Page 58 of Spearcrest Knight

My hand slips up her leg, gripping her thigh, dragging her skirt up. Her skin is hot through her tights—there’s too much fabric, all I can think of is tearing her tights off, pushing up her skirt, taking off her dress and—

And then her hand clutches my throat and she shoves me away.

I freeze, staring at her in shock and confusion. Her lips are gleaming and dark. Her eyes are wide and panicked.

She pushes against my chest again. I immediately move away, setting her carefully down. She wipes the back of her hand across her mouth, tucks her hair back behind her ears and straightens her skirt.

“Sutton—” I can barely think, my mind foggy with lust, my entire body a flame. “What—”

She slaps her hand down on my chest and laughs up at me.

“Fuck-ups likethis,” she says, “are why I should never drink.”

And then she just turns and runs away with a mad giggle. I stand, frozen in shock and still hard, and watch as she disappears into the night like some sexy, despicable fucking Cinderella.

18

Cookies

Sophie

Istandinfrontof Evan’s front door with my suitcase at my feet. My pulse pounds erratically, as if I’m in the middle of being chased by a crazed killer or trapped in a fight to the death. My mind is full of blaring alarms, and every part of my body is urging me to turn around and run.

Really, what the fuck am I thinking?

I lied to my parents, asked Audrey to cover for me, and willingly agreed to spend two weeks living under the same roof as Evan Knight. Not only that, but I decided to do all this in spite of what happened at that stupid party.

Going was a bad idea—I’d known that all along. So why did I go? Out of curiosity? Because Ididdeserve to have some fun?

I went because I’m an idiot, that’s why. And I’m here right now also because I’m an idiot.

If my Year 11 self could see me now, she would probably slap me in the face, or else take me to a hospital to have my head checked for significant brain damage.

Because what I’m doing is not only willingly entering the monster’s den, but agreeing to live with the monster for two weeks… after aggressively making out with said monster against a tree.

When I inevitably get devoured alive, I’ll have nobody but myself to blame.

I shake my head and pick up my suitcase. No. I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m not here out of stupidity—I’m here out of strategy, to serve my own interests. And I’ve picked up so many shifts at the café I’ll barely be in Evan’s house anyway.

Besides, I’m sure he’ll be up to his own stuff. He might not give a shit about his A-Levels, but he definitely gives a shit about sports, so there’ll be that, and I can’t imagine he wouldn’t have plenty of friends and girls to hang out with.

I ascend the steps to his door like they’re gallow stairs, bracing myself.

Before I can even knock on the door, it flies open and I’m faced with a beaming Evan. He’s in normal clothes, for once: jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Loose curls of sandy hair fall over his eyes and his cheeks are flushed as if from exertion. He smells… like cookies.

“Have you been baking?” I ask, peering around him.

“I’ve tried making cookies,” he responds brightly, taking my suitcase from my hands.

“Right… how come?”

I follow him inside and he closes the door behind me. The warm, sweet scent of cookies fills the foyer.

“I dunno, I thought it would be kind of a homey thing to do. It’s been ages since I’ve had company over for Christmas.”

I frown slightly. “Do you not spend Christmases with your family?”

“Eh, sometimes.” He shrugs. “But it’s difficult to get everybody in the same country at the same time. Where’s the rest of your stuff?”

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