Page 13 of Lilies in Autumn

Ava gnaws on her lip, seemingly weighing her options of whether or not I’ll kill her once I get her alone.

“Please, pretty girl.” I never say please. Fucking never.

“Okay.” She takes my hand and I lead her outside.

Greyson

I pull Ava into my body, turning her so that she stands in front of me.

“Walk, pretty girl,” I whisper into her ear. I see the goosebumps erupt on her arms, and the shiver that takes over her body.

Placing my hand on her back, I lead her toward the patio door. Looking over my shoulder, I make eye contact with Dante as he verbally spars with the pit bull. He nods his head in acknowledgment that I’m taking my girl away from their little match. I don’t need to hear their shit-talking to know that they’ll probably fuck by the end of the semester, if not by the end of the night. I look down to where my hand meets Ava’s dress-covered back. I slip my hand lower, grazing the upper curve of her plump ass.

“If I were you, I’d move your hand to a more respectable location, such as your side or your own ass.”

Fuck, the sass in this girl makes me even harder, if that’s possible.

“Vixen, if you knew where my hand wanted to be, you’d be blushing like a fucking virgin.” I take in the color blooming on her cheeks. “Now open that sliding door and get outside.”

Her hands shake as she opens the sliding glass door. I shouldn’t like seeing her so nervous, but I do.

The sliding door opens to a large, fenced-in backyard. People are scattered around the yard, huddled in small groups making conversation or whatever the fuck else these people do. My concern is getting Ava to someplace quiet, secluded, and isolated just for me.

That makes me sound like a predator but fuck if I care.

I navigate her toward the left corner of the yard, where a cluster of large pine trees offers natural privacy. Placed between the pines are Adirondack chairs and small wooden side tables.

“You know, if you didn’t want me to compare you to Ted Bundy, you probably shouldn’t be leading me to a secluded corner in a random yard while my only lifeline is inside.” She lets out a cute little sigh that is probably supposed to sound annoyed.

“I’ve told you, vixen. I don’t plan on killing you. You can drop the tough girl act now.”

Though it’s dark, I can guess that she’s rolling her eyes when she drops into a chair with a loud sigh. My hand twitches. I’m going to spank that obstinance right out of her perky ass. Shit, I sound like Dante now, fantasizing about spankings.

The chair she settles into places her two feet away from the closest chair. Leaning down, I pick her up and sit down in the chair I just removed her from. I position Ava on my lap; her back remains stiff as I crush her side to my chest.

“That’s better. You were too far away.”

“You don’t have to manhandle me. I’d rather sit alone.” She moves to get off my lap, but I wrap my hand around the back of her neck, forcing her to stay put. She twists her head, facing me with a fire in her dark eyes.

“What part of me wanting to sit alone did you not understand?”

“Oh, vixen, I understood it just fine. That doesn’t mean I’m going to let that happen. Now stop squirming.” She stills, obeying me without question. “Now that we’re comfortable, tell me about yourself.”

Looking out to the yard, she clears her throat. “My name is Ava, and I’m a freshman. My roommate, CeCe—or the ‘pit bull’ as you referred to her—and I came with our new friend, Serena. Serena left an hour ago, but we stayed.”

There’s no denying that I’m attracted to her physically, but her personality, the intoxicating mix of sass and innocence, is what’s driving my attraction now. I want to keep her talking and ask, “Have you decided on a major yet?”

Her shoulders drop, and she releases a breath I hadn’t realized she was holding. For the first time since we came out here, she looks relaxed. She turns toward the fence that runs along the perimeter of the property and smiles. “I’m double majoring in culinary arts and hospitality. I came to Marymount because it was one of the few traditional four-year universities that had such a prestigious culinary program.”

“Wow, I’m impressed. Aren’t most freshmen undeclared?” I wasn’t blowing smoke up her ass; I was impressed. I’m familiar with the demands of the culinary arts program. My third roommate, Lincoln, was in the program and had an insane amount of practicals. For her to enter such a program and combine it with a double major took a lot of commitment and drive.

She shrugs her shoulder at my question. “I don’t know. CeCe and I are both pretty set in our majors; she’s an English major on the five-year plan. Other than Serena, who’s a brainiac junior, and Felicity and Jordan, we haven’t met that many people yet.”

“Did Felicity and Jordan invite you tonight?” I ask.

She swallows. “Yeah, Felicity and Jordan stopped by our dorm room while we were moving in. I didn’t catch their last names.” Jordan was all right, but Felicity was a dramatic little princess, incapable of losing anything she perceived as hers. I hooked up with her once last year, and she became obsessive immediately after. I didn’t do relationships, and spreading your lips and legs in the men’s bathroom at Legend’s Sports Bar didn’t earn you exclusive access.

“Hmm.”

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