Page 2 of Between Dusk and Dawn

"Kindness is my greatest defense. I'll continue to be nothing but respectful to you all while you continue to disrespect me."

"It was just a joke," Cagen said, revealing her dishonesty.

I let out a scoffing laugh before inhaling deeply. "It wasn't, Cagen. Let's put this behind us, especially since tonight's a big night."

She’d been talking about hooking up with the new guy in line to be president of the Alpha fraternity. It was why she’d come to Isles. She wanted to be queen and needed to find her king.

She sighed deeply. "You're the best, you know. I was just kidding."

There was a long pause between us. No. I didn’t know she was "just kidding."

"And you know I was joking about not being able to stand you, right? We're teammates, after all," Cagen added.

Yeah, right. Teammates.

"Of course, girl," I said. Cagen linked arms with me as if that solved all our problems.

I was hated by everyone in my life, and at a certain point, I learned to despise myself. Waking up every day felt like a task. Trying to stay alive was exhausting, so I did what I did best and wore my mask.

The truth stared back at me—I was a bad person who surrounded herself with bad people. These people weren’t here for friendships to be kind, no, they formed relationships with others to gain something from them. I was trapped in a web ofmy own making, but the circle was never-ending, and I didn’t know how to get out of the cycle.

The game was about to change.

Chapter One

Sophomore Year – Fall

Iwas looking at a piece of heaven.

My eyes couldn’t look away from her spread legs. She was bent at the waist and all I could imagine was all the ways I wanted to fuck her pretty little ass.

I leaned against the wall in the shadows of the hallway to watch her. She was following along with a yoga instructor on the TV, shaking her hips side to side as her red hair swung across her back. Her mysterious allure sparked an insatiable desire within me. It was as if an invisible force pulled me toward her, urging me to touch, taste, and feel her in ways I had never experienced before.

The intensity of my longing surprised even me. I yearned to understand more about her. The craving defied reason, one I couldn't suppress. Not an ounce of guilt seeped into my skin. I never claimed to be a good man, and these were notgoodthoughts to be having about whoever this was.

"Fuck," I mumbled as this mysterious woman contorted herself into another position. I needed to remind my girlfriend,Cagen, she needed to lock her doors because anyone lurking could come in—myself included.

My cock twitched as the strange girl continued to move her body in ways I didn't think were humanly possible. Staring at the ground, I reminded myself I was very much in a relationship and did not need this, then walked into the apartment.

Speaking of my relationship, my girlfriend’s room to the right was empty, which meant it was only me and whoever this redhead was. She seemed comfortable in the living room as if she lived here. She must be the roommate Cagen was always complaining about. Her fake-ass roommate who was constantly trying to join her on their nights out, but Cagen hated her because she was annoying and "too much."

She hated the way the redhead seemed too eager to go to the parties she was always invited to, or how she wanted to party too much, getting drunk often. Cagen told me she felt as though her roommate was always a tryhard, which annoyed her.

Maybe that was part of the intrigue? The girl—er, no woman—in front of me seemed perfect in every way. Could Cagen just be jealous of her? What could she hate in this angel?

I cocked my head to the side to try and get the smallest glimpse of her face as she moved down to the floor on her hands and knees, sticking her ass up into the air into the downward dog. I must have been turned on. There was no other explanation for how I felt, because the person standing in front of me was stunning and I was hard as fuck.

Cagen was who I was destined to be with. She was the most popular girl on campus with no affiliation to any family that my own was dueling with, and was president of the biggest sorority. She was gorgeous, blonde, and obsessed with me. Every single man on campus, and maybe even some women, envied the fact she was wholly committed to me.

I couldn’t say the same about her. I was with Cagen for the aesthetic. Being together was what I needed to maintain the demon brewing inside of me. But I would bend whoever this girl was over the fucking counter and fill her with my seed, branding her as mine.

I couldn't help but stare as she dipped low, her petite backside putting on a show with every sway. Yet that fiery red mane of hers was what truly captivated me, cascading down to the floor as she twisted herself into a human pretzel.

Leaning against the wall, I watched as she listened to some middle-aged workout instructor on the TV in front of her telling her how to contort herself into another very fuckable position.

Who thefuckwas this woman?

My cock twitched again when she got up and threw her hair over her shoulders, a smirk lifting her lips as she stretched her arms behind her.

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