by T Steele
Nixon walks right up to Winston, putting his hands around his neck. “Don’t ever talk about her that way again. Don’t even look at her.”
Nixon must be tightening his grasp as he speaks, because Winston tries to gasp for air. I quickly move into action.
“Nixon!”
He tenses, and lets out a shuddering sigh before letting go. He glowers at Winston before calmly walking around the Gator and sitting in the backseat. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Winston rubs at his neck, glaring at Nixon, but sits down and doesn’t say anything.
Nicole stares at me wide-eyed, but puts the key in the ignition and starts the vehicle. Then I climb in, the last one to sit down.
The ride is full of tension, and I pick up my book bag to place it on my lap, just to give my hands something to do. Maybe I’m using it as a sort of shield as well, still feeling vulnerable after what just transpired. Once it’s there, I notice a small, folded pink slip of paper sticking out of the pocket. I grab it, wondering if Rob slipped it in there before we left the ranger station, because it wasn’t there before.
I nudge Nixon. “Hey, did Rob hand out any slips or anything? I just found this in my bookbag.”
He eyes the paper. “Not that I know of. Probably just a paper from school?” he says with a raised brow.
I open the parchment and frown. “What the hell?”
Chapter 8
Nixon
A golden necklace falls from the folded paper when Ella opens it. She holds it up and stares at it with a frown. It’s just a simple chain, nothing special, but then the note is something else altogether.
Sweet Ella Black,
You’re as beautiful as a delicate flower. Your petals have flourished, and I imagine the scent of your hair would be just as enticing as a lily blossom. With skin so pale, you are a Snow White in your own right. Your neck is as slender and elegant as hers. Take my priceless gift and cherish it until we meet again.
Sincerely,
A Friend
“You got a boyfriend or something?” I ask, trying to keep the rage and jealousy from my tone.
“No!” she says, eyeing me like she’s offended, and I guess after what just happened between us, she has a right to be.
“Winston,” I growl. “Did you leave Ella this necklace?”
The look on Ella’s face is so fragile, it makes me want to hit something.
He turns around in his seat, glaring. “No, Nixon. Calm the fuck down. She’s hot. I’m sure you’re not the only asshole who noticed.” This guy has a lot of fucking nerve.
“Out here in the middle of fucking nowhere?” I retort.
He shrugs, rolling his eyes, turning back around.
I want to kill this motherfucker, but I turn back to Ella instead. My protective instincts come raging to the front, just like they always do when it comes to this girl.
“It’s okay,” she says. “Probably just some prank.” She shrugs, trying to play it off.
I study her a moment longer before nodding, and we ride the rest the way back to the cabin in silence, though my thoughts are anything but.
***
Once we are back at the parking lot, I follow Ella towards the bus stop. I make sure my footsteps are loud so she knows I’m there. I don’t want to startle her after getting that weird letter. Normally, I would want to rile her up, but due to the recent event that has my cock permanently hard inside my jeans, I can’t. Something’s passed between us now, whether I wanted it to or not.
I still couldn’t believe it actually happened. As soon as I saw the desire in her eyes, my senses were muddled, and resistance had flown out the window.
She had been staying away from me for the past few days, and I had been glad for that. At least, that’s what I’d been telling myself. Nevermind the fact I’d been jacking off to thoughts of her almost every night in the shower. Something I’m not proud of, but it was better than acting on it when I thought she hadn’t been interested. But then she’d walked into that alcove under the waterfall, looking all innocent and wet and messy. And I saw her hunger. Hunger for me, and I took my chance. And now, all I wanted was to get that fearful expression off her face. I’ve only had a small taste of her, and I’m already willing to solve all her problems.
She turns around. “Need something?” she asks quietly.
“Does anyone have a reason to leave you something like that?” I ask, keeping my voice low. “Why wouldn’t they just give it to you in person?”
“Not that I know of…” she trails off. “And I don’t know? Could just be a dumb joke.”
“Do you feel threatened by it?” I ask, trying to be as gentle as I can, but it’s hard considering I’ve always been destructive. Never knowing my own strength.
“I mean, no… I don’t think so. It’s just a weird note and necklace, right? I doubt it’s anything bad.” She runs a hand through her hair, and I remember how soft it felt in my own hands.
I can tell she’s nervous and doesn’t believe what she’s saying. It brings out that teenage boy in me, the one who still sometimes believes that I can be a hero.
“You sure you’re alright?” I ask softly. “You just seem kinda upset.”
She gives a slight smile and shrugs. “Yeah, I’m okay. I mean, it’s not every day you get creepy letters like that, but it wasn’t threatening or anything.” She drums her fingers against her leg nervously.
I study her for a moment before coming to a decision. “How about I give you my number and if something else like this happens, you call me, okay?”
“You’d do that for me?” she asks, looking at me through incredibly long lashes, and I have to tell myself to tone it down. She doesn’t know the way that I am or the way that I handle things.
And now that I know what she feels like and tastes like, there’s a possessive need inside me to keep her safe. Plus, the incident that happened to her years ago makes me that much more protective of her. But back then, I was just a kid trying to do the right thing in the only way I knew how. Now… it’s something more. And she still doesn’t know that I know her secret. She’s incredibly intelligent and sweet, but she really doesn’t know anything at all about the real world.
“Of course. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you,” I say, voice low and intense so that she knows I’m serious.
“Thank you,” she says quietly, and I wonder if she’s thanking me for something else, too.
“Don’t mention it,” I say, and then I give her my number. She sends me a text, so that I have hers in return. The truth is, I feel guilty. I’m angry with myself, which is nothing new, but knowing what all this girl had been through… and then doing what we did, it made me feel like an asshole, but how could I have denied her? She had been an active, consenting participant. No hot-blooded male could have resisted Ella in that state. With her desire so thick in the air it could almost be felt. With her light eyes almost fully dilated and cheeks rosy, lips swollen from kisses. Fuck, just thinking of it made my cock twitch. No matter how sweet and sexy she is, though, it doesn’t make me feel any better, and I vow, here and now, that I won’t touch her that way again without telling the truth.
I scan her face once more, and her cheeks haven’t lost their rosy hue, and her innocence calls to me. Like a beast sensing its prey. It’s only been a few weeks, and for some fucking reason, I feel like she needs me. How pathetic am I to think that? This girl is from a completely different world, and I’m slowly becoming obsessed with her. I don’t think any amount of pushing her away will help that.
“Hey, and you call me too if you need a big, bad protector,” Ella says, looking down as she smiles. Not used to joking and flirting, I assume, but it just draws me to her even more.
I reach out, caressing her arm with a slight squeeze.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice these big guns. How much do you lift?” I ask, grinning down at her.
Her eyes widen, and her perfect, plump lips form a genuine smile. It�
��s something so beautiful that I wish I could box it up and keep it for later, and that’s the corniest thought I’ve ever had. I need to let her actually leave now, but it’s hard. Weeks ago, when she first arrived, I thought there was no way in hell that we could ever be close. But now, she’s opened up to me. Not a lot, but it’s there. She trusted me enough to touch her, and fuck if that doesn’t hit me right in the chest. And now, I’m beginning to think I was wrong about everything.
***
“The only letter that doesn’t appear on the periodic table is J,” Ella says as we put books back on the shelf at the library.
“Poor J. Little buddy never had a chance,” I say, shaking my head. For the past few days, we’ve been staying mostly in this safe zone of bantering. Not bringing up the kisses or other things we’ve shared now.
Ella snickers, rolling her eyes. “A single strand of spaghetti is called spaghetto.”
“Spaghetto, spaghetto, spaghetto. I’ll be damned, that’s a fun word to say.”
She purses her lips, and I’d bet she’s trying to suppress a laugh before she continues. “The chunky Buddha in statues and pictures is a different person entirely. The real Buddha was actually incredibly skinny because of self-deprivation.”
I shrug. “Curves sell.” I look Ella up and down, letting her see only some of the hunger in my eyes. She gulps and blushes, and I grin devilishly down at her.
She averts her eyes, and hurriedly continues listing all the random facts that she knows for me. It passes the time while we work, and fuck me, but I find it entertaining.
“The largest known prime number has 17,425,170 digits. The new prime number is 2 multiplied by itself 57,885,161 times, minus 1.”
I playfully pinch her cheeks and pitch my voice high. “Look at my little smarty pants. She knows big, big numbers.” Seriously though, that is impressive.
She playfully slaps at my hands, laughing. “Quit it.”
“You’re gonna get in trouble. You better get back to work,” I tell her with a stern face.
Her mouth drops open, and I want to kiss it, but I refrain.
“Me?” She points to her chest, the baggy crop top she wears still not covering how lush her breasts are, and I have to force myself not to stare at anything but her face. “What about you? You’re the one following me around and distracting me, not letting me get any work done.”
“The little fox lies.”
For some reason, my words make her blush, and I love that I can cause that reaction from her. She may be too pure for me, but she knows I can make her feel good, and the alpha in me wants to bang his fists on his chest at the thought.
“You only call me that because of the red hair,” she says, rolling her eyes.
“Nah, you’re just a foxy lady, that's why.” I quirk my lips, shrugging a shoulder, and she smiles again.
“Hmm… what animal is the equivalent of Nixon Thorne?” She presses a pointer finger to her lip, tapping it as if she’s deep in thought. “Maybe a kitten?”
She barely gets the words out before she breaks out into laughter.
“I’ll allow it only if you call me ‘kitten’ from now on,” I say, and she laughs harder, wiping her eyes.
We go to put up a few more books on the shelves, and then we clean up together. When I notice Ella’s returned to the front desk, I grab the small paperback titled 1,000 Random Facts from my back pocket. I walk over to the desk and plop it down in front of where Ella sits. She stares blankly at it.
“For you,” I say, grinning. I had seen the book in a gas station on my way to work last night, and couldn’t resist.
She furrows her brows, and then grabs it like it’s some sort of precious jewel. I don’t understand it, and I don’t even know how or why she would want to know so much random information, but it clearly interests her.
She holds it to her chest, eyes wide as she stares up at me. “That’s really thoughtful,” she says.
I shrug like it isn’t a big deal, but then she shakes her head.
“This was a lifesaver for me growing up. I—it was always hard for me to socialize at parties, or anywhere, really. It takes me a while to open up,” she says quietly, shyly, before continuing. “So, I always fell back on all this useless crap because it’s the only thing I could think to bring up.” Her cheeks are red, and she seems surprised, like she can’t believe she just revealed that.
Her fingers tap on the table rapidly. I notice she does this sometimes, and I wonder if it’s a nervous reflex from playing the flute for so many years.
“You know what I think?” I ask.
“That I’m dumb?”
I recoil. “No, why would you say that?”
She tilts her head a bit, her hair swinging down her shoulder with the motion. “Well, when I admitted that out loud, it sounded kinda lame,” she says with a rueful smile.
I study her face. “I was going to say that I get it. I’m not a huge fan of people. But I’ve found everything you’ve said really interesting. Whether it’s the facts or something more personal. Or even if we’re just talking about the weather. I think you should just be yourself, and if people don’t like that, they’re fucking idiots.”
She smiles. “Thank you,” she whispers.
I nod, and we continue to clean up. I’m wiping down some tables when I hear her gasp. I’m by her side in a second, and she’s holding up a piece of paper. I realize what it must be immediately.
“Is that another note?” I ask with barely concealed rage.
She nods fearfully, handing it to me.
Sweet Ella Black,
I see you’re not wearing the necklace I retrieved for you. Maybe you fear you might damage it in some way, but I hope you know that you could never damage anything. You are perfection.
But a warning for you: I notice you hanging around with the criminal Nixon Thorne. He’s bad news, and someone such as yourself should not be within a mile radius of him. Please consider that. I’m just looking out for your best interests.
Sincerely,
A Friend.”
My fist clenches, causing the paper to crinkle in my hand. “I think we should tell campus security about this,” I say.
She won’t meet my eye. “Yeah, but what would they do? It’s not like it’s actually threatening or anything…”
“Uh, yeah it is. It’s making you scared, and that’s enough of a reason to say something,” I say, trying to control the rapid heartbeat that indicates a strong bout of anger is about to explode from me.
“I know, but what’s security gonna do? I don’t want them following me around all the time or anything,” Ella says, wringing her hands nervously.
I take a deep breath before I speak, hoping desperately that the fury doesn’t show in my tone. It’s not Ella’s fault this shit is happening, but it’s hard when things happen that are out of my control, and my anger has no outlet. “Well, maybe they should.”
“Okay, okay. You’re right,” she says softly, and I’m relieved that my technique worked, and I hadn’t started screaming at her from misplaced rage. And hey, look at me, listening to my anger management therapists, and actually succeeding.
When her eyes meet mine, I see the worry there, and it makes me want to act fast and now. “Let’s go, I’ll drive you. I don’t want you out alone at all. In fact, I’m half tempted to throw you over my shoulder and make you come stay at my place.”
She grins, giving me a look.
“You think I’m kidding?” I raise my brows, letting her know I’m dead fucking serious.
These notes have me fearing for her safety, because I don’t trust any of the motherfuckers out there. Ella is too nice and too pretty, and no, she’s not stupid, but she has the kind of face that makes a man do reckless shit.
“You really think I should be this worried?” The fear in her eyes guts me, and my fury is back, wanting to find whoever this fucker is and teach them a lesson with my fists.
“I don’t know, but I don’t think w
e should take any chances,” I say with a shrug. “I just know that I want you safe.”
She smiles, and I can’t help but bring my hand up to her cheek before tracing her lips with my finger.
Her smile vanishes at once, and lust takes its place.
Fuck me, she’s beautiful no matter what—but when she’s aroused, it’s like she has the ability to turn every single one of my brain cells to mush. I promised myself, though, that I wouldn’t touch her again until I told her the truth, but I still haven’t figured out how to do it without crushing her. Because now that I’m getting to know her, I can’t imagine hurting her, but it’s inevitable.
Her phone beeps with a text. She smiles when she looks at the screen.
“Waverly’s actually going to a party. She wants us to come.” Her big blue eyes look at me, expectantly. “Do you want to go?”
No, I think to myself. Parties aren’t really my thing, but with the way Ella’s staring at me, and the weird-ass notes she’s getting, there’s no way I’ll let her go alone.
“What about going to the police?” I ask, not letting her change the subject.
She pouts—actually pouts at me, but I stare her down, letting her know I’m not budging.
She sighs, resigned. “Okay,” she says, and then more quietly, “and you’ll come with me?”
“Of course,” I answer immediately.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
***
The drive to the police department was tense and quiet. I had sensed Ella’s nerves the entire way. My own nerves, too—because being around any policemen did not bring up the best of memories.
