Page 62 of Princess of Hawthorne Prep

The words burst from my lips before I can rein them back in. “I don’t want to fight with you anymore. I can’t do it.”

Guilt flickers across his expression. “We won’t. It’s over.”

A kernel of hope rises within me, blotting out all other emotion. “Do you really mean that?” It’s almost impossible to believe that he’ll let his anger go.

Just like that.

“Yeah. We both need a fresh start.”

Tears prick my eyes.

His hand rises to carefully wipe away the wetness that splashes across my cheek. “Please don’t cry.” His voice dips, becoming unsteady. “I’m sorry for all the hurt I caused.”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for. I know how it appeared. And Jasper was there every step of the way, wanting you to believe that I was messing around. I should have broken up with him after he showed his true colors. Instead, I took the easy way out and stayed.”

He strokes my cheek with gentle fingers. “Shhh. It’s all right. We don’t have to talk about it or him ever again, okay?”

I squeeze my eyes tight and lean into his touch. It’s what I’ve been waiting to hear but never thought would actually happen. “You mean everything to me, and I hate that you were hurt. That you thought I was toying with you.”

“I know, Delilah. And I believe you. It’s just that the thought of you with him drives me fucking insane. It clouded my better judgment. I see that now.”

I force my eyes open and twist to meet his gaze. “You do?”

“Yeah.” His eyes cloud as remorse flickers across his face. “I’m sorry for humiliating you in front of everyone.”

Thick emotion swells in my throat. “All I wanted was for you to believe me. And if that’s what it took to convince you, then I can live with it.”

His lips brush across my cheek. “It shouldn’t have been necessary. All I could focus on was punishing you. It won’t happen again.”

I didn’t think this moment could become more perfect, but as we continue talking, that’s exactly what happens. Everything is finally out in the open. For the first time since Kingsley’s party, we’re both on the same page.

“You’re the only one I want to belong to,” I tell him, heart thumping at the prospect.

“That’s good, because you willalwaysbelong to me,” he growls before pinching my nipples hard enough to elicit a gasp. Somehow, his touch is both forceful and adoring at the same time. I don’t know how he’s able to walk that fine line so perfectly. More than that, I don’t understand how I can love it.

Crave it.

Need it.

As one hand toys with the erect buds, the other drifts down the center of my ribcage, across my belly before arriving at my mound where his fingers hesitate. So badly do I want them to slip inside my heat and stroke me to orgasm. Instead, they hover, dancing across the plump flesh and lazily circling over my clit. A whimper of frustration escapes from me as I widen my legs, granting him more access.

“Is there something you want, sweet girl?” he growls against my ear as he caresses me until I’m shifting restlessly against him.

When I fail to respond, his voice dips lower. “That’s not an answer.”

His fingers skate in never-ending loops that drive me insane. The near drowning experience is no longer front and center in my brain. The only thing I’m cognizant of is Austin and the way he’s able to ignite a firestorm of need and emotion inside me.

He plays with my nipples while simultaneously stroking my heated flesh. After a few minutes, the hand at my breast glides upward until his fingers can loosely wrap around my throat.

That’s all it takes for my pulse to pick up its tempo, fluttering madly against his fingertips. His other hand cups my pussy before flexing possessively, the fingers sinking into my soft flesh and marking me in the most primal way possible.

“This belongs to me. It doesn’t matter what happens between us, it will always be mine.”

“Yes,” I moan, agreeing with the sentiment.

His middle finger slips inside my soaked entrance as the heel of his palm grinds against my clit. My breath catches as I widen my legs a few more inches and arch. The grip around my throat tightens before loosening as he strokes his fingers along the delicate column.

“Do you know how much I enjoy you like this? Draped naked across my body, open and hungry for my touch. Your pussy sobbing for every little caress while my fingers wrap around your throat.”

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