Page 27 of Deadly Sacrifice

She bites her plump bottom lip, shaking her head as if she’s about to turn me down. I don’t fucking think so.

“Sit with me in class,” I tell her softly, almost tenderly, like some hopeless twat who’s asking for permission.

Prudence blinks at me, furrowing her brows. “Okay. But I’m not going on a date with you,” she says warily, her hazel eyes flicking to the classroom door behind me.

I shrug, moving aside and tossing my arm over her shoulders. “Look, Ember, you have to impress us to complete initiation into A.Chi.O., and I want to get some one-on-one time with you,” I explain, peering down at her beneath my arm. Leaning in, I whisper against her temple, “Consider it my first request.”

“If you wanted to spend time with me so badly, why’d you leave me alone in bed?” she argues, actually looking a little wounded that I dipped.

I lick my lips, admitting, “It was for your benefit, not mine. I’ve never shared a bed with a girl I hadn’t spent hours fucking, but after the night you had, I didn’t want to push it and cross any boundaries you weren’t ready for. Better for me to sneak out before you woke than to ruin my chances with you because I was half asleep and horny.”

Prudence blushes, dropping her eyes as she shivers, shaking from my hold before walking to her normal seat in the middle of class. She doesn’t say a word as I follow with a dopey smile, dropping into the seat beside her. “Good. Now that we got that settled,” I trail off and wait for Prudence to get her notebook and a pencil out, and lift her eyes to mine. “I’ll pick you up tonight at eight.”

She opens her mouth, no doubt to reject me, but I lean forward and lick into her mouth, stealing her voice with an obscene kiss. Prudence freezes while I take my time learning the taste of her. For a second, she melts into the kiss, but when I groan and press forward for more, she bites my lip before yanking herself away, and the metallic burst of blood on my tongue almost has me nutting in my jeans.

“What the hell, Creed?” she whisper-shouts, her eyes darting from my mouth to my eyes and back again.

Reaching up, I swipe my thumb across my bottom lip. When I drag my eyes away from her and to my finger, I smile. I fucking grin, all toothy and lethal, like a predator. “I’m bleeding,” I say in a low voice.

Prudence frowns, swallows roughly, and then digs a tissue out of her backpack. “I’m sorry,” she murmurs, leaning forward and gently wiping the blood from my lip. “Actually, I’m not.” I bark out a laugh and she offers me this little half smile like she’s pleased with herself. “I’ve had a rough few days, ever since the car thing, and I appreciate you helping me that night, but you can’t just kiss a girl like that. I wasn’t prepared.”

I flick my tongue out to touch her dainty fingers as she tends to the cut in my lip. She gasps as she pulls her hand away. Sitting up straighter, I tell her, “The very best things happen when you’re unprepared.”

With an flustered sigh, she turns back in her seat to face the front of the class. “I beg to differ. That kiss wasn’t all that great,” she whispers, stealing a side view of me as the professor walks in.

I take a deep, calming breath, and then blow it out slowly so I don’t pounce on her and shove my tongue down her throat by force. Not that I care, but it’s probably not a good look in the middle of class. Instead, I lean in, using my nicest, most infuriatingly charming voice as I say, “I’ll pick you up at eight. It’s not a choice. But as long as you don’t bite me again, I’ll make sure our second kiss meets your standards.”

She licks her lips, holding her chin up. “I’d hate to lead you on. They’re awfully high.”

With a soft laugh, I say, “I’m not worried.”

***

I’m walking down the stairs with black jeans and my cleanest white button up when someone knocks at the door. I assume it’s one of the new frat brothers who forgot their key again. “I really don’t have time for this,” I grumble under my breath, walking down the last few steps and crossing the foyer to open the door.

I was expecting a dude. But when I blink through the darkness of night, it’s certainly not a dude waiting on the other side of the door.

“Hi,” Prudence says with a soft smile, tucking a curly red lock behind her ear. “I hope you don’t mind, but I was ready early, so I thought I would come meet you instead of you picking me up. I’m just across the street anyway, so I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

I have to clear my throat before I can manage any words. Even in black leggings and a loose-knit sweater that doesn’t show any cleavage at all, she’s somehow stunning tonight. Her hair is in big beach curls and she’s got red lipstick on that’s begging to be smeared by my lips.

I slap on a smile and shake my head. “No, it’s not a problem,” I say, my voice rougher than I intended. I pat my pockets, making sure I’ve got my phone, keys, and wallet. Then I step out onto the porch, closing the door behind me, and put a hand on her back. I lead her out onto the sidewalk, my mind a loud mess of all the things I plan to do to this woman.

“Where are we headed?” she asks as we walk down the quiet street, fiddling with the sleeve of her sweater.

“I hope you’re not starved,” I say, trying to remember to keep a friendly smile on and not the predatory one that comes naturally. “Any predictable dumb jock can take you for a candlelight dinner. That’s really not my style, though.”

Prudence glances up at me with a question in her gaze. She nudges my shoulder with hers, asking playfully, “So, what is your style?”

With a laugh, I tentatively reach for her hand, lacing our fingers together. I don’t think I’ve ever held someone’s hand until this redhead came along, and I don’t know if I like it or not, but I’m putting on a damn good show. “Beers and axe throwing in the woods on the edge of campus,” I tell her with a smug grin.

Prudence does an honest to God double-take at me. “Wow,” she murmurs, smiling shyly at the ground. “I think I might like your style. Original, with a side of danger. It suits you. As long as there are no cars waiting for me out there, I’m excited.”

I shrug off the compliment, focused on the nearing tree line. “What would your pick have been? If you planned a date for me?”

She hums and twists her lips to the side as she considers it. “I don’t know. Now I feel dumb if I say something like movies and popcorn,” she says with a soft laugh, shaking her head and sending loose tendrils of red down around her face.

“Come on,” I tease as we reach the woods, leading her down a dirt path. “You had to have had a couple of fun dates over the years. Nothing sparks inspiration?” All at once, her smile fades and her steps slow until I’m all but dragging her behind me. I stop and face her, asking, “What is it?”

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