Page 98 of Creed

“I’m sorry, Stardust.” He says a few moments later, placing a kiss to the top of my head, his personality shifting again to something softer.

“Don’t apologize,” I reply, kissing his neck. “I’ll tell you someday, but for now, I want to lie here and just… glow with you, because that’s what it feels like I’m doing right now.”

Creed hums and strokes his fingers through my hair. “You were definitely glowing, Stardust. You come so prettily for me, and I can’t wait to see what you look like when you come on my cock for the first time.”

My cheeks heat at his words, a bit of my prudishness coming back now that the effects of my release are ebbing out. I’m glad he can’t see the way his dirty words affect me right now. We lay in comfortable silence for several minutes before Creed’s phone buzzes beneath us. He shifts, pulling it from his back pocket. From where I’m laying I can see a message from someone named Lachlan on the screen.

He unlocks his phone and the message pops up. He doesn’t move to hide whatever it says, so I assume it’s okay to read it. So I do.

Lachlan: I’ve been able to successfully access the phone’s interface. However, with each text that comes through, the signal seems to be pinging off of different cell towers from all around the globe.

My brow furrows. “What phone’s interface?” I ask out loud. Another message pops up from Lachlan before Creed can respond.

Lachlan: Whoever this is, they must have the money and resources behind them, making it possible to throw anyone suspicious of their activity off their trail.

I sit up, pulling the blanket at the end of the bed over my naked lap, feeling awfully confused by these messages. “Creed?” No sooner that I say his name, does it click in my brain. I haven’t seen my phone since I’d fallen asleep. It had buzzed with a message but knowing it was probably my former foster father, I had reluctantly agreed to let Creed handle it, not wanting to spiral again. I still felt guilty as fuck for my last violent dissociative episode. Riley took the bandages off of his face, but the scabbing was still there, reminding me of what I’d done to him. “Creed.” I say more forcefully. He looks at me, his expression cool and passive. “Where’s my phone?”

He sits up too, tossing his phone between us, his screen still lit up with the message thread open between him and Lachlan. I read the messages before pressing further.

Me: Does that mean we’re shit out of luck, or what? We can’t just let this guy continue to harass Collins. He needs to be fucking found like yesterday.

Lachlan: I said it made it possible to throw anyone off. I’m not just anyone, Creed. He will be found, I’ll just need a bit more time to pinpoint his location, or to see if there’s a pattern. It’s possible that he could be on the move.

Me: Cocky, much? Just get it done, please. Can we do anything to help?

Lachlan: Just keep your girl safe. Try to keep her out of the spotlight. Don’t draw any unnecessary attention to her. We don’t know if this guy knows that she’s on the move. I’ll call you as soon as I have updates.

I read the last of the messages and look up at Creed, feeling a little violated that he had my phone tapped. “You had my phone tapped?” I parrot the question from my thoughts.

“I did.” He says honestly. “I was going to take you to get a brand new phone with a new number and everything, though. One that this guy knows nothing about and one where he can’t contact you.” He sighs and reaches out, placing his hand over my exposed knee and squeezes reassuringly. His eyes harden and a muscle thrums along his jaw, his nostrils flaring as a thought passes through his mind.

“Was it him, earlier? Did…he send another message?” I ask, feeling wary at Creed’s dark expression. He looks away, running one hand across his mouth, seemingly contemplating whether to tell the truth this time. Too bad for him. He doesn’t get a fucking option. I straighten and place my hand on top of his. “Creed,” I say more sternly and his eyes come back to mine. “Did he?”

He releases a heavy exhale and nods, albeit reluctantly.

“Okay,” I breathe, standing and grabbing one of Creed’s shirts that’s been thrown over the edge of a chair behind the desk and pull it over my head. The scent of him envelopes me and I feel a little more grounded. The shirt stops mid-thigh and could honestly serve as a dress. “What did it say?”

He starts to shake his head vehemently, a hard ‘no’ without saying a word. “Nuh-uh,” I snap, marching over the three steps it takes to step in front of him and grabbing his cheeks between my palms, nearly puckering his lips with the force at which I’m holding him. “You asked me to let you help. That wasn’t a permission given for you to cut me out of what’s going on so completely. This is my life that he’s fucking with. I have every right to know what he sent. Maybe something in it can help?—”

“It won’t fucking help for you to see what he sent, Collins.” His use of my actual name in such a serious manner has my spine straightening. What the fuck was sent?

“What did he send, Creed?” I demand more than ask.

“I’m not?—”

“Tell me what he fucking said!” I shout, and quickly cover my mouth. Part of me is shocked that the sound actually came out at that volume, and the other part is shocked that I yelled at Creed. I instantly feel guilty because he’s clearly trying to protect me and I’m letting my fucking pride take over and lash out for being excluded. “I—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted at you.”

It's Creed’s turn to grip the sides of my face and he pulls my face down until my forehead rests against his. “Don’t apologize, baby. I’m the one who should apologize. I’d made a decision without you when I should have informed you. It won’t happen again.” He says so softly. His thumbs stroke the line of my jaw softly and tips his head up to give me a quick, soft kiss. I melt against him. “But please, Collins, I’m asking you to trust me this one time when I tell you that you’re better off not seeing what this prick sent. I know it’s like dangling a carrot in front of a bunny, but please, please trust me.”

“I trust you all the time.” I reassure him, pulling back to look him in the eye. His bright blue eyes are begging me to let this matter go. It tells me that it must be pretty fucking bad. “Okay,” I relent. “I won’t ask to see it anymore. But I do want to retrieve some numbers from it. I want to be able to contact Jett and Coco. They’re the only ones outside of you and Riley that I want to contact and the only two who will freak the fuck out if they can’t get ahold of me.”

Creed nods and tells me he’ll get them for me while I get ready to go out and get another phone. I don’t feel like changing again so I grab a belt from my bag and cinch it over Creed's shirt and throw on some fishnet tights and compression shorts to cover my ass and slip on my old high top Chucks. When I exit the bedroom, I stop by the bathroom to check my reflection. My cheeks are still flushed and my lips are swollen from…everything that happened earlier. A small smile tugs at my mouth when I think about how it felt for Creed to fuck my throat. I’d never done anything so fucking hot in my life and I felt like a whole different person when I’d flipped around on him.

My mind is still reeling when Creed hands me a slip of paper with my friends’ numbers on it. I take it and slip it into my little backpack purse as we exit the bus. Riley is waiting for us just outside the door and my heart flutters when he looks up at me, his cheeks flushed and his dark eyes lock onto mine and gives me that fae prince smile that shows off his canines. My belly swoops when he pulls me into the same waddling, backward-walking hug that he gave to me at the mall last week. It has me laughing and smiling all the same and it makes me feel a little lighter. He says something about finding a local electronics store to get a new phone for his new bestie. The close contact with Riley has my heart pounding for reasons I don’t understand. I nervously peek over Riley’s shoulder at Creed as Riley continues to waddle me backwards only to find that he’s looking not at me, but at Riley.

The thing that shocks me, though, is the fact that he’s not scowling or brooding like he did with Tony or Steve. He’s… smiling. Almost reverently. His eyes snap to mine just before Riley spins me around so I can walk properly, and just before I turn, I catch a sweet yet borderline manic smile on his face.

The lighter feeling that Riley gave me just moments before suddenly becomes heavy as I think about not only everything that Creed and I are and how our relationship has morphed so fast, but now there’s a new emotion thrown into the mix and I’m terrified. I’m terrified because the heart-fluttering feelings aren’t for Creed, though my feelings for him haven’t changed. This new feeling?

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