Page 60 of Toxic

He frowned slightly. "It’s not about that. It’s about being present—Professor Allen is strict about attendance. Missing class puts you on his bad side."

"Come on, Soren, don’t risk your health. You should be resting; you could still be bleeding a little—"

"I know, that’s why I’ll use a small pad, like omegas do after giving birth. I’ll be fine, Skye. I’ve been through this before, remember? I know how I feel, and I know I can handle going to class."

He sat up, only then realizing that he was completely naked.

I saw that he blushed slightly when my gaze slid to his nipples. They looked particularly interesting—dark pink, like raspberries, slightly swollen, with hard, long nubs. Unwittingly, my eyes fixated on them. The awareness of how sensitive they were, and how many times he had come just from me caressing them, made me swallow hard, feeling a twitch in my dick. But I quickly willed my gaze up, not wanting to take advantage of him in this vulnerable situation.

"You have a beautiful body," I mumbled, feeling that it came off as inappropriate and insensitive, especially at a time like this.

"Thanks," he muttered. "I'll go wash up now. And I advise you to go back to your room. You’ve got some blood smears on your T-shirt," he finished in a rather sour tone, pointing toward my stomach.

I sighed, sat up, and nodded. "Fine, I’ll do that. I'm getting out of here now, but I'll see you in class?"

He nodded again. I realized that the whole time we were talking, he didn’t cover his chest, even though he could have easily—but he didn’t! I wondered why. He just sat there naked,letting my gaze glide over his tempting shapes with impunity. Soren had such a narrow waist, and his buttocks formed two pleasant swells. He looked at me, noticing I was staring at his body again, but still allowed me to indulge in this eye-feast.

With some difficulty, I tore my gaze away from his beauty and stood up, adjusting my tented boxers. I admit, it took me a moment. It felt strange. I had been staring at him for maybe a full minute, probably looking like a drooling dog. But Soren… said nothing. He didn’t protest or tell me to get a grip or stop being disrespectful. He just sat there, his eyes focused on the edge of the bed, his eyelashes on display, waiting for me to satiate myself with him. Perhaps he found some mysterious pleasure in seeing me so entranced by his body? I had no idea.

I would've expected him to be angry. After all, he had miscarried last night, and here I was, ogling him like some sick pervert.

Why didn’t he scold me? He should have. He really should have. But he didn’t.

In the end, it was me who put a stop to the madness. I gathered myself, doing the right thing by turning my gaze away.

Putting on my shoes, I muttered, "Well, take care," my head low, as I walked out of the room, leaving him still sitting naked on the edge of the bed.

Returning to my room, I felt weird, almost out of place. My mind was blank, but my body felt weighed down with undeciphered emotions.

When I opened the door, Alvin was already up, getting dressed. He raised an eyebrow and smirked lightly at my appearance.

"I have a feeling you had an interesting night," he remarked.

Annoyed, I grimaced slightly. I couldn't tell him the truth—it was a private matter, what had transpired between me and Soren.

"It was eventful, but I can’t talk about what happened, so don’t even ask."

Now Alvin seemed even more intrigued.

"Soren. You were with him. Hence the secrecy."

I didn’t respond.

Alvin shook his head disapprovingly.

"You're an idiot for getting involved in this. Seriously. He'll break your heart. I told you, he hates alphas; he's made his feelings pretty clear several times, even in front of me. He ranted that he would rather kill himself than have a relationship with one of us again!"

What could I say to him? I remained silent. He’d just think I was deaf and blind to the voice of reason, and he’d be right! I was. All I wanted was… Soren.

Crazy, incomprehensible, stupid, but I couldn’t help it. Everything in me… was drawn to him. Like a moth to a flame.

***

Uncharacteristically anxious, I showed up for class on time, and Soren was already seated in his usual spot.

I took my seat next to him. He didn’t say anything, though he threw me a quick glance. His face still looked pale.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

---