Page 52 of Princess of Hawthorne Prep

“You tried to prove your innocence once by giving me yours, but that didn’t mean jack shit, did it?”

“It meant more than you’ll ever know. And I’d do it all over again, if it changed anything between us.”

There’s a play of emotion across his face.

Lust.

Longing.

Anger.

Suspicion.

It’s all there, each one vying for precedence.

“I wish it were possible to go back in time and wipe the slate clean. I don’t want it to be like this,” I whisper.

His mouth hovers over mine as we hang in suspension. Energy stirs around us, electrifying the atmosphere.

When he remains silent, I blurt, “I swear this isn’t a game.”

He nips my lower lip, tugging it between his teeth before sucking the fullness into his mouth and releasing it with a soft pop.

“That’s not what Jasper says, now is it?”

“We both know he’s a liar. He’s been messing with you since you first stepped foot on the campus of Hawthorne Prep.”

“And you would know that better than most because you were right there at his side, weren’t you?”

I hate the answer more than he’ll ever know. “Yes.”

Surprise flickers in his eyes.

When he remains silent, I add, “Only because I didn’t know how to leave. I was afraid of his reaction. That he would lash out and try to hurt me, which is exactly what he’s done. He won’t stop until he destroys everything between us and forces me to return to him.”

His grip tightens around my hair as he drags my head back further until my throat is completely bared. I tense and wait for his next move. I could put up a struggle, but what would be the point?

There’s a tiny part of me that expects him to inflict pain. Instead, the velvety softness of his tongue licks at the delicate column. Everything in me loosens at the gentle onslaught. Even when his teeth scrape across the hollow of my sensitive skin, I remain still.

Barely am I breathing.

He draws the flesh into his mouth and sucks it mercilessly. There’s no way it won’t leave a mark. When my muscles become weak, his arms tighten, crushing me against his broad chest. It feels as if he’ll never let go, and I don’t want him to.

“Ifyou’re actually broken up.”

“We are. I swear it.”

“And is that what you’ll do? Crawl back to him?”

“No,” I whisper. “Never.”

Austin rains sweet, featherlight kisses down upon my face. A million of them. They’re as delicate as a butterfly wing. There and gone before I can fully sink into the caress.

“What about me?” There’s a pause as air gets trapped in my throat. “Will you crawl to me, if that’s what I demand?”

My eyes widen and my heart stills for one painful second before exploding into motion until it feels like it might burst from my chest. When I remain silent, he nips at my flesh, and I can’t stop the moan from escaping.

“Answer me,” he growls before repeating the question. “Will you crawl to me if that’s what I demand?”

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