed firmly to the silver back of my device, his new tattoos in full view. They’re gothic block numbers, the black ink slightly scabbed over from the healing process.
I’ve been wracking my brain on what they could mean, but nothing has come to me as of yet.
“Who the fuck is Dylan?“ His voice modulator morphs and croaks, giving away its robotic twinge. But it doesn’t diminish the danger of the question. I catch the hint of raw jealousy in his bite, making me shiver as I ease cautiously back in my chair.
Fuck. He probably saw the message thread I left open…
My chest tightens as a knot forms in my stomach. I feel guilty. Like I’ve just been caught doing something I shouldn’t be, even though I turned down Dylan’s advances. My words stutter as I try to redirect the situation. “H-he’s a friend—”
Kaden tilts his head in that taunting manner that has my lips slamming shut as he leans down in front of me, our noses leveling. “Oh? Just a friend, hmm?”
I nod slowly, his dark pools holding me in a vice. “Yes. Just a friend.”
My brother’s thick brows rise. There’s a tense moment where I don’t breathe—don’t think—until his hand moves so quickly I can’t process what’s happening as his fingers curl around my throat tightly. My lips part on a gust of air that’s sucked from my lungs.
“I know the game you’re playing, Melody,” he purrs dangerously, his gaze sinking to my lips before flicking back up.
“How do you know my name?” I whisper.
His other hand curls into my hair, his thumb brushing over my flushed cheeks. “I’m your phantom, pretty girl. I know everything.”
My eyes flutter, lust and desire mix like fire and gasoline in my lower belly. I’m so wet that my bare thighs are beginning to stick together.
Kaden’s grip tightens, restricting my airway as he lightly shakes me. “Your friend can’t do the things I do to you. While he wishes he had a taste, I’ll still have you on my fucking tongue.”
I nod, his hand squeezing further.
“I’m going to eat you alive,” he growls as he presses his forehead to my temple.
I close my eyes, the lightheadedness becoming consuming as the edges of my vision darken like curling shadows. He pulls away so quickly that my gasp shoots from me, and I gulp in air. My chest rises and falls quickly, the skin there red and blotchy.
He hooks his hands under my knees before shoving me back. He forces my legs apart, using the armrest to hold my knees as my dress rides up. My purple panties flash, and I try to close my thighs before a stinging slap meets my ass.
Kaden fists my hair at the nape of my neck, yanking my head back. “You stay right there. If you move, I’ll make you get on your fucking knees for me.”
My lips quiver. “Okay.”
He draws back slowly, rubbing his hands over my inner thighs tenderly. His fingers bite into my flesh in a possessive manner, turning my skin red as he drops to his knees.