Chapter 25 #2
Shifting his weight to one arm with ridiculous ease, Gavin pushed some of her curls from her face letting the tips of his fingers linger on her skin.
“Jealousy isn’t a possibility. It’s a guarantee.
You don’t even know what you do to people.
What you do to me.” His voice dipped. "But don’t worry, I won’t step back.
Never again. Do you understand me?” Ebony nodded, too overwhelmed to do anything but.
“I’ll step in so deep you won’t see anything else.
I’ll fill your world until there’s no room for anyone but me. "
For a moment she just stared at him speechless, knowing she should push him away.
She didn't. She sucked in a breath as he settled himself between her open thighs and laid his head against her breasts.
She could feel his steady heartbeat against her stomach and wondered if he was listening to hers beat frantically.
He wanted more from her. He wanted everything.
And she hated how badly she wanted to give it.
In a blink the winter break was over and before she knew it, they were back in classes, slowly marching toward graduation.
Things were finally back to normal. Every day Gavin smiled at her across the kitchen counter as he made them their morning coffee and she couldn't be more grateful.
They were back to talking every chance they got.
Random texts here and there. Driving through town together with the windows down and the music blaring while the winter wind whipped through their hair.
It was perfect. Like she was finally releasing a painful breath she had been holding in.
This was how it should be…well almost how it should be.
There was one change.
Like an ember catching on a leaf, a slow smoldering feeling was igniting inside of her, starting from the moment she woke up.
Gavin's huge body seemed to engulf her each morning while his heavy arm flung over her waist kept her close.
In the beginning, it was fine. She could manage the odd stirring feeling curling in the base of her stomach like smoke.
It was easy to push away and ignore. But even in his sleep Gavin commanded attention, forcing her to feel—him.
A sound pulled her from her thoughts and Ebony smiled politely at a girl handing her papers before turning and leaving the room.
Ebony stared at the computer. She was in the student council office trying and failing to work on the last details of upcoming prom but her mind was helplessly pulled back to him.
But one morning had been different, very different.
At some point in the night, he had pulled her close, his body framing hers.
She could feel his shallow breaths hitting the back of her neck as he slept.
The rise and fall of his chest grazing her back, the rhythm beckoning her back to sleep.
But it was the hard press of his erection against the seam of her ass that kept her wide awake.
Hot and impossibly stiff, it jutted against her radiating heat.
When it first happened, she had been too scared to move. What if he woke? Would it be awkward between them? Unsure and frozen to the spot she had just laid there. That turned out to be a mistake.
Maybe it was the morning light coming in through her windows.
Maybe it was his own biological clock slowly waking him.
Whatever the reason, Gavin shifted. His muscled arm tightened around her waist, bringing her somehow closer as he released a deep groan into the back of her neck.
The head of his cock found the opening in his shorts and she could feel the hot tacky head of it press between her thighs.
Ebony made a small sound while Gavin's groan sounded more like a growl. His hand slid down her stomach. Dipping low she felt it cup her sex. Ebony jumped.
Gavin groaned again, his voice thick with sleep. "Fuck, Ebbs."
Heat scored her body, raking its talons across her, leaving her a feeling delirious with need. That morning, she had all but run to the bathroom locking herself in under the guise of a long shower. When she emerged, Gavin was gone and her bed was made.
She never brought it up. There was no point. He hadn’t been awake when he touched her—she was almost sure of it.
Sweeping a glance across the room once more and looking toward the door, Ebony allowed herself to recline in her seat. The office chair let her tilt back far enough so she was staring up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes with a small groan.
But that incident was only the beginning.
Now every morning she woke up like that.
Feeling the press of him against her ass.
Even if his hand never sank lower like it did that once all she could think about was the feeling of it.
The plump flesh of her soft mound pressed against his strong fingers.
She wanted…she wanted him to touch her again just as much as the thought shamed her.
The sound of a door opening made her sit up and she sighed with relief as Cameron walked in.
For a moment there she thought it was Gavin.
If it would have been him, somehow he would've read her thoughts.
From the slightest muscle tick to a slight flush in her complexion the evil boy could read her like a book.
Ebony shuddered, imagining the devious little smirk he would give her.
Standing up, she came around the desk. "Hey there."
"Hey you," Cameron pulled her in for a hug and she tried not to tense at the sudden movement. "It feels like I haven't seen you in forever."
"Yes, well, that's what you get when you're working hard to get a scholarship. How did the swim meet go the other night?" she asked, taking the opportunity to step back a little but Cameron kept a hold of one of her hands, his thumb swiping back and forth affectionately on the back of her hand.
"Long. Took hours to get back. I hate away meets. But I won, so that's all that matters."
"I heard, congratulations."
His lips pulled tightly across his face in a triumphant smile at the mention of his victory. "I've missed you,” he confessed, his voice softer.
Her stomach twisted as the lie spilled from her lips. "I've missed you too."
She shouldn’t have let this, whatever it was between her and him, get this far. Not when she already knew her heart would never truly belong to him. But here she was cruelly smiling at him like it meant something.
"When can I see you?" His grip tightened just a fraction around her as if desperately trying to hold her to him. "Just you and me. No Gavin and the guys."
Ebony had to bite back a smile. She had still been worried about those two when they came back from the trip.
But Gavin had surprised her and played nice.
There were no deadly stares to Cameron. No fights.
Nothing. All four guys had simply hung out without issue.
It seemed too good to be true. Where had that raw terrifying anger gone Gavin displayed that night at Cameron's house? It was as if all had been forgiven. When Cameron tried to talk to her, Gavin didn’t seem to mind.
He just smiled. A wide smile that showed the whites of his teeth—and invited himself along. And that was where the issue lay.
Cameron wanted to invite her out to see a movie?
There was no anger or argument from Gavin, he simply pulled out his phone and within minutes Ethan and Luis were at their doorstep already arguing about who was riding shotgun.
Cameron wanted to go grab a bite to eat with her?
Again, not a problem, Gavin was already ordering food to the house.
There was never a moment she was alone with Cameron because Gavin was always around.
It was clear to see Gavin considered the fight between them as water under the bridge.
Their friendship was restored—as well as her friendship with Cameron.
"Umm well we can…" she hesitated trying to think. The truth was she didn’t want to go out with just him alone. Her heart twisted at that. It felt awful to think much less ever say.
Last night she and Gavin had stayed up far too late looking at apartments around Cambridge.
They shared dozens of links and began to discuss furniture options.
She wanted to continue that conversation.
Her heart sped up as the painful truth hummed around her heart like an angry hornet.
Cameron had been a distraction. A balm to her ego when she needed someone.
He had stepped in just as Gavin pulled back, dulling the pain with his handsome smile.
And just for a moment she convinced herself she could be happy with him.
She began to picture his smile and his touch becoming something more.
But she had been lying to herself and cruelly lying to him. And now she wasn't sure what to do.
Still searching for something to say, Ebony looked away. "We can-"
Across the room the door opened, and Taylor walked in carrying an open laptop. He looked from her to Cameron, who scowled at the interruption and grinned.
"Hey guys. Want to see a video of a guy's underground bunker that includes a pool?! I think it's a waste of resources but…"
As Taylor set down his laptop, still rambling about the video, Cameron let out an annoyed sigh.
"I'll text you. Hit me up when you're done with your meeting." With one last icy look at Taylor he left, leaving Ebony nearly weak with relief.
The meeting ran longer than expected. By the time Ebony slipped away, the last of the students were walking across the campus, either to their cars or heading home.
She didn’t head to her own car; instead she went to the library.
There was a little more work she needed to do and she wanted to do it here and not at home.
She couldn’t focus on anything with Gavin around.
Every glance her way, every breath he took she was finely attuned to it.
No, it was much easier to just get the rest of her work done here and then go home and meet the gravitational pull that was Gavin head-on.
The library was quiet. She passed rows of neatly organized shelves, her steps soft against the carpeted floor.
Reaching the back wall, she didn’t even bother looking around to see if anyone was looking; the whole school felt empty.
With a gentle push, she rolled the shelf to the side just enough until she could slip through and open the secret door.
On habit she pulled the shelf shut behind her and turned.
Ebony frowned. The room was pitch black. She reached for the light switch and flicked it.
Nothing.
Okay…that was odd.
She blinked, squinting toward the window on the opposite wall. It should have been letting in a soft light. Her heart lurched in her chest. The tiny window at the back had been covered, casting the entire space in pure darkness. She was blindly reaching for the door handle when she froze.
The chair in the corner was occupied.
She stopped breathing. There were no footsteps, no noise at all. But someone was here in the room with her.
Watching her.
Waiting.