Page 98 of Snitches and Serpents

But then Tristan at last replies, “Alright.”

Paul turns back to me and shrugs while stepping aside. I walk past him and into the house. It’s just as messy as it has been every time I’ve been here. Empty glasses litter the coffee table in the living room, hoodies are draped over the back of chairs, and there’s a jumble of sneakers in the hallway.

I resist the urge to shake my head and instead hurry up the steps towards Tristan’s room.

His door is open, and he is standing there, leaning one shoulder against the doorframe, when I reach the hallway upstairs. I slow my pace but continue towards him.

When I reach the spot right before the door, I stop. Tristan just stands there, staring me down with an expression I can’t read. Then he wordlessly takes a step back and jerks his chin for me to enter. I do.

I quickly scan the room while he closes the door behind me.

His bed is made, the dark gray sheets smooth and the pillows neatly in place. The bag I’ve seen him bring to the gym is waiting in the corner next to the wooden closet, which is slightly open to reveal rows of clothes. Most of them in dark colors. My gaze darts to the nightstand. There is an open physics book there. As if he was lying on the bed, reading, when I rang the doorbell. But if that’s true, then he must have taken the time to smooth out the creases in the sheets while I was making my way up here. Which is kind of… sweet.

“I thought I told you that we were done,” Tristan says from behind, startling me out of my thoughts.

I spin around to face him. My heart flips as I find him standing only two steps away. That unreadable mask is still on his face, but his green eyes seem to burn through my soul as he holds my gaze.

“You did,” I reply.

“So why are you here?”

My heart thrums in my chest, but I manage to keep my voice steady as I say, “Because you never really answered my question. Why did you protect me back at that gym?”

He draws his eyebrows down. “I told you. Because some people there are dangerous.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“What do you want me to tell you?”

“The truth.”

“That is the truth.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it’s not. Just answer the question.”

Frustration flashes across his face, and he throws his arms out in exasperation. “What do you want me to say? Huh?” His eyes are wild as he stares back at me and shakes his head. “That I couldn’t bear the thought of someone else putting his fucking hands on you. That I feel this intense pull straight to you every time you walk into a room. That I love your fire and that you refuse to stay down no matter how many times I try to destroy you. That you’re so fucking beautiful that my heart aches when I look at you. That I love your contradictory personality where you can scream and throw rats in my face but you still blush a little every time you say crude words like cock. That I love how you know all of me, all contrasting sides of me, and that you understand exactly what I’m feeling too. That I feel like you were fucking made for me!”

Ringing silence echoes between the pale walls.

I stare at Tristan, my eyes wide and my mouth slightly open in shock.

His chest is heaving.

For a few seconds, it feels as if the entire room is suspended in time. I’m not even sure if my heart is beating right now.

Then I take two steps towards him and crush my lips against his.

A desperate noise rips from his chest.

Lurching into motion, he slides an arm underneath my ass and lifts me up while he draws his other hand along my jaw. I lock my fingers around the back of his neck and wrap my legs around his waist while kissing him desperately as he carries me towards his desk. A moan spills from my lips has he caresses my cheek with his thumb. He smiles against my mouth.

Taking his hand from my jaw, he draws his arm over the desk instead. Papers rustle through the air and pens clatter against the floor as he sweeps everything off the tabletop in one fluid motion.

My heart slams against my ribs as he sets me down on top of the desk. I unwrap my legs from his waist and instead spread them wide, letting him press in closer. He reaches for the buttons on my shirt while his mouth continues dominating mine.

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