Page 25 of Drown in You

After I hit Send, I stare at the messages waiting for his reply. Luke’s phone buzzes in his pocket, but he doesn’t bother checking it. At least he doesn’t text and drive. He’s retained some morals.

Despite not getting a response from Ten in days—the longest he’s gone without texting me since we met online—I’m holding out hope that there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation. He was on a trip somewhere and didn’t have service. His phone died and he hasn’t gotten a new one yet. Soon, I’ll get a text from him explaining his silence, and I’ll feel like an idiot for worrying and jumping to conclusions.

We’ve talked almost every day for five years. He wouldn’t stop now. Not when I need him most.

When my phone chimes, my heart leaps with hope. But the text is from Mom.

Mom

I’m already showered and dressed. How are they? Nice?

My cheeks flush at the prospect of texting my mother anything about Luke.

Sienna

Yep!

When the Diamond University campus comes into view, I can’t help gasping. The sprawling brick campus is gorgeous, like a quaint town pulled straight from historic London. Dorm buildings, dining halls, class buildings, gyms. Fountains and quads and benches and ponds. I bet this campus is stunning in the spring when everything is in bloom.

“You like the campus, sis?” Luke’s deep, sultry drawl shouldn’t turn me on as much as it did last night.

My nose scrunches. “Ew, don’t call me that.”

“Why not? You said that’s the reason you wouldn’t let me take you out.”

My cheeks burn with shame when my thighs clench. As soon as Luke pulls up in front of Nohren Hall, I fling the door open before the car has even fully come to a stop. I don’t have much—Juliet is bringing most of our dorm supplies since she’s the one with wealthy parents who can afford to buy her basically whatever she wants. So moving my stuff in shouldn’t take long. Then Luke and I can part ways and hopefully not have to see each other again for a long time.

I grab as many bags as I can and beeline for Nohren Hall to get my room key. Luke takes his time grabbing a few boxes from the car, chuckling at my rush to get away from him. Glad one of us finds this situation amusing.

When we finally reach the dorm, I hold my breath, hoping Juliet is already inside. But the room is completely bare.

Damn it. I need her to run interference between us.

“Which bed is yours?” Luke asks, and I hate the way a shiver races down my spine at the seductive way those words leave his lips.

“This one.” I toss my bags onto the mattress before he can get any bright ideas about this empty room with two available beds.

Inside my purse, the disposable camera rattles, bringing back a rush of memories from last night. Sitting beside him at the bar, squeezing his thigh, moaning with his head between my legs.

He smirks, perching on the edge of my mattress. “I’m getting flashbacks to your hotel room.”

I fold my arms. He clearly doesn’t understand the magnitude of this situation, and I need to make the boundaries of our new relationship crystal clear to him. “What happened last night was a mistake. It can never happen again. Like your mom said, we’re family now. So no one can ever know what we did, and we’re going to pretend it didn’t happen. Okay?”

His brows furrow now, and I gulp. He’s back to that commanding, looming man he was in my hotel room. Except this time, I’m nervous about what he might do next.

I’m finally realizing there’s a lot about Luke Valentine I don’t know.

He closes the space between us in two slow steps. My pulse echoes in my ears. “I’ll never pretend it didn’t happen. And I won’t let you pretend either.”

His hand brushes behind my ear, tender...until he slides it around my neck and tugs me closer.

I whimper.

“It will happen again, Sienna. That wasn’t the only taste of you I’m getting. I know you want me, just as much as I want you.”

Jesus. If he was anyone else, if he wasn’t my stepbrother, I would let him get another taste. I would let him fuck me right here.

But this is our new reality, and we need to stay away from each other, no matter what he thinks he wants.

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