Page 21 of Tainted Rose

Xander

Scarlett wants me to back the fuck off. How the hell do I do that now? I hadn’t planned to touch her in the locker room this morning. I’d only wanted to talk to her for a few minutes. Because what I’d said was true. We’ve been apart less than a week, and I fucking miss her. That’s it. In hindsight, I realize how stupid that sounds. Regret after regret over the path I’ve chosen are steadily mounting. It’s possible that the whole mess is about to come tumbling down around me.

It’s not my fault. She’s irresistible. Once I’d found her alone trying to get her locker open, I couldn’t help but go back for another taste. Just thinking about how desperate our kisses had become makes my dick hard all over again. And that’s the thing; however much she hates me, however much she says she doesn’t want to want me, the truth is she totally does.

Her body understands that no matter what our relationship status is. Somehow, we’re still connected. She’d been so aroused and slick, my fingers had been coated with it. And that damn thong. Holy fuck. I wish I had taken a second to check out how she looked in it. Now my head is more messed up than it was before.

I don’t a fucking clue what is wrong with me when I know—I know—damn well that I should be pushing Scarlett far away from me. The more I look at the note on the back of the photo I’d found in Sebastian’s office, the more it freaks me out. And the thing is, someone is urging her to delve into the past and unearth secrets that have the potential to tear my family apart. That much was obvious from the text messages she’d shown me the night I broke up with her.

I glance at her sitting in the chair next to me in our physics class. We’ve been listening to Mr. Roudebush drone on and on about the experiment we’re about to do together, but I can’t keep my mind on it. I subtly shift in my chair, pressing my hand to my swelling cock. I swear to God, every time I’m near her, I get an insta-hard dick, and there’s nothing to be done about it in a classroom full of people.

My mind clouds, and I zone out, visions of laying her out on the table in front of everyone slams into me. I’d flip up her schoolgirl skirt, yank that thong to the side, and dip my tongue into her aching pussy. She’d be writhing all over the table at my first touch, pleading for me to devour her whole. I’d lick and suck on all that perfectly pink skin mercilessly as she screams my name and comes all over my face. Everyone watching would stand and applaud my efforts. And then I’d go back for seconds. Maybe thirds. She’s that sweet.

Fuck. Yes.

I groan as quietly as I can. I’m going to have the worst case of blue balls by the end of class. I may not be able to function at football practice.

Beside me, Scarlett takes a deep breath. “Are you ready to start?”

My brain short-circuits listening to the timbre of her voice, and for a second, I’m back in my fantasy with my face between her thighs. I do my best to shake it off as I peer at her out of the corner of my eye. “Sure. You’re going to have to tell me what we’re doing, though.”

“Weren’t you listening?”

“Normally, I would have been, but certain activities this morning have me all worked up still. I can’t concentrate for shit.”

She raises one brow, and her lips twist in a scowl. “Seriously?” she hisses, but then immediately holds a hand up. “No, wait. I don’t want to know.”

“Yeah, you do. You fucking need to know what you do to me.” I grab her hand and press it to my hard length. “See?” I hold her hand underneath mine, not letting her pull it away. Leaning closer, I speak low, right next to her ear. “Let’s just say I was having visions of you spread out on this table. I wish I had taken time to inspect the thong you’re wearing. I want the visual. Need it.” I bite the corner of my lower lip, shooting her a wicked smile which elicits a tiny moan from her. The internal struggle playing out on her face is very real. It says I don’t want to like what he’s saying, what he’s making me do—but I do. I push a little further to see how much she’ll let me get away with. I rub her hand back and forth over my dick. “Want to sneak off to an empty classroom and show it to me?”

She finally yanks her hand away and shakes her head, muttering to herself as she turns back to our assignment.

I lean closer and whisper, “Tell me you’re not wet at the thought of it. And because you can feel how hard I still am for you. Right here in the middle of class.” I groan. “I want to slide my hand under your skirt and make you come right here.” I touch her leg with my fingertips, and she slaps my hand away. Damn. Found her limit.

“Just because we’re partnered in this class doesn’t mean I’m speaking to you about anything beyond the assignment. Keep your filthy comments to yourself. I told you I needed space. I meant it.” Her eyes glow with angry fire.

It only makes me want her more.

Somehow, we manage to finish the experiment by the end of class. Definitely not because of me. It’d all been Scarlett. But man, I love watching her, seeing her brain at work as she puzzled through what we needed to get done.

When the bell rings, the class clears quickly. Scarlett is up at the front of the classroom talking animatedly about something with Mr. Roudebush. I hadn’t realized she’s a bit of a science nerd. I take my time putting my things into my messenger bag as she finishes up, then patiently wait.

She gives him a big grin, then spins on her heel to collect her things and stops dead in her tracks. She visibly sighs, then stalks back to her things, expressly trying to ignore me. “Xander, what are you doing?”

“I told you this morning, I want to talk.” I shrug. “We never really got the chance. Someone got distracted by the orgasm I gave her.”

“Someone got distracted, all right, but it was you who was distracted by me. I went along with it because, apparently, I’m really fucking stupid when it comes to you and it felt good. I told you—I don’t want to talk right now. You might miss me. But I don’t care what you want.” She grabs her bag and hurries from the classroom.

Of course, I follow. The halls have cleared quickly. I guess everyone else has somewhere better to be on a Thursday afternoon. I have to get to practice, and I know she does, too. Unfortunately for my football career, my need to be near her overrides everything else. I have so much I need to say to her and it’s bubbling inside of me, wanting to burst out. I’ve got to explain why I’ve been treating her the way I have. I want to tell her every last thing.

She slams her locker shut and grabs her bag, but I catch her by the elbow, spinning her back around, pinning her with my body to the locker. I have both of her hands in mine, down at our sides. She begins to struggle, but the second I put my lips to the soft skin below her ear, she stops. No matter how pissed she is, our bodies always speak the same language.

We stand there, her curves pressed to the hard planes of my body for what may have been thirty seconds or three minutes. I’m not sure. Anyone walking through the hallway catching a glimpse of us would think we’re very much into each other. Sharing a sweet moment. I don’t know if I’d call it sweet when I can’t get my dick to stand down. It hardens again at the proximity to her.

Finally, she makes a little noise at the back of her throat. Her chest rises and falls against mine. “Xander. I don’t understand what you’re doing. You did whatever you could to get me in bed. You fucked me, Xander, then told me to get out.”

“All true,” I growl as I inhale her scent—coconut and notes of some sort of sweet flower. She’s intoxicating. I feel her swallow, scrape the scruff on my cheek against her jaw. Ghost my lips over the abraded skin, my tongue flicking out to taste her.

She flinches. “You dug under my skin and into my heart so far I thought I was safe with you. I thought— I thought you lo—” She breaks, sagging against me, and shudders. Her wet eyes flick up to mine. “I never thought I’d say this, but I should have fucking listened to Aria. For once, she was being one hundred percent honest with me, and I ignored her warning. I’m such a freaking idiot.”

“Don’t do that to yourself.” I nip at her lips, wanting her more than ever.

She squeezes my hands. “Why? Tell me why not? I let you in when I hardly ever let anyone anywhere near me. I did things with you I’ve never done with anyone. You made me trust you. I gave you my body. I gave you my heart. I gave you everything.” Her forehead drops to my chest, and her entire body trembles against me. “Why, Xander?”

I draw in a breath and hold it. I don’t even know what to say. She’s fucking right. I release the air in a steady stream. The words scrape up and out from my throat. “I want you. So fucking badly, Red. But I can’t fucking have you. You have to listen to what I’m saying. You have to.” I release her hands and slam the locker above her head with both fists, frustration seething through me. She jerks at the sudden outburst. I dip my head, looking directly into her eyes. “Stay away from me, Scarlett. I wish I could tell you why—I wish I could. And I wish I was strong enough to stay away from you on my own, but I’m not.”

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