Page 55 of Lunar Crest University

I was fully prepared to keep being a brat, but here I am, faltering at his words. My fingers pick at the hem of my nightie as I gnaw at the inside of my lip. His eyes follow the movement, and I see his throat bob as he swallows thickly.

“But I’m here,” I rasp. “I’m okay.”

“That’s not the fucking point, Finley.”

I nod feebly. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Ilookedfor you,” he repeats.

He runs his fingers through his messy hair, flinging his glasses onto my bed as he starts to pace back and forth. His distress only makes me feel worse. Dropping my head, I peer down at my red-painted toes as I put my hands behind my back.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I shouldn’t have run off like that. I just…”

“You must know that I find her so fucking annoying, right?” he interrupts, halting as he cocks his head weakly at me. “I could see how uncomfortable you were, but please trust me when I say that I was too.”

I peek up at him, and a turmoil I’ve never seen before rests on his features. He doesn't even look mad anymore. He looks anxious. The crease between his brows is the deepest it has ever been, and his shoulders rise and fall with each shaky breath he takes.

“I’m so?—”

“If I could get away with it, I would tell her to fuck off.” He steps closer to me, his hands on his hips. “But I have to be careful.Wehave to be careful.”

I look around the room as I raise my brows suggestively. “This isn’t very careful.”

He pauses. “No, it isn’t.”

Shifting on my feet, I rub my arm gently. The thin strap of my nightie falls down my shoulder, and as I lift my hand to fix it, I catch the way his eyes follow that movement. My fingers hold the strap meekly, but I don’t pull it back up. I’m frozen under his stare. His gaze trails down my body, taking me in as if it’s the first time he has really looked at me since he walked in here. It feels like minutes have gone by before he finally meets my stare.

I can hear my heartbeat thudding in my ears as I blink languidly up at him, and before I can attempt to speak, he’s taking two long, frustrated strides toward me. His large hands encase my shoulders as he shoves me firmly back toward the bed, a slight whimper escaping my mouth that’s immediately muffled by his lips crashing against mine. My body melts under his touch, and my hands rest feebly on his chest as his trail up my neck until they’re grasping both sides of my face. The backs of my knees hit the bed, and I can feel the warmth of his abdomen as it presses into me. I fall onto the mattress as he breaks our fervent kiss.

“What’s the safe word?” he asks, towering over me.

“Maroon.”

“I need you to remember that.”

He tugs his sweater from his body, and my mouth dries. His bronze skin glows in the dim light of the room, and the ripples of his stomach flex as he leans over me. There’s a pink scar where his gash has healed along his abdomen, taking me back to the night we first met. His happy trail makes me bite down on my lip as I observe him, and I’ve never wanted to see what it leads to more than I do in this moment.

“Why—”

He grasps underneath my thighs and flips me completely over before I can finish my question, and I squeal from the movement. My dark hair sprawls down my shoulders as I peek back at him, my chest heaving. My panties cling to my skinfrom how wet I’ve become, and as I instinctively press my thighs together, he yanks me toward him, positioning himself between them and massaging my ass as he lowers his face next to mine.

“You were a brat tonight,” he tells me, brushing my hair from my face as he caresses my cheekbone. “Sí?”

“Yes,” I pant.

I feel him push my nightie up, and my cheeks redden as the cool air hits my damp panties. His dark eyes glance down at my exposed ass before he drags them up my body. I shiver under his stare, squirming slightly as I clench around nothing.

“And how should I punish you for that?” he asks.

My lips part as I peer back at him, my eyes flicking down to his hand slowly rubbing my ass before peeking back up at him tentatively.Fuck.

“By spanking me,” I say softly, my voice shaking. “Sir.”

He leans down, peppering kisses on my back. “Good girl.”

And then, his hand comes down on my ass cheek with a loudcrack. A moan bursts from my lips as I wriggle underneath him, my face burying in the silk sheets as his lips travel down my spine. My teeth dig into my bottom lip as he kisses the stinging skin, murmuring faint praises before his hand comes down again.Smack.

“Luca,” I whine.

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