Chapter 4
FRANKIE
L uca gives nothing away and as we head to the house and into the hallway, his luggage is waiting for him.
I’m guessing his father’s guards delivered it and as we settle inside, Jack heads down the stairs and smiles.
“Hey, you must be Luca.” He holds out his hand and Luca takes it with a hooded expression.
“I’m Jack.” They shake and Jack nods toward his luggage. “If you like, we could give you a hand with this.”
“Thanks.”
With a sigh, I reach for the first case and as we haul them up the stairs, Jack fills in the awkward silence.
“You’re lucky not to be in a dorm. This house is the best.”
Luca says nothing and Jack adds, “Parties most nights and more freedom that you would get in a dorm. Plus, you get your own bathroom, so it’s all good.”
We follow Jack along the hall to the room at the far end and as we head inside, Luca glances around him with no expression at all.
Before Jack offers to unpack for him, I interrupt. “We’ll leave you to it. You’ll find us either in the kitchen or in the basement. If you need a tour, one of the guys will show you.”
I turn on my heels, not caring if I came across as rude. Luca isn’t exactly giving in that department either and will understand that approach more than friendship and offers to help.
Jack follows me and whispers, “What do you make of him?”
“Trouble.”
One word is all I need to sum up Luca Romano. He is as cold as ice, impassive, secretive and dark. Everything I am without the personality. Fuck Principal Constable for placing him here.
We head to the kitchen and I waste no time in tugging a beer from the fridge and handing one to Jack.
“Is anyone else here?”
In my mind, there is only one person I’m interested in seeing and Jack has the answer to that.
“I saw Ali. He’s unpacking. Santi arrived earlier and is prowling around campus, checking out the new students.”
“Same old shit.” I roll my eyes and physically ache to ask where Cassie is and am rewarded when Jack sighs.
“Cassie is helping Imogen settle in.”
“Your friend?” I raise my eyes and he nods, a soft smile on his face.
“You’ll like Imogen. She’s cool. Not as outspoken as Cassie but a sweet soul who is smart on the inside and takes no shit.”
“Now I know why you are all friends.”
A door slams above us and my heart lurches when I hear a familiar voice call out, “Is anybody here?”
“Down here, Cass!” Jack yells and my heart beats frantically as I wait for a hungry glimpse of the one woman I have obsessed about during the holidays.
“You’ll never guess what, Jack.”
Her sweet voice wafts toward me like a love potion and as she descends the staircase, her eyes find mine instantly and the flash of desire that lights her eyes tells me everything I wanted to hear with no words spoken.
“Frankie.” Her soft smile hits me hard in the heart, and it’s as if Jack isn’t even here as I set my beer down on the counter.
“Good to see you, Angel.”
Her eyes shine with happiness and my heart physically aches as I restrain from storming over there and dragging her straight to my bed.
Jack falls silent and there’s a weariness in his expression that I don’t miss as Cassie coughs slightly and forces brightness into her voice.
“It appears that Imogen is your sister’s roomie.”
I raise my eyes and Jack chuckles softly.
“Well, what do you know?”
Cassie turns to me and attempts to disguise the hunger in her eyes as she whispers, “It’s good to see you, Frankie.”
“Same.”
I grasp the beer and offer her a drag.
“What, I don’t get one of my own?”
She raises her eyes and I shake my head. “We share.”
My gaze pierces her soul, reminding her who she belongs to, and Jack obviously takes the hint and says with resignation, “I’ll go and unpack. Catch you both later.”
We don’t break eye contact as he heads out of the room and as soon as the door closes, I nod to the beer.
“I’d put that down if I were you.”
“You just gave it to me.”
She raises her eyes and I shrug. “I’m having inappropriate thoughts about what I want to do to you with that bottle, so in your best interests you should do as I say.”
“Fuck.”
Her soft hiss and wild eyes are a sight I have sorely missed and as she wraps her lips around the bottle, my cock strains in my pants.
She takes a long gulp and tosses back her dark curly hair, her long graceful neck tipped back, begging for my mark.
In two steps, I close the distance between us and tear the bottle from her hand, my lips claiming hers in a blatant show of domination, forcing my tongue down her throat, my hand fisting her hair.
She kisses me back with a force that matches mine and as we reacquaint ourselves with all that’s right with our world, I have only one destination in mind.
“My bedroom. Now.”
I don’t wait for her thoughts on that and taking her hand, walk at speed toward the staircase with only one thing on my mind.
She doesn’t voice any objections and I’m guessing she is as ready for me as I am for her because our time apart appeared to stretch into infinity—for me, anyway.
It surprised me that I didn’t seek my usual female company. It’s always available, on tap, if you like, in one of the many clubs my family owns. I’m no stranger to taking what I want if it’s on offer, but this time it didn’t interest me and I’m curious about that.
We take the second staircase and I waste no words as we push inside my attic room, shrugging out of my sweatshirt as my expression instructs her to the same.
Clothes are an unwanted accessory in the plans I have for her and as she tugs off her sweater and shimmies out of her jeans, I am waiting for her, naked and hungry.
I reach for her and grabbing her wrist, I spin her against my chest, my mouth clamping down hard on hers as I reacquaint myself with the taste of my woman. She moans into my mouth as I remind her who she belongs to, and the familiar scent of her perfume bathes my soul in reassurance.
It’s as if I’ve been deprived of sustenance and I’m gorging on it now merely to survive and she matches my energy as she palms my cock in her hand and groans, “Fuck, Frankie, I really missed this.”
She squeezes my cock and I see stars, the desperation of this moment not lost on me.
We have a full semester to take things slowly, but not now, not today. Urgency is fully in charge now, so I push her against the wall and kick her legs apart, pinning her so she has no escape.
I stare into her flushed face, her eyes deep with desire, noting how beautiful she is as she waits for the inevitable. For a second I drink in the familiar contours of her face, etched into my memory, checking that nothing has changed.
The intensity of my stare should unnerve her but she gives back as good as I’m offering and her eyes pierce down to my soul, reminding me who lives there now and as I press against her pussy, I whisper, “I want your answer now, Cassie.”
“My answer? I haven’t heard the question.”
Her eyes flash as I drag my thumb across her lips, pressing down hard, before swiping it away and holding her angelic face between my hands.
“Stick or twist?”
I remind her of the choice we both have in the coming days, a choice I made even before I left Rockwell for the holidays.
She stares deep into my eyes and a sudden smile lights her face as she chuckles softly. “I don’t have to give you my answer yet. It’s not time.”
The intensity of my attention brushes her smile away as I growl, “Stick or twist, baby? I want your decision now.”
I push her hard against the wall, my cock dancing at the gates of ruin as she stands before me, spread out for my pleasure, naked and quivering with desire.
She bites her lower lip and her eyes cloud with desire as she whispers huskily, “Stick.”
As the last syllable leaves her mouth, I thrust in hard, tearing through her desire drenched walls, crashing back into her life as I pick up where we left off.
Her tortured groan matches my own as I push in victorious again, knowing she is mine.
I slip my hands around her throat, holding her gently as I pound inside her, loving the sensation of being home once more.
As her pussy clenches my cock, she shudders against me, the violence of her orgasm an even match for mine, my relief every bit as sweet as the anticipation.
We are home, back where we belong, and I won’t waste a second of that.