Page 35 of Reign By Wrath

I couldn’t admit it and tell my father I wanted updates on my English professor, but the whole time I starved for news of him. Was he okay? Did whoever stalked me and discovered our secret blab it to the rest of the school? Did Wesley carry it to the grave? Did I mess up his whole life? Was he mourning for me?

Dozens of questions haunted me while I was gone. Finally, we were together, and I could voice none of them. What could I say when I didn’t know where we stood?

“Sorry about this,” I muttered in the direction of the stove. “The Gallery was burned down because of me, and now you’re in an awkward position. Professionally and otherwise. I didn’t mean for you to meet my boyfriends this way.”

“They’re an interesting bunch for sure.” His tone gave nothing away. “They love you. When they thought you were gone... never seen people so utterly destroyed.”

I almost asked if he was destroyed too. Almost.

“Victor knows about us.” I spoke so softly I competed with the hum from the microwave. “I don’t know if he told you, but he knows everything.”

“He passed that on when he gave me this.”

I found myself spun around and trapped between his arms. Adonis bent over me, granting me a proper look at him. What I thought was a shadow was a black eye.

“One shot for fucking around with his fiancée and lying about it, then he clapped me on the back and said we were all good.” He chuckled. “Don’t know when my little brother got so mature, but he put me to shame. I should’ve manned up and told him how I felt about you from the beginning.”

My heart thumped audibly in my chest. I was certain Adonis could hear it.

“I missed you, Luna.” His fingers skated over my mouth. “When I lost Catalina, I was crushed. When I lost you, it broke me.”

“Adon—”

He bent and captured my lips. Moving fiercely against mine, his kiss was rough. Insistent. Hungry.

I pushed back twice as hard, driving him back against the island. He twisted and laid me flat, fervent kisses and hushed moans heating the room as he climbed on top of me. Apparently, all it took was me dying to make the sexy, commanding, self-assured professor that took me in his office return.

“Where were you, Luna?” Adonis kissed my lips, nose, chin, eyelids, everywhere. “Why were they saying you died in that fire? Why didn’t you let me know you were okay?”

“I’m sorry. The person who saved me thought I’d be safer if everyone thought I was dead, but I couldn’t do that to you guys.” My fingers curled on the nape of his neck. “There’s so much I have to tell you. There’s so much you don’t know.”

I tried to wriggle away. Adonis scooped me under the tailbone, crushing my middle against him. He ground his hardness between my legs, chasing away any delusion about getting away.

“Please,” I moaned—either to get him to listen to me or for him not to stop. Maybe both. “I dragged us all into a war I didn’t understand. Because of me, someone found out our secret.”

Adonis stopped mid-kiss. “What are you talking about?”

I closed my eyes, thankful Adonis couldn’t make out my shame in the dark. “The T.O.D. Club. Wesley Hill dared one of the members to dig up dirt and get me to back off. It had to be a private dare because I would’ve seen it on the page otherwise. Somehow, they got their hands on the paper I wrote describing all the things I wanted you to do to me.

“Wesley’s gone, but whoever stole the paper for him is still out there. Plus, I have no idea if Wesley told other people before he died.” I cracked an eyelid. “Please, don’t hate me. You said over and over that we couldn’t do this. I didn’t listen, and now someone knows—”

“—that you liked to be spanked. Good thing because I very much like spanking you.”

My vision adjusted, granting me a clearer look at his grin.

“That paper is nothing, Luna. It doesn’t prove a relationship. I didn’t mark or grade it, so there’s no proof I read it either. There’s nothing that mystery blackmailer can do to hurt us.” He cupped my cheek. “And I wouldn’t care if they tried. I thought I lost you. Now that I have you back, I’m not wasting a second worrying about what-ifs. We can tell the world tomorrow that we’re dating. I don’t care what happens as long as I have you.”

Giggling, I laced my fingers through his. “Slow down, baby. I don’t want you losing your job. The whole professor thing is ninety-nine percent of the reason I’m into you. Take that away, and what do we have?”

Adonis nipped my bottom lip, making me squeal.

“Okay, okay. Ninety percent your job, and ten percent your cute ass. I guess we could build a relationship on ten percent.”

“You’re really trying to get another spanking, aren’t you?”

I shivered. “So badly. Gonna make me beg again, or are we going back to your room now?”

“We’re going back to my room.” The shadows whirled as Adonis lifted me up, swinging me bridal-style in his arms. “You’ll do your begging in there.”

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