Page 63 of Blood & Betrayals

Connor nods against my neck, his stubble brushing against my jaw a maddening distraction. “How much I like you. How fast it’s going.”

Defensiveness writhes through me, and I fight my body’s instinct to tense. If Connor notices, he doesn’t let on. He simply kisses my neck again, and I can feel my traitorous heart jump in response.

“I’ll try to… not go so fast.”

Something inside me melts at his words, and I turn to face him, looking up at his handsome face. His lips are curved in an easy smile, but his gaze is shadowed, betraying his anxiety. The sea blue of his eyes washes over me, soothing and calm. There is something both comforting and maddening in how he is always trying to read and understand me. Normally, I hate it because the knowledge has always been used to manipulate and use me, but Connor does it for no other reason than to know me better. He cares about me and wants to know who I am. He wants to understand the intricacies ofme. I have never allowed anyone this close.

In the past, if anyone looked at me like Connor is right now, I’d bolt in the other direction, cut all ties, and never look back. I would not spare them one further thought. Not one tear. Not one regret. Yet, the longer Connor and I stand like this, the more I realize things are different with him. Unsure what to say, I stand on my tiptoes and brush my lips against his. The kiss is so soft, so filled with emotion, that if he knew me better, he’d know it was both an admission and a thank you. Then again, with the way his eyes are sparkling, maybe he does know.

“Food, then more sex?”

He grins and swings me into his arms. “Don’t need to ask me twice!” He carries me into my room and positions us on my bed before grabbing his laptop.

I frown at him. “What are you doing?”

He tilts his laptop away from me while he types in his password suspiciously fast.

“Worried I’m going to hack you, Morningstar?”

He blushes a little before turning the laptop around again so I can see the screen. “You never know,” he says, typing something into the browser.

I blink, watching him. “What are you doing?” I ask again.

“Putting on a movie while we eat.”

“Oh…”

Connor grins at me. “Unless you were planning to eat while having sex. Though I think there’s a rule against that.”

I roll my eyes. “Pretty sure that’s swimming. Put a movie on, dick.”

Connor tucks me tighter against his side, the laptop between us. He’s chosen an action movie with lots of guns and explosions. I barely pay attention, my mind drifting to the library and the sensation of eyes on me. The weight of the gaze felt both sinister and… possessive. There was something about it that was almost predatory. Angry. Jealous. Lethal. How could it have felt like two separate entities watching me? Why did I let Connor do what he did if I knew someone was watching? What if it was a student recording us? I had to have imagined it, but my reaction was so visceral.

Stupid, Summer. Stupid and reckless.

Connor shifts, arranging the laptop on my bedside table and pulling me down with him. He spoons behind me, forcing thoughts of the library and the mysterious lurker from my mind.

“Oh, no. Not cuddling again,” I groan, but wiggle back against him.

Connor nuzzles into my hair. “What do you mean? We cuddle whenever you stay over.”

I go very still. “Right.”

Connor lifts himself on his elbow, and I can feel his frown as he looks down at me. I chew on my lower lip, trying to remember how to lie, something I’ve never struggled with in the past. I’ve never been allowed to be anything but a liar. My survival insisted upon it. The truth has never been a luxury I could afford, yet with his eyes pinning me in place, I seem to have forgotten the skill.

“Summer.”

“Hm?”

“You do stay, don’t you?” Connor asks, his face more severe than I’ve ever seen it.

“Well, I?—”

Connor curses and rolls onto his back. I cringe at the loss of his warmth, both emotional and physical. He rubs his hand over his face. “Summer.”

I roll over to face him, preparing myself for the words of anger and insults about to be thrown at me. Finally, here is the proof that this angel is not the angelic guy he seems to be. I take a deep breath, relaxing into the idea that this will be it, even as something within me breaks. Connor turns his head to look at me, and I’m surprised to see no anger there. There is only… concern?

“You sneak out when I’m sleeping?”

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