Page 131 of Lock Up the Darkness

“I don’t know about that, I—”

He brushed his lips over mine, my words catching in my throat. “No more talk of Ash.” He used his hold on my shoulders to back me up against the wall, then he pushed his full body weight and all that hard muscle of his into me, pinning me there. A thrill ran through me, zapping straight to my core. “Just you and me, Aurora,” he spoke at my lips.

He ran his tongue over my throat, lingering on the pulse point and making me sink back against the wall. “Need you right fucking now.”

I snatched his hands as they slid under my skirt. “We’re in public.”

“Under the bleachers. Hell, it’s basically a right of passage being with a football player.”

“I’m not with you, not your girl. Not to the outside world, remember?”

He released me abruptly. “How could I fucking not?” he groused.

The next thing I knew, he was pulling out his phone, then scrolling for a moment, before handing it over to me.

I took in the text message exchange he was allowing me to see.

Kill: Big game coming up, gonna crush it, don’t worry. School’s good, grades on point.

Satan: Glad to hear it, son. I was worried, your weekly update came late.

Kill: Just been focusing on school project and the game.

Satan: Your mom and I will be sending you a new match soon.

Kill: I’m too swamped to handle another trophy girlfriend.

Satan: That’s my decision to make.

Kill: The image is doing fine without.

Satan: Events are coming up where you’ll need a date. A good girl on your arm. This is happening.

Kill: It’s only been three months. It’s usually six.

Satan: Well, I’ve decided you’re due now.

Kill: Fine.

Satan: What was that?

Kill: Yes, Sir.

Satan: Good. I’ll keep you posted.

I handed his phone back to him. “I’m sorry.”

“Not as sorry as I am,” he muttered, stowing his phone in his hoodie pocket. “I couldn’t even fucking hide it this time. It caught me off guard and I actually showed my displeasure to my father. I usually just fall in line and go along with it. He’s suspicious now, I know it.”

“Shit, you need to tell Asher.”

“I will. Soon. I just didn’t want to think about any of it for a bit, because he’s gonna ream me out. As if having this forced on me isn’t enough.”

“Do you… you know—”

“Fuck them? No. Hell, no. It would pretty much make me a hooker. These girls get their names in the paper, all over social media, hanging off my arm, going to the big parties and high-profile events. It cements their It-Girl status and all that. They’re more than good with that.”

I reached out and cupped his cheek. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll fix this, all of it. Just keep your focus on that.”

---