Page 83 of Theirs to Ruin

I jerked back at his question. “Drew Nelson? Why would you ask me that?”

“Oh come on, I’ve seen you together,” he said, not looking pleased.

I laughed and shook my head. “Drew tutors me in math. He’s the reason I passed Trigonometry, but Calculus is kicking my ass this year, even with his help.”

“Don’t be fooled. The guy wants to fuck you.”

I almost rolled my eyes. Drew wasn’t out of the closet, but he’d confided in me one night that he was gay. He’d needed advice because the guy he loved, who went to school a few hours from Crimsonvale, wanted to go public, but Drew wasn’t ready.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “I’m not interested in him, and I certainly haven’t been with him.”

“So have you ever been with anyone at all?” Kage murmured.

In the back of my mind, the voice of caution whispered, reminding me of the walls I'd been taught to fortify, the information about myself I should keep close to the vest. But standing so close to him, with his confession about Billy still echoing in my ears, I felt an inexplicable pull toward candor.The fact was that, despite everything, something had abruptly shifted.

Just as I trusted Dante, I now trusted Kage, and that realization was both thrilling and terrifying. “Not all the way. But I’ve done other things.”

His eyes sparked with jealousy. “With who?”

Our new roommate.

“It was when I was in high school,” I said, not bothering to tell him it was in Italy during the summer of my junior year.

“Was it good?

A flood of memories washed over me. Of Ty’s strong arms holding me tight. Of his artist’s fingers slipping in and out of my pussy. Of his soft tongue on my clit. “It was.”

“I’ll give you better.”

His words startled a laugh out of me. “Arrogant much? I guess that’s par for the course around here.”

“Sure. But unlike most people who like to brag, I can back it up.” He leaned closer, his mouth hovering over mine. I held my breath, yearning for him to kiss me.

For him to want me the way I wanted him.

Kage slid a hand behind the nape of my neck, pushed me up against the wall, and covered my mouth with his.

Chapter 36

Camille

The instant our lips met, it was like being consumed by an inferno.

Like before, there was no preamble; it was intensity from the start. A raw, demanding force, pulling me deeper into the flames. An open declaration of what he wanted, with no pretense. With every press of his lips and sweep of his tongue, he was claiming me, pulling me closer to his orbit. The intensity of it was overwhelming, making me feel desired, protected, and most of all, alive.

As our lips clashed, Kage's fingers danced over the soft fabric of my top. His touch was thrilling, causing every hair on my body to stand on end. Our tongues warred. I inhaled his entire soul and only grew hungrier. We broke apart, gasping for air, but it was a fleeting moment and only because we’d sucked all the air from our combined lungs. Kage’s lips latched onto my throat, leaving a blazing trail that had me squirming beneath him.

"God, Kage," I whispered, my voice heavy with desire. The weight of him, the sensation of his hard length pressed against my thigh—it was all-consuming.

Any tiny movement of his hips struck my pussy with throbbing heat. All he had to do was breathe against me and my need had me on the verge of screaming.

“Tell me what you want, Camille,” he whispered, his breath hot against my ear, sending shivers down my neck. His hand slipped underneath my shirt to caress my back, sending jolts of electricity through my core.

I whimpered softly, already feeling intoxicated by his closeness. What was he asking? Where I wanted his hands? Whether I wanted his mouth or his cock? How did he expect me to make decisions when he was overwhelming me with pleasure? But I had to say something. "You, Kage,” I moaned. “I want you."

He chuckled, the sound low and seductive. He deftly undid the clasp on my bra. I took a ragged breath as he cupped my breast through my shirt, but it was nothing to how I panted when his thumb ran across my hard nipple. "Oh, I know you want me, my sweet little virgin," he murmured, nipping lightly at my earlobe, his fingers still teasing my nipple. "But I want specifics."

He dropped his hand, drawing a teasing path to my navel and flirting with the waistband of my jeans without venturing farther. It was maddening. The way he was prolonging the moment, drawing it out, making me ache with need. He obviously knew what he was doing, but it no longer bothered me that he’d learned by practicing on half the girls on campus. He wasn’t with anyone else in that moment, not in body, not in mind, not in soul. I could feel it: he was withme.

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