King of Corium: Dark Enemies to Lovers Bully Romance (Corium University Book 1)

by J. L. Beck

  Of course, I slept terribly last night. I’m not even sure how many hours; I just know it wasn’t much. Grabbing the blanket, I pull it over myself and close my eyes.

  Just when I start to doze off a little, I hear the clicking of the lock. The door is pushed open, and I sit up in my bed so fast my head spins.

  “You’re already going back to bed?” Quinton’s voice fills the room, and I relax back down onto the mattress.

  “This might come as a surprise to you, but I didn’t get much sleep last night. Something about being in the same place as people trying to kill you will do that to you.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic. No one is trying to kill you.”

  “You’re right. Matteo only wanted to rape and beat me. Nothing to be dramatic about.”

  He doesn’t have an answer to that, probably because he knows I’m right. If Matteo had gotten his way, last night would have ended much worse for me.

  Quinton sits down on the edge of my bed, the mattress giving way under his weight, making me roll toward him. “He won’t bother you again—”

  I hold up my hand, making him stop talking. “You’ve said that before, and how did that work out for me?”

  “Yesterday happened because of my father, but he is gone now. My family just left.”

  “Oh… I’m sorry.”

  Quinton tilts his head, inspecting me. “Are you really?”

  “I mean, I’m sorry you had to say goodbye to your family. I’m not sorry your father is gone. If it was up to me, I would never be in the same zip code as your dad.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  “Why are you here?” I ask. Though I can guess why.

  “I want to fuck you, of course.”

  “Of course,” I echo his words. “Did you miss the part where our deal is off? You didn’t hold up your end of the bargain.”

  “My father is gone. Our deal is back on.”

  “No.” I shake my head.

  “Fine. No deal then. I’ll just come and go as I please, use your body wherever I feel like it, and while I’m at it, I’ll give Matteo a spare key.”

  I flinch at his words and the coldness of the voice delivering them. He holds all the power here, and he doesn’t miss the opportunity to let me know it.

  “I’d like to think you wouldn’t do that to me, but then I remember who you are and what we are to each other. I guess our deal is back on. Unfortunately, you have already had your hour of fun, and my head hurts anyway. So, I’ll see you next week.”

  I turn away from him, hoping he’ll simply leave, but like everything involving Quinton, nothing is easy.

  “You can’t really count the bathroom sex as an hour. That was a quickie, ten minutes at best. You still owe me most of that hour.”

  I roll back over onto my back to look at him. “My head really does hurt, okay? Have you seen my face?” I point at my eye. “Please, just let me sleep. I’ll give you a full hour tomorrow night, okay?” I’m probably going to regret this later, but right now, I just want to sleep.

  “Fine. I’ll be back tomorrow to collect.”

  “Great…” I pull my blanket closer to my chest.

  Quinton gets up from my bed and walks out of my room without another word.

  Yeah, I definitely will regret giving him another hour tomorrow.

  33

  QUINTON

  The time on my phone stares back at me in an almost mocking way. I can’t sleep, and I’m going fucking crazy lying here in bed. Ever since my parents and Scarlet left a few days ago, it’s been harder than ever for me to get decent sleep. The time ticks to four, and I decide I need to do something before I end up ripping this room to shreds.

  Pulling on a pair of shorts and a hoodie, I slip my feet into my Nikes and grab my wallet, which contains the key card to Aspen’s room. I remember her telling me about her broken sink and decide now is the perfect time to fix it.

  I’m bored out of my mind and can’t sleep. What better time to fix something? I’m not much of a handyman, but I’ll do anything to stay busy this morning. Plus, it’s something I can hold against her later to squeeze out an extra hour.

  The corridor is empty when I step out into it. There’s a janitor’s closet down the hall where they keep extra linens and towels for students. Not that I’m telling Aspen that. I slide my key card into the door and step inside the small space, flicking the light on.

  There is a mop and bucket, broom, and numerous cleaning products. In the corner is a black duffel bag, and I unzip it to check the contents. My eyes drift over the various tools, and I pick it up, carrying it over my shoulder. Exiting the room, I close the door behind me and head to Aspen’s room.

  Any normal human would consider their actions before entering another person’s dwelling without being invited, especially at four in the morning, but I’ve never considered myself normal.

  When I reach Aspen’s door, I’ve barely broken a sweat. I pull the key card out of my wallet and enter the room without warning. I step inside, and the first thing I notice is Aspen spread out across her bed. She’s wearing panties and a T-shirt. The blanket is kicked away and at her feet, giving me a perfect view of her ass.

  My cock starts to grow in my shorts, and the temptation is too much for me. If I wanted to fuck her right now, I could, but I came here to fix her fucking sink, so I’m going to do that instead. Stomping into the bathroom, I drop the bag and look at the damn thing like it’s a foreign object. I’m not even sure how to approach the problem, much less what the problem itself is.

  I pull out a pipe wrench and start twisting to loosen the pipes, so I can figure out what the hell is going on, but the wrench slips out of my hands, and my fist slams into the wall.

  “Motherfucker!” I yell as pain ricochets up my arm.

  “What the hell?” Aspen’s sleepy but confused voice carries into the bathroom. “Do you have any idea what time it is?” she yells a second later. “What in the world are you even doing?”

  I grit my teeth and ignore her, focusing my attention on the sink. It’s too damn early to be arguing anyway.

  “Seriously, what the hell are you doing?” she asks again, her voice closer this time.

  I try to block her pestering voice out, but this pipe is annoying me, and it’s probably not even the pipe that’s the problem. It’s the whole fucking sink.

  “Go back to bed, Aspen,” I growl and twist the wrench again. My muscles bulge as I twist the wrench, but the pipe doesn’t budge.

  Angrily, I toss the wrench at the wall and stare at the sink. I’m ready to rip it right out of the damn wall and toss it out the bathroom door, but then Aspen appears in the doorway, her sleep-filled eyes find mine, and she takes in the scene before her.

  “You didn’t have to fix the sink, Quinton,” she states, all matter-of-factly.

  “I know. I don’t have to do a damn thing when it comes to you, but I do it anyway.”

  Aspen isn’t affected by my shit mood, or maybe she is, but she doesn’t say anything. I grab the wrench and start trying to rip the pipe off the sink again while she takes a seat on the closed toilet, obviously wanting to watch me.

  Her presence isn’t annoying to me, though. If anything, I’ve come to enjoy the lull of calm that rushes through my veins when we’re in the same room. A strange, invisible string tethers us to each other, a connection I don’t understand. It’s almost like friends.

  Which reminds me. “So, tell me more about Brittney. What do you guys talk about or do in the library?”

  A long moment of silence passes, and I peer over my shoulder to find Aspen staring daggers at me.

  “It’s a library. We read books, and I help her categorize them and stuff. Nothing that other students don’t also do.”

  She’s a liar—a bad one, but I won’t let on that I know she’s hiding something. She might use the library as a form of escapism, but something more is going on there.

  “You just seem close, and I can’t help but wonder with
your bartering if there is something more going on.”

  “No, Quinton, there’s nothing going on. Is it a crime for me to want to escape all the snide comments and hateful looks by going there?”

  “Not really.” I can tell this is going nowhere fast. Aspen is a vault right now, her emotions and secrets bottled up tight, and unfortunately, I don’t have the damn unlock code yet. I stare at the wrench in my hand. I guess I’ll have to resort to something a little more drastic to get the answers I want.

  “I’m not hiding anything. I’m just using the library for what it’s supposed to be used for, studying.”

  I toss the wrench down, my frustration toward the damn sink mounting. That, combined with Aspen’s attitude this morning, has my temper flaring. I’m wasting my damn time with her right now by trying to fix this thing.

  “I can’t fix it.”

  “Okay, but I really do need a sink.”

  “I know. I’ll have someone fix it for you.” I push off the floor, the bathroom suddenly smaller with both of us in it. My gaze sweeps the space, and I see the clothes she must’ve washed last night hanging off the side of the tub. Bingo. “I’ll take your clothes and wash them with mine. No one will know the difference.”

  “They’re going to know the difference, Quinton. My clothes are for a woman, and yours are not.”

  I pin her with a glare. “Clothes are clothes. Now, do you want me to wash them for you, or would you like to continue washing them in the shower?”

  “No. I’d appreciate you doing this. What do you want in return? I’m sure this comes with a price.”

  I nod and smirk. “I want my hour now.”

  “Seriously? It’s five in the morning.”

  I shrug. “I don’t care. I’m hungry, and you’re on the menu. Now hurry up before I change my mind.”

  She gives me a wary look before reluctantly agreeing. “Fine, but I want my sink fixed too.”

  She needs me, probably more than I need her, but I’m not going to tell her that. I don’t want to rub it in her face. At least not today.

  “I’ll get it fixed. Now, go get on the bed. On all fours.”

  With a huff, she scurries out of the bathroom, stripping out of her clothing when she reaches the bed. I watch like a lion stalking its prey as her creamy-white ass jiggles when she climbs up onto the bed. Once on her knees, she spreads her legs ever so slightly, and I catch a glimpse of her pretty pink pussy.

  “You act like you don’t want me, but we both know you do. You want me even when you hate me, and that’s okay because I feel the same way about you.”

  Like always, when it comes to Aspen, my cock grows to steel, and I’m hard as hell in a second.

  Pushing my shorts down my legs, I slip out of my shoes and crawl up onto the bed, which squeaks with our combined weight. I take another moment to gaze at her in this position. It really is perfect.

  “Are you going to fuck me or just stare at me?” Her sassy tone makes me want her more. It makes me want to fuck her hard enough that she can’t get a single word out of that troubled mouth of hers.

  Pulling my hand back, I land a slap against her ass cheek, my tongue darting out over my bottom lip as I watch it jiggle.

  “I’m going to do whatever the fuck I want because, for one hour, you’re mine. Mine to fuck, torment, and tease… Do you understand?” I slap her ass again, a little harder, and she lets out a groan instead of a response.

  I massage each globe and then slap them both, enjoying the way her ass sways every time I slap it. She presses her forehead into the mattress, opening her legs a little wider. My finger trails down her ass, and I delve into her pussy, sinking two digits inside her channel. She’s already wet and presses back against my fingers, chasing her own release.

  “Fuck yourself on my hand,” I order.

  Her entire body freezes for a moment, and then she does exactly what I told her to do. Moving back and forth, she fucks my hand with slow strokes, almost teasing herself. Mesmerized, I watch as my fingers disappear and reappear as she goes back and forth.

  My cock leaks precum from the tip, and I’m so turned on, I want to pull my fingers free and sink inside her right now, but I let her continue, watching as she works herself on my fingers. Her breath becomes ragged, and she starts to move, bouncing against my hand.

  “As badly as I want to watch you bring yourself to orgasm, I want to feel you squeezing my cock instead of my fingers.”

  Aspen lets out a frustrated whimper as I pull my fingers from her drenched pussy. Her arousal glistens on my fingers, and I bring them to my lips, lapping up her intoxicating juices. My eyes drift closed, and I let out a growl.

  Fuck, I want to taste her, eat her until she’s writhing and her legs are shaking. Until she has to beg me to stop because she’s afraid she might die from the pleasure itself.

  When I open my eyes again, I find Aspen staring at me over her shoulder; her eyes are hazy, her cheeks pink, and she has a death grip on the sheets.

  I drop my hand and grab her by both hips, centering myself directly behind her. I look down and see her puckered asshole. That virgin hole will be mine as well someday.

  Guiding the head of my cock to her entrance, I push inside, filling her cunt in one thrust.

  “Jesus…” she mumbles, and I smirk, loving the way her pussy wraps snugly around my dick. As fucked up as it is, she is my missing piece. The calm to my storm, the virtue to my wickedness.

  Holding her hips with bruising force, I waste no time fucking her, and soon, the only sounds that can be heard are our labored breaths and the slap of our skin.

  Something is different in the way we fuck. It’s slow and leisurely, like we have all the time in the world. I tease Aspen to the edge of an orgasm, over and over again until her arousal is coating both our thighs.

  Her puckered hole stares back at me, and I release her hip and bring my thumb to my lips. I suck the digit, getting it nice and wet before I bring it to her asshole. I’m not satisfied with the wetness and build a little saliva in my mouth before spitting against her asshole. Her entire body tightens up as I trace the hole, pressing gently against it while I continue fucking her pussy with my cock.

  “Your puckered asshole is a little jealous that I’ve given your pussy all the attention. I think next time, I’ll take your ass.” I dip my thumb into her asshole gently, each stroke shallow, the tight ring of muscles giving way as I push my finger inside.

  “Quinton.” She lets out a strangled moan, and I can’t tell if it’s because I’ve mentioned taking her ass or because I’ve upped my pace, angling my cock in a way that makes it certain I’m hitting the very tender tissue at the top of her pussy.

  My own control starts to unravel, and it won’t be long till I come, the ache in my balls becoming painful.

  “Who does this pussy belong to?” I ask through my teeth, moving my thumb in her ass a little faster.

  “You.” Aspen moans, pressing back against my cock, seeking out her pleasure like the little minx she is.

  “That’s right!” I pull my thumb from her ass and use the same hand to slap the creamy flesh. Then I start to fuck her even harder, setting a grueling pace, pressing her into the mattress as I use her body to bring us both the relief we seek.

  “Oh, god, oh, god…” Aspen starts to pant, her face turned, with her cheek pressed against the mattress. Leaning forward, I thread my fingers through her hair and grab a fistful, pulling her back toward me. She doesn’t object to the action even though I’m certain her scalp is screaming at her.

  I rail into her faster, and when her pussy starts to contract, the muscles twitching and pulsing, I let myself go.

  As she falls apart, I do too, and we both come at once, her wet pussy squeezing every drop of cum right out of me. I release her hair and slip out of her warm heat, sighing as I lean forward and fall onto the mattress.

  I let my eyes fall closed and immerse myself in the post-orgasmic waves of pleasure. A sheen of sweat covers my body, a
nd I feel rejuvenated.

  “Fuck, that was good.” My voice cuts through the silence, and I sit up on the bed, looking down at a very thoroughly fucked Aspen. My cock twitches to life, and I wonder if I could get away with a second round.

  I notice then that Aspen is staring at me. “Don’t even think about it. You had your hour. I’m going back to bed.”

  “You don’t have to pretend you hate me, not here inside this room.”

  She shakes her head, her blue eyes shining with some unsaid emotion. “Yes, I do because any other emotions would lead us down a road neither one of us is going to survive.” The seriousness in her tone reminds me of how right she is. It also spurs me to get dressed and leave. If I allow us to think we aren’t enemies inside this bedroom, then who’s to say those feelings won’t follow us outside of it.

  When I step out of the bedroom, the realization hits me. I can’t forget that I’m the one in control and that no matter what we share or do together, nothing will change the fact that we’re still enemies.

  34

  ASPEN

  A week passes without any interaction from Quinton. He makes good on his end of the bargain, having the laundry services deliver my clean clothes right to my door. Then someone, probably the janitor, comes by and fixes the sink one day while I’m at class.

  All these things make being here a little more bearable.

  There was no way for me to lie to myself. He was helping me, and I hated it, but more than anything, I hated that I needed his help. Without him, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stay here, and with my mom’s warning of how unsafe it was outside of Corium looming over my head, I couldn’t exactly leave. It was to endure hell here or risk death out there. Sometimes, death looked like a better option.

  A loud knocking drags me from my thoughts, and I look up from the book in my hand. The knocking means it’s not Quinton, and as wary of that as I should be, I decide to climb off the bed and answer the door anyway.