Page 70 of Jolt's Vengeance

"You're so beautiful, Aggie," he murmurs against my ear.

I swallow hard, fighting against the surge of emotion his words evoke. "Jolt, I..."

"Shh," he soothes, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. "Just let me take care of you."

As his hands continue their gentle exploration of my body, I'm hit with a startling realization.

I'm falling for him.

Hard.

The thought terrifies me, but I can't deny the warmth blooming in my chest.

When we finally step out of the shower, I feel both refreshed and slightly overwhelmed.

Jolt wraps a fluffy towel around me before grabbing one for himself.

I stand in front of the mirror, running a brush through my tangled hair, when Jolt appears behind me.

His eyes meet mine in the reflection, and the intensity of his gaze takes my breath away.

"You're looking absolutely gorgeous."

I roll my eyes, trying to deflect. "Ye can stop with the compliments now, you know. You've already got me in yer bed."

Jolt's expression turns serious. "I'm never gonna stop telling you how beautiful you are, Aggie. You deserve to hear it every damn day."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut.

Suddenly, I'm that little girl again, desperately craving praise and affection from a father who only knew how to hurt.

I blink rapidly, fighting back tears.

"Thank you," I manage to whisper, my voice thick with emotion. "I... I should get dressed. I have classes today."

Jolt nods, seeming to sense my need for space. "All right, darlin'. Go out there and kill it in class, yeah?"

I force a smile, grateful for his understanding.

As I turn to leave the bathroom, I can't shake the feeling that something intense has shifted between us.

And despite my fears, I'm not sure I want to go back to the way things were in the beginning.

Luckily, I brought a bag with me last night in case I did end up staying the night, so I changed into my new clothes and am ready for the day.

I step out of his trailer, the morning sun already beating down on the Las Vegas pavement.

The weight of my backpack feels heavier than usual, filled with textbooks and my clothes from last night, I head up to the gate.

It’s not long before an Uber is picking me up and then I’m on campus, being dropped off in front of the lecture hall.

As I make my way across the grounds, the familiar buzz of college life surrounds me.

I slide into my seat for my first class, Cryptography and Network Security, my mind still half-lost in the memories of this morning.

"All right, class," Professor Chen's voice cuts through my thoughts. "Let's dive into public key infrastructure."

I force myself to focus, my pen flying across the page as I take notes.