“You’re beautiful.” He shrugged.
“You’re trouble. I think.” I reached out to touch the Polaroids.
“I’m into you, not trouble.” After spinning a chair around, he straddled it. He looked a lot better actually. So much better that it made me wonder how badly he’d been hurt.
“Where do you go to school?” I started some small talk while looking at his latest portfolio. He was talented.
He cleared his throat and drummed his fingers. “Um. Hey, you know this library has a great selection of art books. You wanna come with?”
He held his hand out to me. I stacked the pictures and tucked them into my backpack. His lifted eyebrows and hopeful face broke me. I liked to play much harder to get than this. But he was an open book. His smile grew wider the longer I stared at him. “Come on, Ember.”
I stood, and before I could grab my backpack, he snagged it. I took his hand. He lifted it to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “You don’t have to go to this school to look at the books. Just to check them out.” He bopped on his toes, excited. “I used to sneak in here as a kid sometimes, if we were around here, and go to the art books for the boobs.”
“The boobs? Where are you taking me again?” I hesitated and stopped walking.
“Art? Boobs are all over art. Stone boobs, painted boobs, even pictures of nudes. Come on. You didn’t know that? Artists are pervs. But eventually I started noticing details. And falling in love with some of it. Not just the titties.” He tugged on my hand again.
“If you could stop talking about breasts at top volume here, it’d be awesome.”
He ducked low and whispered into my ear, “Sorry, sunshine. I’m just ready to be around you so hard right now.”
“What do you mean, hard?” I laughed at him when his cheeks flushed.
“Like a lot. Not hard. Not erection hard. Not that I can’t get hard. I totally can. Drop of the hat. Want me to show you now?” I watched as he squinted, seeming to finally hear what he was saying. He covered his mouth. He mumbled behind his fingers, “Am I blowing this? Oh God. Blowing. I’m such an asshole.”
He was nervous. Like visibly nervous to be around me. It was low-key adorable. I pulled on his hand and led him to the library’s escalator. He followed and stuck out his chest like a proud turkey. He started stage whispering to the people coming down the escalator.
“She’s into me. Letting me hold her hand and everything.” He held up our clasped hands and then kissed mine again. “See?” He waved to the first group of students going down and then brought the group of guys positioned behind them into it, too. “I thought I’d shot myself in the foot because I was talking about boners, but nope. She’s still here.” He waved his other hand at me like I was a prize he won on The Price is Right.
“Stop.” I was laughing, but he needed to tone down the chatter. The guys passed, each of them holding up a hand to be slapped.
“My man.”
“Boners forever.”
“Do you know these guys?” I tilted my head so I could see his face.
“No. People like me. It’s just my animal magnetism.” He looked me up and down. Again. He kept doing it, his eyes lighting up like I was his own personal Christmas morning. Mentioning “animal” made me think of the man with the same name. I glanced over my shoulder and tried to find my bodyguard.
“He’s down there. One of the three guys that have been following you? I recognize the same guys from the pizza parlor. I’m thinking that they’re meant to protect you. I wouldn’t be surprised to find one of the others upstairs by the time we get there.” He was unworried by my security detail, which was oddly relieving. “Will they warm up the condom for us and everything, when the time to come comes?”
I slapped his bicep. “Don’t be crude.” I was surprised he had figured out that I had my brother’s men with me. I thought they were a little better at blending in than that.
“I’m sorry. I think about sex with you a lot. It’s pretty much all I think about.” He rubbed his thumb on the palm of my hand.
“Since when?” I stepped off the escalator. Lock stepped off as well.
“Since I laid eyes on you, back when I thought I was dead.” He towed me toward the fourth stack. “Literally hard as a rock when I met you. Like a fire alarm went off in my body.” He bit his tongue.
“Keep talking about sex and I’m out. I get that enough walking across campus. Be different. Don’t disappoint me by being a douche. I have hopes for you.” I gave him a hostile stare. I wasn’t kidding. He was cute. He was funny, but if he was slimy, I was gone.
He dropped to one knee in front of me. “I’m so sorry, beautiful Ember. I’ll shave my head like a monk. I’ll never mention that your rack looks even more spectacular from this angle. We can chop off my nuts together. I’ll sing to you in a gorgeous, clear soprano forever.”
I grasped his hand, out and out laughing now. “You’re insane.” I touched the red bandana he wore almost as a bracelet. “What’s this for?”
“Brings out your eyes.” He stood and put his arm around my shoulders. “This way. I’ll now show you pictures of the greatest riches and art in the world.”
True to his word, he took me to the art book section. He did seem very comfortable in it. After he’d plucked four huge hardback books from the stacks, he sat on the floor and patted the spot next to him.
And then we really enjoyed the books. He described his favorites. Using his index finger, he “censored” any nudity. We both puzzled over David’s tiny penis, though. Lock was truly excited by the art. Depth. That’s what it was. I thought I had him pegged and he was showing me more than that. I was into it.
He stopped when describing a landscape. I could tell he loved to stare at my lips. His eyes were bright with all the jokes he was maybe thinking of sharing in the future. He leaned nearer to me, moving the book reverently to the floor, treating it like it actually contained all the treasures pictured.
A man clearing his throat startled me. I jumped and Lock put his hand on my arm. Campus security was there. Two security guards, one tall and one short, dressed as knock-off state policemen.
“What’s going on here?” The tall guard pointed at us with his baton.
“Um. Learning?” I offered. My adrenaline was spiked from the scare.
“I was about to try to steal my first kiss, sir.” Lock stood and offered me his hand. I took it and pulled myself up.
“Bet that’s not the only thing you steal.” The guard bristled.
I was confused. First, I wondered if the guard knew Lock and was messing with him. When I flashed to Lock’s face, I saw that his whole demeanor was different. Instead of playful, he was hard. Closed. It happened like the flip of a switch.
Lock stopped talking. Didn’t offer that this library was his safe spot as a kid. His getaway. His treasure trove.
“How’d you get that bandana?” The short guard nodded at Lock’s wrist, where the red bandana was wound.
Lock was true to his nickname now. They weren’t getting him to talk.
“It’s my headband. I use it to hold back my hair when I take off my makeup.” I actually did have a white bandana in my dorm for this exact purpose.
The tall guard snorted. “When it’s knotted like that? It’s nobody’s headband. He’s in a gang. You should find a guy from around here to sneak into the stacks with.” He tilted his head and gave me a once-over from my toes to my tits.
They were judging him. They were checking him out because of the color he wore on his arm. It clicked. I was so used to security people being on my side I didn’t recognize their hostility.
“He’s my fiancé.” I was getting angry for Lock. All we were doing was looking at books in a library, which is literally what a library is designed for. I told them so. They were unmoved.
I turned to Lock, went to my tiptoes, and kissed him right on the lips. The zap was emotional. His lips. So soft. So interested. He angled his body toward me, grabbed my hips, and
caged me in. When I went to pull back, he stepped even closer, making our bodies touch.
Lock was one hell of a kisser.
“All right, enough of that. We don’t need a show.” The tall security guard rapped his baton on the metal bookshelf, making me jump and breaking our contact. Lock didn’t react to the loud noise. His eyes were fire and focused only on me. A chill went down my spine.
The guards began approaching, crowding us. Lock acted like they didn’t exist at all.
“You kissed me.”
I nodded. Our engagement ruse was not going to fly if he continued to be amazed by our kiss. I couldn’t even blame him. It was the beginning. I don’t even know what of, but nothing else in my life had been so definitive. Ever.
Finally, when the security guard almost put his hand on me, Lock snapped out of it. He put his body in the way so the man couldn’t touch me.
“No, man. I don’t think so.”
Lock was ridged. Ready to fight. I said his name a few times. “Come on. Let’s go home. We don’t need this crappy place.”
His focus went from the guards back to me. His hands had to touch me. One on my shoulder, one on my hip. The fire was coming back to his eyes. He was letting our current trouble roll off his back. I distracted him.
I stepped backwards on the escalator, and he steadied me. I knew he wouldn’t let me fall. While he held me, I gave the security guards two middle fingers.
He laughed. “Feisty. And you kissed me.”
I turned and leaned back against him until the escalator dumped us off. The guards were watching from the floor above. When we went outside, Lock caught my arm and pulled me under his own.
He touched my cheek. “You kissed me.”
It was like I’d given him the dearest gift.
“I was protecting you,” I offered.
His smile was blinding. “My entire body feels very unsafe now. Do what you must to protect me.”
I glanced over his shoulder, trying to see if the guards were following us outside.
“Don’t. Don’t stop looking at me like that,” he murmured as he ran his palms down my arms.
I made him the center of my attention. It was like he was seeing me for the first time. “You kissed me. Do it again. Come on. I already miss it so much.”
He had no game in that request. It came from a genuine place in him.
I felt tingles all over my skin. Anticipation was creating goose bumps. “Maybe I took a chance already. Maybe you should take one now.”
Surprise etched on his face, still bruised but healing, put an emphasis on the sparkle in his eyes. His hair had a slight curl to it. His forearm was strong as he twisted to put his hand on my lower back. I felt his palm cradle my neck. He traced my lower lip with his index finger. “It isn’t fair. How pretty you are. You don’t know how incredible it is that you’re so…”
He came in for the kiss, and I expected it. And he treated my lips like the most expensive wine. Gentle, at first, then deeper. A nip, his hands steady—his kiss was the only thing that mattered to him. Getting it right.
Before it got more intimate, he stopped. I was searching for more and opened my eyes. He was gazing at my lips and then touched his head to my forehead. “You’re ruining me, Ember. There will be no topping this. Topping you.”
He smiled, almost sadly.
“What’s wrong?” I didn’t understand the switch in him.
“Those guys are right. You should date someone else. One of these rich bastards in this school.” He stepped backwards and offered me his arm. Like a polite escort.
I swatted his arm away. “Don’t tell me what to do. I suck at following rules.”
Lock stayed close, the appearance of his dimples revealing the smile he was planning.
I planted my feet and pointed to the place in front of me. “Kiss me more. I wasn’t done.”
He rolled his head back, running his hand down his face. “Aw, fuck.”
And then he was on me. He lifted me up, making me straddle him as he walked me to the closest brick wall. And then I knew what getting ravished was all about. My lips, my neck, his hands running the length of my sides. He was on me like I was oxygen on Mars. It was a sensory overload. He protected my head so I didn’t bang it against the brick.
“You two. Get out of here. I swear…” The guards had followed us outside and were looking grim. Lock had no snappy comeback; he just took my hand and pulled me behind him. He was a man on a mission.
Chapter 13
Lock
IF I WAS OLDER or more powerful, I would revel in being able to get the guards fired—having that loud of a voice. But, now I had much more important things on my mind. Ember’s lips. Ember letting me touch her. It was different than the way it was with others. She was like touching a mythical being. She was so gorgeous. The way her face slid from one emotion to another was mesmerizing. Definition of beauty. Her eyes letting me in, her soft curves at my fingertips.
I needed distance. I wanted her, of course. But somehow, I needed her. An injection of soul. Tumbling destinies. I didn’t feel like we were meant to be together forever. She was someone else’s. I wanted to steal her from whatever fate had planned. I’d be her thief as long as she let me. I hoped to fuck it was more than just tonight.
I led her through the woods near the campus library, toward her dorm. Twigs snapped behind us when I remembered her bodyguard detail. I stopped moving forward and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “They’re following us.”
Ember shot me a confused look and rubbed my hand. My brain wanted to snap. Her touch was like gasoline, setting fire to the place in my center that her kiss had shred open.
She stole my attention. The slope of her nose. Her jaw. Another snap of a twig brought me back to reality. “Your bodyguards. I don’t want to scare them. So we’ll just wait. I don’t want to get shot on the best night of my life.”
“Oh. Yeah. The guys. Wow.” She blinked a few times, like she was under the same spell I was. My heart hoped like an asshole.
Sure enough, two of the guys burst from behind us. “Oh. Hey!” The bigger one staggered to a stop.
Ember held my hand still. “This is Bowen and Wardon. They watch me…” She trailed off. No real explanation there.
I shook their hands. “You guys usually don’t lose her, do you? What happened?”
Bowen rolled his eyes. “We set those guards straight. Even though our direct orders are to be invisible.”
“They were being jerks,” Wardon added, shrugging.
Ember let go of my hand and stepped up to hug each of them. “Thanks. It’s nice to know if I was going to wind up in college jail, you guys would help.”
Bowen and Wardon were very much in love with Ember. I could see it in how they watched her. I got it. It didn’t even make me jealous. No single man in her vicinity would have a choice.
“Yeah. So, where you headed?” Wardon’s jaw twitched. I was a problem for him. But she was a job.
“To be alone.” I held out my hand again and waited. She would maybe come to me. Maybe.
“Mercy wants to talk to her. For tonight.” He turned to her. “It’s a thing, Ember. Your brother was adamant.” Wardon stared at me.
The conflict was written across her face, but she nodded. She kissed my cheek. I held her body so she had to stay near. “Your brother?”
I knew of a Mercy. A fairly famous murderer. He stood out in street lore thanks to his skeleton tattoo. That he was Ember’s family made sense from a security perspective. Of course she’d have guards if he was her brother. But from a potential boyfriend’s perspective, it was ball thunderingly terrifying.
“Yeah. He’s known as Mercy. And his best friend is Havoc. We’re reconnecting. It’s important. But I want to go with you. If it counts.” She smiled.
I nodded and let her go. I was so possessive over her immediately. She was mine, for this fleeting moment in time. And I didn’t want it to pass. But I had a sense that she’d bolt if I w
as clingy. I caught her jaw in my hand and kissed her lips one more time for our audience. After seeing her swoon a little, I took in the bodyguards. Pain. Residual pain from what they had just seen. I was too proud. To be hers.
They escorted her out of the woods. I had no good way home. I’d taken three buses to get here. I was pretty sure that two of them weren’t running anymore.
It was worth it.
Chapter 14
Ember
THE GUYS WERE GRUMBLING about Lock being a punk, but I ignored them. Lock was catching me. And I hadn’t even realized how hard I was falling until we kissed.
So hard. When I was back at the dorm, Wardon insisted on walking me up and checking out my room, even though there was no way the library security guards would still be a threat. When it was all secure, Wardon sniffed and nodded. “Your brother is waiting. Just Facetime him. He’s alone. No Becca. He thought it’d be good to have brother-sister time.” I lifted my eyebrows in surprise. He really was serious about making time for me.
Once I had my pajamas on, I propped up my phone and hit the button to call him. His video popped up almost instantly. “You good?”
“Hey, bro, it’s great to see you, too.” I wiggled my fingertips at him.
He was in the basement, judging from his background of claw games. The shadows made his skull tattoo more pronounced. “That kid you’re with? He’s a Coke.”
“What does that mean?” I liked drinking Coke. Maybe he meant the drug.
“No, it’s a gang in downtown Valston. A pretty vicious one. Deep Dutch, and indirectly even Feybi family ties.” He watched me, his eyes on the screen concerned.
“Do you know everything there is to know about him?” I was getting frustrated again.
“Yes. His father’s in prison and he’s got a sister…”
He stopped when I put up my palm. “No. He gets to tell me his shit. Not you. In his time. If I want to hear it. You can’t stalk him like you do me. I mean, I can’t stop you. But I won’t listen to reports. Seriously, Nix.” I studied my comforter. I knew my face was getting red. After the weekend we’d had, I thought he’d know me better than this. I felt the years between us then.
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