Page 138 of Shadows in Bloom

I’m almost down to the filter when I become aware of a presence. Cruz enters the orange glow of the only streetlight out here amongst the reeking trash cans and steaming sewers, his face shadowed by the hood that’s pulled low over his brow. Loose rocks crunch beneath his Doc Martens as he walks closer, kicking an empty can out of the way. The loud rattle spikes my heart rate, and I take another deep drag of the cigarette to calm my nerves. I’m not surprised that he’s here. Cruz is everywhere.

“That’s a nasty habit.” His smoky voice calls to the part of me that craves destruction.

“Are you stalking me?” I flick the cigarette to the ground.

“What gave you that idea?” he questions, approaching me in a wide arc, which makes me feel hunted as he skirts the outside of the streetlight. His face is in darkness, adding an aura of mystique to the shadows that call him their master, and my mouth goes dry when a hint of a fang gleams in the darkness.

“You’re everywhere, Cruz.”

He hums, his boots crushing the debris and cigarette butts on the ground.

“You break into my house at night.”

“I can still taste you on my lips now.”

My dick jumps in my jeans, and I shrink back against the wall when he steps into the light again. Fuck me… He embodies the night, seeming taller and larger than his six-foot-three frame. He’s a sharp weapon.

Somewhere in the distance, police sirens disturb the silence.

“Why are you here?”

Instead of answering, he walks up to me and fishes my packet of cigarettes out of my pocket. He smirks around the filter as he lights one up. I should snatch it from him, but I’m lost for words. Something sinister and delicious swirls in his eyes as he locks them on mine. He takes a deep drag and rests his hand on the brick wall behind me, then slowly blows the smoke at my face. His smirk returns and he tilts his head sideways. “What’s the matter, Marshall? You look flustered.”

“Your dad is inside,” I point out. Peering around us to ensure we’re alone, my breath catches in my throat when he digs his fingers into my jaw.

“Eyes on me… Always on me.” The orange sparks in the dark when he fills his lungs with more toxic chemicals, and cigarette smoke drifts over my face before he crushes the butt beneath his boot.

I steel myself, catching him by surprise when his eyes are on the ground instead of me. “I need you to leave me alone, Cruz.”

A warm summer breeze caresses my clammy skin while he slowly lifts his gaze—so slowly that my heart thuds harder.

“This thing… It’s wrong, Cruz.”

He quirks his eyebrow, and even that small movement is measured. His face remains a blank mask that gives nothing away except for a clench of his jaw.

I carry on while I feel brave enough to do the right thing. “If you care about me at all, Cruz, stay away. Respect this one wish. Can you do that?”

Straightening up to his full height, he stays silent, rhythmically tapping his finger and thumb together. This side of Cruz frightens me—the complete control of his emotions except for that one tiny crack in his façade.

When he continues staring at me silently, I escape past him.

For once, he doesn’t follow me or force me to submit in the late-night hours.

One night turns into more, but I still can’t sleep, tossing and turning, expecting him to tie me up and wring pleasure from my body.

He doesn’t.

Relief wars with disappointment.

Could it be that easy? All I had to do was ask? Of course not. Nothing in life is ever that easy, and a villainous boy like Cruz doesn’t take no for an answer. He studies the pieces on the playing board, calculates his next move, and then strikes.

CHAPTER 5

CRUZ

Marshall looks delicious, seated behind his desk on the podium, flicking through a stack of graded papers while the sun casts streaks over his broad shoulders and rolled-up sleeves. His navy tie is loosened, and his muscles shift beneath the white, button-up shirt.

He looked even more delicious last night when I watched him sleep for hours until the sky lightened outside.

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