I bet being around him would be easy, effortless. Instead, I orbited a walking, talking black hole that constantly threatened to pull me in and devour me without a second chance at escape.
Chrom pulled me closer against the solid wall of his body, but his heat didn’t settle in my bones the way Ambrose’s did.
“The silent treatment doesn’t work on me, killer,” he said. “I’ll follow you into your first class if I have to. Might as well spill the beans to me. I’ll threaten the guy, but Ro will make it hurt.”
I shrugged out of his grip. “What gives you the right to even think that who I choose to be involved with is any of your business?”
“Don’t play dumb.” He shoved his hands in his pockets with another easy smile. “By now, everyone on campus knows what happened at our last party. Ro never bothers approaching chicks. He lifts a finger and they trip over their feet to race to him.”
My fingers curled into tight fists. “If this is your idea of being a wingman or some other weird bro concept, I’ve gotta say you’re failing pretty damn hard right now.”
“Ah, don’t be so sensitive. The point I’m making is that he went after you.”
“He’s right,” Renata said, “as much as I hate to admit it.”
Chrom nodded. “Even if his skull is too thick to realize that means something, mine isn’t. Now, if you’d be kind enough to give me a name before he finds out and does something about it.”
Smiling, I patted him on the shoulder. “I think I’ll pass.” Before he could do more than glower, I turned to Renata. “I’ll catch up with you after class, assuming you’ve let this go by then.”
She laughed. “You truly are a bitch after my own heart. Fine, be that way.”
“We can’t just—” Chrom’s complaint died on his lips as Renata reached out and tugged on his ear, pulling him along like he wasn’t twice her size.
Laughing to myself, I hustled across campus. Mostly, I ignored the bundle of anticipation that flexed and stirred inside me. Once I reached the building and my heartbeat sped, that became harder to do.
I hated to admit it, but I was actually hoping to see the quiet, lurking oblivion that was Ambrose. I tried to contain my hopes somewhat since he hadn’t been in class lately. Yet when I stepped into the classroom, the idle chatter among the other students fell away as my gaze sought him out.
When dark eyes collided with mine and heated, sweeping along my body on a leisurely glide, I sucked in a steadying breath. Whatever small complex I’d held onto after he slept in my bed without touching me vanished as he took me in. No, not vanished. Ambrose fucking obliterated the idea like he could see it at the forefront of my mind and it infuriated him.
I moved on autopilot and he watched my every step like a bird of prey waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It was impossible to see that look on his face without remembering his hands gripping my hips and his teeth against my skin, leaving marks I still sported.
A blink was all it took to feel him surging inside me again, putting the parts of me Mom had fractured back together by making me feel alive and complete instead of defeated and empty.
Ambrose arched a brow once I sat down beside him, close enough to breathe him in and fight the urge to squirm.
“Morning, cupcake girl,” he said in that deceptively soft voice. The one that might make you think someone kind and reasonable was talking to you until the devil finally made an appearance.
“Morning,” I said, voice emerging breathier than I wanted it to as I caught him checking out my legs.
For the first time in a while, I wished for jeans instead of my tiny skirt. Leave it to the devil to turn one of my greatest weapons into a giant fucking liability.
Him scoping out my thighs like he was considering if he could get away with spreading them right here in the classroom did bad things for my heart and set a match of warmth low in my stomach.
The professor swirling into the room and dimming the lights gave me a reprieve from the pressing awareness of the guy beside me. Words floated in one ear and out the other before a movie came on. I watched it absently, trying to keep my eyes from sliding sideways each time Ambrose’s phone buzzed on his desk, sending a rattling noise throughout the class.
One or two heads turned. The professor scowled from his seat near the front, but the tight set to his lips told me everything I needed to know. There was one individual in control here, and it wasn’t the pudgy man with the bald spot.
Another buzz interrupted the dialogue I’d just started listening to. “Can’t you at least put that in your lap?” I snapped, keeping my voice low. “You’re being disruptive.”
Ambrose blinked, the slightest tilt to his lips flashing amusement. “Someone’s irritable.” He leaned in closer to whisper, “Maybe I should’ve fucked that tight pussy again when you pushed it all up on me in your sleep.”
My neck flushed and my pussy squeezed around nothing, making me bite my lip to keep a frustrated moan from slipping out.
Had I really rubbed myself on him in my sleep? It wouldn’t surprise me. He was a gravitational force I couldn’t seem to repel even when I was fully conscious. That didn’t make it less embarrassing.
Before I could recover my wits long enough to form a coherent response, his phone buzzed. Again.
I glared.
He winked.
But he did grab his phone and start flipping through it while I focused on the movie.
His soft laugh stole my focus. In the dim room, his eyes were black and fathomless, taking my measure without revealing his thoughts in exchange.
“Whatever this staredown is,” I said, waving my finger between us, “you’re wasting your time and pissing me off. Use your words, Ro.”
His mouth opened, then closed as a chair squeaked.
“Miss Brennan,” said the professor, getting to his feet. “You might not be interested in this class, but if you want to pass, I suggest you—”
“‘I have to remind myself that some birds aren’t meant to be caged,’” Ambrose quoted in time with Morgan Freeman’s character. He matched the cadence and tone exactly, and my eyes widened.
“‘Their feathers are just too bright,’” he continued, unconcerned with the attention he drew. “‘And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice. But still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they’re gone.’”
A single clap rang out from the peanut gallery before Ambrose did one of those slow, serial-killer head tilts. He faced the front, words dripping with malice as he bit out, “She’s got me. She’ll pass with flying fucking colors.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that he just implied we were a team. Talk about progress given it wasn’t that long ago I wanted to strangle him while he was driving, not giving a damn if we crashed or not.
Sadly, the almost swoon-worthy moment was somewhat offset by the serious kiss the ring or die vibe he was throwing off.
I felt a little bad for our professor.
He’d gone pale and fidgety like a man who knew the reaper’s scythe was pressed against his neck, ready to steal his life away whether he fought back or cowered. And it wasn’t like he’d done anything wrong.
This was his class, and he had no way of knowing that the devil had finally bitten into my flesh and discovered he liked the taste enough to want seconds.
I placed my hand on Ambrose’s thigh beneath the desk. Muscle flexed under my touch before dark eyes turned, releasing the room from his thrall. His granite features unnerved me, but I held onto the knowledge that I wasn’t the person he was mad at for a change.
“Tell me after class?” I whispered, giving his thigh what I hoped was a reassuring squeeze and not a meet me in the bathroom squeeze.
Ambrose nodded slowly, his agreement coming as a surprise to both of us if the dip of his brows was any indication.
The professor sat down.
The movie kept playing.
Things returned almost to normal.
Except when I got ready to move my hand, Ambrose sealed his on top of mine and refused to let go.
In my head, bombs detonated, sending billowing red flags into the air instead of mushroom clouds. It was a warning I knew intimately. And my breath trembled out of me when I didn’t make a greater effort to break our intimate point of contact.
Because the last time those warnings made themselves known?
It was right before I got my heart broken into tiny pieces.
The second class was dismissed, I came to my senses and made a break for it. I was the first person out the door, completely ignoring Ambrose calling my name as I hustled down the hall.
My sandals slapped wildly against the polished floors, then the staircase I practically threw myself down, and I pictured Mom somewhere rubbing at her temples like always when I did something unladylike.
I wanted to believe I might get a pass since I was running from the devil, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Moving like my life—or at least my heart—depended on it, I dashed through the double doors and out into the blinding sun. The taste of freedom hit the tip of my tongue like the first cold bite of ice cream, and I made the mistake of pausing long enough to soak it in.
The fine hairs at the back of my neck lifted right before a tall shadow stopped beside me, looking down with glittering, dark eyes.
“Oh, come on. How’d you catch up so fast?”
“Well, let’s see...” Ambrose smirked. “I run with Chrom almost every morning and he’s freakishly fast. You might as well have been going in slow motion. I also didn’t have to navigate the crowd. Anyone with good sense knows to move out of my way.”
Damn it. I hated when he made good points. Even with us standing right in the doorway, every student leaving the building flowed around us without so much as a muttered complaint.
Instead of trying to argue for no reason, I walked away. Ambrose followed.
I squinted at him. “Don’t you need to go the other direction?”
“Yeah. Just as soon as you explain why my group chat is blowing up about the mystery guy who visited your room last night.”
“Huh, that didn’t take long to get passed around, did it?”
Ambrose gripped my elbow, pulling me to a stop. The slight touch was warmer than the sun against my skin, and I closed my eyes, counting to three before I looked up at him.
“There was no one there before me,” he said confidently.
I served up a bright grin. “You sure about that? Maybe I’d just snuck the other guy out the window before you got there.”
“Bullshit. You’re a lot of things, cupcake girl, but you aren’t the shady type.” He stepped closer and it got really hard to breathe. “What do you want?”
“What do I want?” Confusion morphed to annoyance when his grip tightened. “Dude, that hurts.”
He let go immediately. I really thought I was hearing things when he grumbled out a quick sorry.
Given that I’d never been one to miss an opportunity for a little payback, I cupped a hand to my ear. “You know, I think my hearing is on the fritz. Could you say that again for me?”
Ambrose cursed under his breath, but he looked me in the eye. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Holy shit. He actually said it.
“It’s fine,” I told him. I wagged my brows to lighten the serious mood. “You know I can survive worse.” Heat burned between us and I continued before we had a chance to get sidetracked. “But I wasn’t messing with you. You asked me what I want, and I genuinely have no clue what you’re talking about.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced away. “I wasn’t supposed to be there last night and we both know it. Yet you kept it a secret and I need to know what you want in return.”
I studied the sharp angles of his face while he continued to look the other direction. His statement was almost funny, but it was mostly sad.
“Not everything is a transaction, Ro,” I said softly. “Besides, this has nothing to do with me. You had your reasons for not telling anyone where you were, and I’m not one to go around spilling other people’s secrets for the sake of favors or amusement.”
He caught my chin faster than I could react and brought his face closer. “You’re wrong,” he rumbled, breath caressing my lips. “It had everything to do with you. I needed peace to let my mind stop spinning, and somehow I found it beside the girl I’ve been at war with.”
Knew I should’ve kept running.
I cleared my throat, trying to dislodge the thick surge of lust stuck there. “Spend less time memorizing movie quotes and maybe your brain could take a break.”
His lip curved. “Brat.”
“Dick.”
“You’re only complaining because it’s not inside you.”
I surprised myself by gripping his shirt, rising up on my toes, and whispering, “Maybe we should change that.”
His hands settled on my hips. “Look at you, full of good ideas...”
24
Ambrose
I’d dragged her by the hand across campus until I could seal her into my room. We hadn’t been inconspicuous in the slightest. After the party, and now this, people were going to be talking like crazy.
Too bad I couldn’t locate a single give a fuck bone in my entire body.
No more sneaking around in pools or dark offices. The guys wouldn’t be back for hours. For the first time, I had her all to myself without a chance of interruptions. Guaranteed I was going to make the most of it.
I locked the door and turned, slowly taking in the girl who’d made it her mission in life to drive me up the fucking wall.
Her simple sandals, toes painted a bright purple. Pale, smooth calves leading up to soft thighs beneath her jean skirt. The teasing glimpse of midriff bared by her crop top. That alone had nearly gotten her in trouble in class.
Seeing her walk in, all bright smiles and strawberry freckles with that bit of skin showing? Our professor was lucky I didn’t kick him out of his own damn classroom—along with everyone else present—and have myself a taste of her right then and there.
“Stare later,” Emily purred, pulling me from my thoughts as she stepped into my space. “Touch me now.”
My hands snaked out, latching onto her waist and pulling her to me. She crashed against my chest with a low laugh and I ducked my head, drawing her scent into my lungs on one long inhale. Vanilla, sugar, and perfection.
I had an irrational moment of wanting to bottle her smell so I could always have it nearby, but that was weird as hell, even for me.
“Do you always know exactly what you want?” I asked against the top of her head, fingers dipping under the hem of her skirt to tease at silky skin.
“Usually.” Her breathing hitched when I pressed my solid length into her stomach. “I like to know there aren’t going to be any misunderstandings.”
“How’s that working out for you?”
“Funny you should ask. The hottest guy on campus can’t seem to keep his hands off me. So, I guess whatever I’m doing is working.”
I skimmed my lips along the column of her throat, loving the way her fingers bunched in the fabric of my shirt.
“Hottest guy on campus, huh?” I hummed against her skin and her little squirm did funny things to my chest.
“Don’t play dumb, Ro. You might be a big grump ninety percent of the time, but that doesn’t mean you’re not a good-looking grump.”
“I didn’t think I’d see a day where your compliments ran so freely.”
“I didn’t think I’d have to remind you, again, that you could be fucking me right now instead of chatting.”
After sucking at her neck until she swayed, I lifted my head. Odd as it was to admit, she had a point. I usually didn’t want to hear anything from the opposite sex but their moans followed by the sound of the door closing on their way out.
Yet here I was, perfectly content to hold thi
s girl in my arms and talk to her like we were...what? I couldn’t say we were enemies any longer, but I didn’t have a definition for this current state of affairs either.
Calling us friends seemed shallow, and factually inaccurate.
A friend would be content to coexist; I wanted all of her and all her time.
A friend wouldn’t mind sharing; I would utterly dismantle any guy I caught looking at her too long. The thought alone sent my heart on a wild, heated stampede I couldn’t ignore or make sense of.
Not that being confused would prevent me from acting on that knowledge.
Emily Brennan was mine and I intended on keeping things that way no matter how unfair it was. She could do better than me and my black soul. That wouldn’t stop me from holding onto her until she found out for herself.
And even when she did, a small part of me hoped she’d have the strength to get rid of my ass because I wasn’t sure I could do the same.
Her hands drifted under my shirt, nails raking across my abdomen. My pulse sped, dick jumping eagerly in response. She obviously felt it because her smirk flashed like a giant gotcha.
You have me alright, cupcake girl. Let’s see if you wind up regretting it.
A slow smile crept across my face. Her eyes narrowed a second before my hands clamped on her waist and lifted. A startled cry left her mouth, followed by a protest that got cut off as I tossed her onto the bed where she landed with a bounce.
“Devil,” she complained, sitting up on her elbows. A burst of air escaped her lips as she tried and failed to blow her hair out of her face.
I ripped my shirt over my head in record time. “Let me,” I told her when she started to sit up and straighten her hair.
Something in my voice had her brows drawing together but she did what I said.
Kicking my shoes off, I crawled onto the black sheets and up her body. Emily spread her legs to make room for me and her skirt slid up to her waist. The sight of sheer, purple lace nearly killed me, but I managed to settle my hips between hers as I pinned her beneath me.
Defiant Prince: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (Black Rose University Book 1) Page 21
