Page 76 of Illicit Education

I’d come a dozen or more times with that image playing in my mind.

And now I was walking into the unknown with Cabot Reed by my side. Adrenaline coursed through my veins. Desire turned my belly into a hot, tangled mess of nerves.

He was right; everything changed the moment we made that decision to come here together. Not even just moments ago, but earlier at Reed Tower. When he’d asked and I accepted, that was it.

We were locked into this now.

And I couldn’t think of a single place I’d rather be.

At the bottom of the stairs, Cabot paused, and I stopped beside him.

Lacey looked up from her podium. She bowed her head briefly to the man beside me, but when she looked at me, her eyes widened. Her gaze flicked back and forth between us, brow knitting in confusion. “Rylan, what are you doing here? Does Mina know–”

Reed cleared his throat and her words ended abruptly.

She quickly lowered her head. “The room you requested is ready for you, Master Creed.”

He gave a slight nod toward the hallway that led to the rest of the club, then began to stride away from me, expecting me to follow.

Typical.

I side-eyed Lacey, but her head remained bowed as I passed.

The music was louder tonight, with a much headier, sensual beat. It felt darker tonight, too, like the lights had been brighter for the fashion show. The air felt different tonight as well. Thick, and…

Unsettled.

Like it hummed with sensual energy.

Or maybe that was me.

As we reached the end of the hallway, where it opened into the nightclub section of the Rabbit Hole, Reed paused, then slid his hand around the back of my neck. I nearly purred at the heat coming off his palm, the connection of his skin on mine, but then he resumed walking, guiding me forward with light pressure.

Trying to ignore the eyes of everyone in the room as they followed us, I stared ahead as we made our way past the dance floor and stage, then down one of the corridors I’d run past in my hasty escape the last time I was here.

We paused outside a closed door, then Reed punched a sequence of numbers into a keypad and a latch in the lock clicked loudly. He opened the door and led me inside.

As soon as the door was closed, my back was pressed up against it.

I gasped as the cold door connected with my bare shoulders. Reed’s hand still gripped the back of my neck, though not painfully. Firmly. Asserting control.

My blood hummed loudly in my ears. A heady mixture of emotions warred within me.

I was completely taken by him, at his mercy since the moment I laid eyes on him in that elevator Monday morning.

And he knew it.

His eyes searched mine, dropped to my mouth. “Since the moment you opened your mouth,” he said, his voice a deep, sensuous growl, “I’ve wanted you.” He lifted his gaze again and it locked with mine. “I’ve seen only two things in those eyes, Rylan. Can you guess what they are?” His thumb moved back and forth over the side of my neck.

I licked my lips and his brow twitched, but he didn’t break the hold he had on my eyes.

“Anger,” I answered with a hint of teasing in my voice.

He inclined his head without breaking eye contact. “And the second one?”

My breathing quickened. I knew what he wanted me to say, to admit. His fingers flexed on the back of my neck. He leaned in, bringing his full lips dangerously close to mine. I closed my eyes and tried to meet him halfway, but he held my neck firmly in place, robbing me of the kiss I so desperately wanted.

“What do I see in your eyes every time I look at you?” He paused, then chuckled, a low sound that tugged at my belly. “When you don’t want to throttle me.”

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