Chapter 16: Alluring Darkness: Chapter 16

My cock aches. Watching Raina’s perfect body writhe on my sheets and feeling her tight little cunt flutter around my fingers was so intoxicating that I feel like I’m high. All I want to do is to just rip her panties off completely and shove my cock into her and then fuck her into the next century.

But I can’t do that, because then she would know just how much she affects me. And I can’t have her thinking that she has any sort of power over me.

So instead of fucking her properly and hearing those breathy screams again, I force myself to pull my fingers out of her cunt and climb off the bed. Raina just lies there, staring into the ceiling and looking completely dazed, as I stride into my bathroom and take care of my aching cock in the shower instead.

Once I’m done, I walk back into my bedroom, wearing only a pair of boxers.

Raina snaps her gaze to me the moment I come into view. And her green eyes become a shade darker as she rakes her gaze over my half-naked body.

Smug satisfaction swirls inside me. It’s followed by a brief flash of dread, but I block it out as I continue towards the bed until I know that I’m close enough for her to see all the scars that crisscross my skin. They’re mostly on my chest and back, but quite a lot of them line my arms and legs too.

I can feel Raina’s eyes studying them, and I brace myself, waiting for the questions. The comments. The disgust. Or worse, the pity.

None of it comes.

Instead, she draws in a shuddering breath while her eyes burn like dark flames in the way they do when she’s turned on.

Stunned shock pulses through me, and I momentarily forget why I was approaching the bed. Scrambling for something to do, I instead pick up the note and all of Kaden’s equipment that I placed on the nightstand earlier. While moving them over to my polished wooden desk, I try to get my head back on straight again.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Raina says from across the room.

After putting the things down, I turn around and then lean back against the desk. Crossing my arms, I raise my eyebrows in a show of confusion. “Forgetting what?”

Raina pointedly yanks at the ropes still tying her to my bed. “What do you think, asshole?”

“Is that really how you want to start this negotiation?”

“What negotiation?”

“I’m still waiting for you to apologize for leaving campus without my permission.” I flash her a wicked smile. “Since I’ve gotten you to say please already, I suppose a bit of light groveling will do.”

“How many times do I need to tell you? I don’t grovel.”

I shrug. “Suit yourself.”

Uncrossing my arms, I push off from the desk and stroll over to the light switch. The room is plunged into darkness as I flick it.

“Hey,” Raina protests. “What the hell?”

I move back to the bed and climb onto it. The mattress sways underneath me as I scoot closer to the middle until I reach Raina. Then I roll over on my side.

A surprised sound escapes her throat as I drape my leg over hers and wrap my arm around her chest. With a possessive grip on her soft body, I hold her close.

“What am I…” Raina mutters. “A teddy bear?”

“If you grovel, I will untie you.”

“Like hell.”

“Then I guess you’re stuck here.”

“Fucking hell,” she curses, but she wiggles her body against me as if trying to get comfortable.

Heaving a deep sigh, I pull her even closer to me. She smells like jasmine and warm summer days.

That’s the last thought that drifts through my head before sleep pulls me under.

I draw in a deep breath, and the scent of jasmine fills my lungs. Blinking, I try to figure out what that scent is doing in my bed. But before I can process that thought fully, another realization stuns me awake.

It’s light out.

I jerk upright and turn to stare at the small clock on my nightstand. It’s almost eight in the morning.

For almost an entire minute, I just sit there, staring at the clock in complete and utter disbelief.

I’ve slept for almost ten hours.

Ten hours.

Ten hours of deep and restful sleep.

Incredulity clangs through my skull. I can’t even remember the last time I slept like this.

Turning slowly, I stare down at the woman lying next to me in my bed.

Raina is still sleeping, her chest rising and falling with deep breaths.

My mind spins.

Was this her doing?

Is she somehow the reason why I have been able to sleep properly for the first time in nine years?

Panic shoots through my spine. She can’t be. I can’t let someone have that kind of power over me. After what happened back then, back when I was thirteen, I swore that I would never let anyone have any kind of power over me again. If Raina somehow figures out that this night with her was the only time I’ve really slept in nine years…

Cold sweat breaks out across my scarred skin at just the thought of it.

Shaking my head, I scramble out of bed.

The mattress bounces due to my movements, which at last wakes Raina. Keeping my back to her, I put on some clothes while I work to put my calm composure back together.

“You still haven’t untied me?” she says, her tone half question, half accusation.

“You still haven’t groveled.”

“Which I will never do. And if you keep me tied to your bed indefinitely, I will die.”

“That sounds more like a you problem.”

“Ah, you’d think so. But if I die, who will you torment then?”

A soft laugh escapes my throat. Pulling the final piece of clothing on, I turn back to face Raina. She has raised her head and is arching an expectant eyebrow at me.

The sight of her tied to my bed like that just makes me want to fuck her hard enough to wipe that stubborn expression off her face. But once again, I can’t let her know how much she affects me, so I click my tongue casually and instead reply, “Fair point.”

I move over to the bed and deftly undo the knots.

The moment she’s free, she darts off the bed, as if she’s worried that I might change my mind. After brushing her hands down her clothes to straighten them, she rubs her wrists. I rake my gaze over her.

There are imprints on her skin where the ropes have been, her clothes are rumpled, and her hair is a mess. A wicked grin slides home on my lips. She really looks freshly fucked.

“Coming?” I say.

Without waiting for a reply, I open the door and walk out into the corridor beyond. For a few seconds, all I can hear is the sound of my brothers talking in the kitchen downstairs. Then Raina’s footsteps come from behind me.

We descend the dark wooden staircase in silence. It takes us to the wide hallway that connects the kitchen, living room, study, and the other couple of rooms on the bottom floor.

When we’re halfway down, my brothers stop talking and instead move to the hallway so that they’re standing there when we get down.

Kaden flashes me a knowing smile. “Did you have fun?”

“I did.” I match his grin and incline my head as I sweep my gaze over all three of them. “Thanks for the gift, guys.”

“Gift,” Raina scoffs behind me where she walks down the final couple of steps.

“We almost thought you were going to stay home and play with her the whole day,” Jace says, wiggling his eyebrows. “It’s almost eight o’clock.”

The moment Raina’s feet have left the steps, she makes a break for the front door.

“Jace,” I snap, since he’s standing closest to it.

Raina makes it all the way to the door and shoves the handle down, only to find that it’s locked. And before she can unlock it, Jace slams his palm against the door and leans on it. Anger flickers in Raina’s green eyes as she turns to glare at me.

“You’re riding with me,” I say by way of explanation.

She starts to protest, but Kaden cuts her off by saying, “Then let’s get going.”

Our footsteps echo between the dark wood panels as we start towards the door. Rico falls in beside me.

“You sleep?” he asks casually, but his eyes tell a different story.

I hold his gaze for a second longer than necessary before admitting, “Yes.”

Surprise flickers across his face. It’s there and gone again so fast that I know none of the others have seen it. Then a smile, one of those genuine ones that make his eyes light up, spreads across his face.

But all he says is a neutral, “Good.”

Hot September winds wash across the fields, bringing with them the scent of warm grass. I glance up at the blue sky and the bright sun climbing over the horizon. In this part of the country, fall is still a while away.

After locking the door behind us, I start towards our cars in the driveway.

Raina apparently tried to bolt again because Jace is holding her by the arm next to my car now. She glowers at me like a bloody raincloud.

“Stop being so fucking difficult and just get in the car,” I say.

For a moment, it looks like she is going to fight me on it. Then she clicks her tongue and snaps, “Fine.”

She tries to yank her arm out of Jace’s grip. He doesn’t let her. Instead, he raises his eyebrows at me in silent question. I nod.

Raina mutters something under her breath as he at last releases her and strolls over to his own car. While I round the Range Rover, she climbs into the passenger seat and slams the door shut much harder than necessary.

“Careful,” I say as I slide into the driver’s seat and close the door with much better care. “You break it, you buy it.”

“A bit too late for that, don’t you think?” she replies, giving me a mockingly sweet smile while twirling a set of keys in her hand.

Shaking my head, I start the car and drive us towards the main road.

When we pass the series of buildings where the dorm rooms are located, Raina glances towards them longingly. “Can’t you just let me out here?”

“Why?”

“I need to take a shower before I head to class.”

With her eyes still on the buildings, she runs a hand down over her inner thigh. My cock pulses, and I have to grip the steering wheel hard.

“I’m still sticky from last night,” she continues. Tearing her gaze from the dorms, she turns to face me again. “And it’s your fault, so the least you can do is to drop me off so that I can take a shower.”

“I don’t remember you complaining last night. In fact, I distinctly remember you begging me to make you come.”

She crosses her arms and draws her eyebrows down. “I didn’t beg.”

“You said please.”

“That’s not begging. That was me being uncharacteristically polite. And we’re getting off topic. Are you going to stop the car and let me go in and shower, or what?”

“No.”

She throws her arms out. “Why the hell not?”

Taking my hand off the steering wheel, I slide it over her bare thigh and down between her legs. She sucks in a gasp as I flick her cunt. Then I give her inner thigh a pat before returning my hand to the steering wheel again.

“Because I want you to walk around campus all day with your own dried cum on your thighs from when I made you climax on my bed.” I flash her a smirk. “As a reminder of who controls your body.”