Page 49 of Ruthless Savage

“He’s…uh…no one. He doesn’t talk.”

She jerks her head back. “Like he can’t or won’t?”

Eriu shrugs.

“Well…this is interesting!” Karen tilts up her chin.

“Oh God, we should go before you say something inappropriate!” Eriu tries to pull Karen away, but she remains there, continuing to ogle me.

“Inappropriate? Me? Never. I mean…I was gonna suggest you take Mister Hottie into a room and let him show you how good it can be.” Her mouth curls. “You can do that, can’t you, sir?”

“Karen!” Eriu huffs.

“What?” She laughs, a look passing between them. “Don’t mind her. This poor girl’s been holding out for someone else. This…uh, young and very handsome gentleman.” She giggles. “And he’s not interested. She’s eighteen, almost nineteen, and still a virgin, and at this point, it’d be better if she weren’t.”

But my ears are ringing. She’s interested in someone? Someone young? She wants him to take her virginity? Over my dead body.

“Shut up!” Eriu smacks her lightly on the chest. “I’m sorry about her. She likes to butt into my business quite a lot. It was, uh, nice to meet you. Have a great night.”

I watch her go, and as she does, she glances at me from behind her shoulder one last time.

Is she thinking about what just happened? How she let some stranger bloody touch her and make her come like that? My exhale howls out of me.

Now I find out she likes someone else?

I’ll find out who she’s doting on, and I’ll make sure he no longer exists. I know I’m not being fair, but fairness has nothin’ to do with it.

If I can’t have her, no one can.

CHAPTER 12

ERIU

“Are you alright?” Professor Montgomery asks the next day as the other students start to leave the room, our advanced writing class now coming to an end.

She slides a little closer on the sofa in one of the study rooms in the library, her auburn brows tugging in concern. I’m generally not this spaced out in class—especially in hers—but today, my mind is elsewhere.

It’s back at the club from last night. I can’t seem to get that stranger out of my head, or what we did together. The way he smelled, the way he sounded when he did utter a word, it was…I don’t know…

He could’ve been anyone.

But I felt like I knew him somehow, or maybe I’m just hoping I did. Would be easier to stomach that than the fact that I let a complete stranger touch me like that. Give me my first orgasm.

Shame fills my gut.

Why does it feel like I cheated on Devlin? He isn’t mine, yet I feel bad anyway. Like I just betrayed him.

“Whatever it is, you’re always free to talk to me,” she says. “I know it’s hard for you to talk to your father. It’s hard growing up with a strong male figure in your life who still views you like a child. I understand. My father was the same.”

Her golden eyes glisten with kindness as she forms a tight-lipped smile.

“How did you get past that?”

“Well, time, I guess.” She laughs solemnly. “But everything was a fight with him. He always viewed my brothers as the strong ones, always underestimating me.” She sighs. “But it took proving to him that I’m a capable person before he gave me the same respect that he gave them.”

She throws one long leg over the other, her red stilettos as beautiful as she is. She has this refined sophistication about her. But it’s not her beauty I admire. It’s her mind and her talent. She’s an author of many psychological thrillers that have hit bestseller lists, but she’s said that teaching has always been a passion of hers.

The professor has been such a support to me through this—hiding what I want to do from my father. She’s given me books on improving my writing, given me extra work to better my character development. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She really wants her students to succeed.

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