Page 11 of Wicked Waters

My timing was perfect. Just as I rounded the corner of the corridor, I saw her disappearing into the shower room. Wasting no time, I followed her in.

Her shocked gaze met mine through the mirror, and she spun around, clutching her towel and toiletry bag in front of her like it would protect her from me. She was fully dressed, but she was acting as if I’d caught her naked or something.

I grinned. “I heard you went for a swim with your clothes on this morning. Trying to shower again to get the smell of the lake water off?”

Her eyes flashed with anger, and she bared her teeth at me. “Get out.”

There was no one else in the shower room, but I wouldn’t have cared either way. Stalking up to her, I ripped the towel and bag from her grip and let them fall to the floor, then caged her in against the sink unit with my hands planted on either side of her body. “No.”

“Get. Out.” The way she pushed at my chest, staring up at me from beneath her lashes with both anger and lust burning in her gaze, combined with her body up against mine, made my dick harden rapidly.

“I don’t think you want me to.” Angling my hips, I let her know just how she was affecting me. When my hard cock pressed against her, a gasp fell from her lips, her eyes darkening, and I took the opportunity to lower my head and kiss her gorgeous mouth. Fuck, she tasted so sweet.

There was a single moment when our lips met, hers plaint against mine. The next minute, there was a stinging pain as she clamped her teeth down on my lower lip, and I tasted blood. This time when she shoved me, I let myself go. Was it wrong that her actions made me smile?

“Biting isn’t very nice, Quinn.” I shook my head at her.

She stood there seething, all the lust gone. “Don’t. Touch. Me. Don’t speak to me. Don’t come near me again.” Her words were spat at me between gritted teeth.

“I’m going.” Making a show of adjusting my dick in my trousers, which made her cheeks flush a deep pink, I backed out of the shower room.

She knew I’d never touch her properly if it wasn’t clear that she wanted it, too. The ball was in her court. I’d let her think she’d won, for now. I’d step back for the rest of the week, lull her into a false sense of security. But this coming weekend…

I knew that despite herself, despite her mind telling her I was the wrong option, she wanted me.

And with that knowledge…I couldn’t wait.

6

QUINN

“Ihave an exciting proposition.” Professor Fitzgerald paced up and down at the front of the classroom. “I know several of you are planning to incorporate history into your degrees and even your future careers.” He beamed at us. “I have an unprecedented opportunity for you. One that no other Hatherley Hall history student has had before. How would you like a chance to write an extra-credit paper?” Pausing dramatically, he hit a button on his laptop, and the screen at the front of the classroom lit up. I sucked in a breath as I took in the words in front of me. This really was unprecedented.

Our history teacher went through the details. We could choose to write a paper on a history subject of our choice, and after he’d looked through all the entries, our best efforts would be judged by a panel of academics. If we managed to impress them, our paper would have a chance of being published in The Historical Review, a prestigious academic journal. If that wasn’t incentive enough, the winner would be in the running for a summer internship at the National Archives. It was an incredible opportunity.

All I wanted for a career was to do something with history. Nothing else had ever caught my interest in that way. There was no other subject I was so passionate about. This opportunity…it was everything.

Glancing to my left, I saw Tristan narrowing his gaze at me. I shot him a glare. Yes, Roman’s best friend happened to be in my A-level history class, but there was no reason why I should interact with him. In fact, once Professor Fitzgerald had given us the details of the paper, I had a feeling that only a few of us would actually be interested in completing it, considering all the extra work it would entail.

I was right. The class drew to a close, and those of us who were interested in the extra-credit assignment were asked to stay behind. Tristan sailed out of the door with a salute to our history professor, and the room gradually emptied.

When there were only a few of us left, Professor Fitzgerald strode to the projector screen, tapping it with the tip of his pen.

“I’m assuming you’re here because you want to complete the extra-credit paper. Once you’ve chosen your subject, you need to research, research, research. The academics viewing your work will be looking for you to cite your sources. If you have a strong subject and the sources to back it up, then you will have done your best. No matter what happens, you can hold your head high. Remember, you’ve done all you can.”

I exchanged glances with Penelope. It was clear she was feeling just as excited as I was at our history teacher’s words. While his back was turned, I scooted across the rows between us until I was next to her.

“Hi.”

She gave me a bright smile. “Hi.”

“This is an amazing opportunity. Do you…do you want to study together? We can do this. We’re good at research, Pen.” It didn’t matter that we hadn’t studied together for a while—thanks to me being away—it was still the truth.

“You’re right, and I’d love to study together.” Straightening up in her seat, she tapped her notebook. “What are you planning to focus on for your paper?”

I smiled, happy that she’d accepted me straightaway. “I was thinking…”

The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, soft rays making the normally murky river shimmer in different shades of blues, greens, and greys. I couldn’t help smiling because I’d missed this. The benefit of attending an insanely expensive school meant that we got to do a whole range of extracurricular activities, and kayaking down the river was my favourite of those activities.

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