Page 15 of Depraved Desires

A breath of laughter fluttered past my lips, causing Rocky’s gaze to slide over to me. He narrowed his eyes which only made me laugh harder. The sound felt foreign to my ears. When was the last time I’d even laughed? I couldn’t recall. But it felt nice. By the time he was off the phone, my face ached from laughing. The feeling unfortunately faded out though as fast as it had come.

“Next time, you’re talking to him,” Rocky murmured, placing his phone face down on the nightstand.

“But you did such a good job,” I mocked. “It’s only fair that you keep doing it.” For the first time in…I don’t even know how long, I felt light. Maybe this small getaway was exactly what I needed.

He rolled his eyes. “I thought you said you were tired.”

“I am. I just have a lot on my mind.” I regretted the words as soon as they were uttered, even more so when a look of concern flashed across his features.

Shrugging off his hoodie, he let it fall to the floor. His muscles strained against the black T-shirt he wore, causing my mind to conjure up dirty images. Images that I shouldn’t even be thinking about. Rocky was too good of a guy for me. He didn’t need to get caught up in my world. Well…more than he already was.

He lowered himself onto the bed beside me, the heat from his body potent as we sat side by side. “What’s on your mind?” he asked carefully, probably afraid I’d choose to keep it to myself.

“Everything. I don’t know what to do from here. There’s a part of me that wants to skip town and never look back, and then there’s an even bigger part of me that wants revenge forthe things that have happened.” The words flew from my mouth effortlessly, almost as if I couldn’t contain them any longer.

His hand found mine, the action making me tense momentarily. I watched as his thumb swept across the back of it, rubbing soothing circles. It was an odd gesture, but it seemed to calm me somewhat.

“What’s stopping you from getting revenge?” he asked, lacing our fingers together. His gaze remained fixated on our hands, and for some reason, that made talking to him easier.

I shrugged. “I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

With my shit luck, I’d just get myself killed. For real this time. This was something that needed to be planned out accordingly. I couldn’t just walk into the academy and expect things to be different than the last time I was there. Anything could go wrong.

He hummed softly as he thought. “You’d want to start with the weakest link,” he muttered. “Who would that be?”

The weakest link. That was easy. He didn’t even look like he fit in with them. There was something softer about him and it was something I really admired at first. But then…things changed.

“Collin…” I trailed off.

He nodded. “Agreed. He’s been walking around the halls like someone shot his grandma. It’s safe to say, he feels really guilty about what transpired that night.”

“Good,” I bit out. He deserved to feel that way. He deserved to feel much worse than that. His guilt didn’t bring Raven back, and had I actually died, it wouldn’t bring me back either.

I wanted him to suffer. He was just as much at fault for everything. He also took part in fucking raping me. His actions were unforgivable. They were heartless when they acted. All of them were. Raven’s blood stuck to me like paint as they tookwhat they wanted from me. My body might have reacted, but my feelings remained the same. And for that, they’d all pay.

“I’ll help you,” Rocky said suddenly, slicing through my thoughts. “I’ll help you prepare; I’ll help you plan. Whatever you need.”

I didn’t know why he wanted to help me but turning him down would be stupid. The last time I turned his help away, I suffered the consequences for it. Luckily, he was still there to save the day. I’d underestimated him before, but I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

“Thank you,” I whispered, truly meaning it. For the first time in a long time, it felt like there was finally hope.

He smiled. “Don’t mention it. Why don’t you get some rest, and we’ll talk about this some more tomorrow.”

He was right. Exhaustion clung to me, weakening my thought process along with my body. In order to think rationally, I’d need to be well rested. I was just happy I wouldn’t have to do this alone. Contempt filled me as I situated myself on the bed. My eyes were already heavy, begging for sleep. Pulling the thick comforter over me, my head hit the soft, fluffy pillow.

Rocky stood from the bed and unfastened his jeans. I swallowed as he pushed them down his legs and stepped out of them. His navy-colored boxers clung to his thighs and an impressive bulge revealed itself.

When he caught me staring, heat enveloped me. Usually, I wasn’t one to get embarrassed easily, but something shifted between us. We were on the same page about exacting revenge against the people who had wronged me. I’m sure he had his own reasons for wanting them to pay considering they didn’t get along either, but we had an understanding.

“I can’t sleep in jeans,” he explained. “This trip was a little unexpected. I can crash on the couch over there.” He motionedto a small couch on the far side of the room—one I must have missed because I hadn’t seen it before.

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be an idiot. The bed is big enough; just stay on your side and we’ll be good.”

“I knew you couldn’t wait to get me into bed.” He winked. I snorted at that but didn’t bother to comment. There definitely wouldn’t be any funny business going on between us. Especially not to tonight.

He strode across the room and flicked the lights off. Before I knew it, the bed was dipping beneath his weight as he crawled beneath the comforter. It felt weird having someone in bed with me. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever had a guy in bed. Most of my hookups were quickies and happened in cars, against buildings, in the woods, on the ground, etc.

My thoughts died out as a yawn erupted from my throat. With every passing moment, sleep grew nearer and nearer.

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