Page 38 of You Were Never Not Mine

Me:You were letting Rafe feel you up in the suite.

Elise:No one noticed.

Everyone noticed.

Elise:I have to go. Tim just revealed his secret stash of liquor bottles under his bed. We’re going to get drunkkkkkkkkkk

Me:Have fun.

I toss my phone on the bed and rise to my feet, shuffling over to the full-length mirror I have hanging on the wall. I undo the belt of my robe and shrug the heavy terrycloth fabric off my shoulders, standing naked in front of the mirror so I can study myself, searching for anything different.

But I don’t look different. Not at all. I look like the same, boring girl I was when I first showed up on campus. I had no idea what was in store for me, and I can’t believe what happened between August and me tonight. My bully is now the guy who gave me my first orgasm and that should kind of piss me off.

For whatever strange reason, it doesn’t.

I take a step closer to the mirror, my gaze dropping to the spot between my thighs. It’s not like I have a massive bush growing down there but he acted disgusted to discover I actually have—shocker—pubic hair. Didn’t stop him from going down on me, now did it?

I should make a waxing appointment. And I should ask Elise to go with me. It’ll be…fun.

At the very least, a true bonding experience.

I tilt my head to the side, my gaze wandering, my hands coming up to cup my breasts. They’re not huge, but I’m not flat-chested like I used to be either. My body is okay. August didn’t pay much attention to it. He was too focused on my pussy, and I sort of hated how he called it a cunt. That’s a word I don’t use and it’s offensive.

Fine, I didn’t hate it. Everything he said to me was hot and it feels like what happened between us earlier was a total fantasy. Unreal. But then I see it. The tiniest mark on the inside of my thigh. I rub at it, wincing at the sting of pain and I realize…August must’ve bitten me at some point. Or sucked my skin so hard, he gave me a hickey. On my thigh.

I touch it again, shivering the moment my finger makes contact. We’ve shared something incredibly intimate. But what does that mean? What’s going to happen next? Will he ignore me the next time I see him?

A sigh escapes me and I shake my head. Yes, he probably will ignore me. Pretend it never happened because he’s just that awful. Maybe I should make it my mission to torment him. Remind him of what he’s missing out on. Will that make me seem like some kind of stalker? Maybe.

But I’m willing to take the chance.

Chapter Nineteen

SINCLAIR

Elise never came back to our room that night. She didn’t come back all of Sunday either. I texted her to make sure she was okay and she reassured me she was fine and she’d be home later.

I spent the entire day in bed. If I wasn’t sleeping, I was reminiscing about my experience with August. Going over every moment again and again. To the point that I’m worried I’ve become fixated. Not that I’m at fault for feeling this way. I blame August. Who wouldn’t become fixated after having the most earth-shattering orgasm of their life? He’s ruined me.

Finally, around six, Elise bursts into our dorm room, leaning against the back of the door the second it slams shut. “Hi.”

I’m still in bed but at least I have my laptop open and I’m trying to do homework. When I glance up and take her in, I’m immediately frowning. “Are you okay?”

She looks like she’s been through a terrible storm and came out the other side, barely keeping it together. Her hair is windblown and her makeup is smudged. Black circles rim her eyes and her lips are red and swollen. She’s in a weird combinationof clothes—obviously wearing a pair of men’s gray sweats that swim on her and a baby tee that I recognize as hers. There are black Adidas slides on her feet that are way too big and she kicks them off, her expression full of disgust.

“Not really,” she says on a sigh as she goes to her bed and collapses on top of it. She’s hugging her pillow, pressing her face against it so her voice is muffled. “I don’t know how to tell you this.”

I close my laptop and set it aside. “Tell me what?”

Elise remains quiet for an unnerving amount of time and my heart begins to thump. If she’s hooked up with—oh God—August? I will be livid. More at him than her because he would do something like that to get under my skin. He’s that much of an asshole.

And why am I thinking she’d get with August anyway? Of course she wouldn’t. She’s not interested in him like I am—and she doesn’t even know I’m interested in him.

I hate that I’m interested in him. That I hooked up with him and he treated me so terribly. Said all of those awful things that I liked. What’s wrong with me?

Why does he consume my thoughts?

“I stayed at Rafe and Tim’s dorm room last night. All day today. I basically had to beg them to let me leave a few minutes ago,” she starts, speaking into the pillow.

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