Page 35 of Spearcrest Knight

Although I wouldn’t have been caught dead attending one of his matches, I’m more than aware of his reputation as a rugby player. After every match, the girls would fall over themselves praising his strength, his stamina, his resilience. I’m pretty sure Evan could have slept with any girl in Spearcrest on the strength of his rugby prowess alone.

Well. Almost every girl.

The logical part of me understands why girls might find athleticism attractive. You’d have to be blind not to notice how good Evan’s muscles look under his smooth skin.

I just happen to think rock-hard abs aren’t a substitute for a personality.

Still, it’s sort of weird imagining Evan not doing something he wants to do. He always seems to act on every impulse and caprice, and it’s always been clear how much he loved rugby. Even if his dad wanted him to stop, it’s still a surprise to me that he obeyed.

“Well, now you might get to grow old without any brain damage.”

He laces his fingers together and stretches his arms behind his back. “It’s not healthy for a teenage boy to not have an outlet for his aggression.”

“You seem pretty adept at finding yourself a punching bag when you need one.”

It’s a barbed comment and more than a little unwise. He doesn’t seem fazed though.

“Mm, cute, Sutton. But that’s not the kind of aggression I mean.”

He stops his stretches and prowls over to me. My heart quickens at his sudden approach, the heaviness of his gaze as he speaks.

“I’m talking about the kind of aggression where you want to just grab someone.” His arms shoot out, and he grabs me by the neck, making me jump so hard my pen flies out of my hand. “Slam them into the wall. Pound them into the ground. Overpower them.Thatkind of aggression, Sutton.”

He’s not holding my neck hard enough to hurt, but his grip is firm, hinting at the strength he could be using, should he wish. He’s trying to intimidate me like he did when he took off my scarf and coat. So I force myself to stay still and serene.

“I wouldn’t know,” I say coldly.

“No, I bet you wouldn’t,” he grins, his fingers digging a little deeper. A pulsing deep between my legs echoes the mad flutter of my heartbeat. “But you’re wound so tight—I bet there’s all sorts of pent up tension inside you. I’m sure I could find a way of bringing that aggression right out of you.”

I look him straight in the eyes, refusing to be cowed.

“If you’re offering yourself up as a punching bag, I’m sure you could.”

“Anywhere, anytime,” he says, low and husky. “Oh, I wouldn’t even fucking hold back with you, Sutton. I’d give you everything I have.”

Even though we’re talking about sports, suddenly it doesn’t feel like we are. My breath is halting, my skin burns under my clothes. Heat pools low in my stomach, trickles between my legs. I remember the first time we touched, the innocence of that moment. But the memory of that hug is consumed like kindling in the fire of whatever is happening right now, it flies away in a flurry of embers.

Because this isn’t sweet and innocent.

This is aggression in a different form. The scarlet of lust disguised as the crimson of violence.

I lick my lips nervously. His gaze drops to my mouth immediately.

“There’s nothing you’ve got to give I couldn’t take, Evan. I know you too well. You’re all talk.”

“I wouldn’t be so fucking sure, Sutton.”

He drags me to him by my neck, forcing me down from the stool, almost closing the distance between us. Sirens scream in my mind, warning me I’m treading too far into dangerous territory.

“If you get an A on the exam,” I say quickly, my voice coming out a little rough, a little panicked. “Then I’ll let you get a free punch in.”

He swallows, his throat shuddering. His voice comes out as rough as mine did. “I’d fucking kill you.”

“I saidifyou get an A on the exam,” I repeat. “So I’m not going to lose sleep over it.”

I pull away and to my surprise he immediately releases my neck. I back away, resisting the temptation to touch my neck, to erase his touch from my skin.

“In this case,” he says with a wicked glint in his blue eyes, “I’ll have to think of another way of making you lose sleep.”

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