My balls draw up tight, and heat streaks down my spine. I stroke myself harder, faster, my hips snapping forward as I chase my release. I imagine her beneath me, her legs wrapped around my waist, her nails raking down my back as I pound into her over and over until I fill her tight little pussy up with cum.
“Fuck,” I whisper, my voice rough and broken. My cock swells in my hand, my release tearing through me, and then I’m spilling over my fingers as I come with a shuddering gasp. I stroke myself through it, milking every last drop out of my balls, my body shaking with the force of it.
The relief is blissful for about three seconds, but then it fades and it’s not enough.
I have the sinking feeling that nothing short of claiming Norah will ever be enough.
Six
Norah
I stifle a yawn as I walk side by side with Professor Vale—Rowan—towards Maeve’s cottage, my fingers wrapped around the small leather pouch in my pocket. I’ve been clinging to this charm for the past two days. Ever since Rowan kissed the absolute daylights out of me in the forest and tilted my world on its axis.
I’ve barely slept, unable to stop replaying that kiss in my mind. Unable to stop thinking about him, my emotions veering all over the map, swinging from hope one moment to utter devastation the next.
This bond has forced me to confront a truth: my feelings for my professor are far more than a silly little crush.
I think…I might be in love with him. I’ve never been in love with anyone before, so I guess I don’t really know. But thoughts of him consume me. I want to know every single thing about him. And these feelings aren’t new. They’ve been there since the fall. The bond has only brought them to the forefront.
But he doesn’t want the bond, I remind myself as we crunch through the misty forest in silence. He regrets kissing you. He only wants you because of the magic.
I don’t know if our kiss the other night was real. And I hate that. It was real for me. I would’ve wanted it even without the bond. Of course I would’ve, even if it’s…well, slightly taboo, I guess, given our big age gap and the fact that he’s my professor.
We arrive at Maeve’s cottage, and Rowan knocks on the door. He’s barely looked at me this morning, and that trend continues now. The cottage door swings open with a creak, Maeve’s sharp face peering out from the dim interior. She nods when her gaze lands on us.
“Come in,” she says simply, stepping aside. Rowan follows, stepping in behind me. I’m so aware of him, so painfully aware. Even through our clothes, I’m aware of the heat of his body behind me, the deep, calming breath he takes. It’s agony.
Maeve shuts the door, then turns to face us, hands on her hips. “I managed to get ahold of Cormac.”
Rowan exhales, something like hope flickering in his eyes. “And?”
“He does indeed know a bond-severing ritual. As long as the bond hasn’t been consummated…” Maeve’s gaze flicks between us. “It should work and everything will go back to normal.”
“No, it hasn’t been consummated,” says Rowan, and I blush, looking down at the floor.
“Good. He’ll be here in three days and can perform the ritual then.”
Three days.
The words land like a stone in my stomach. Three days until this—whatever this is—ends. Until we go back to being professor and student, nothing more.
Rowan’s shoulders relax, just slightly. “Thank you,” he says, and I can hear the relief in his voice. “That’s—thank you.”
I swallow hard, my throat tight. I should be relieved too. I should be. This is what we wanted. Isn’t it?
But the way his face lights up, the way his whole body relaxes…it feels like something inside me is cracking in half.
I look away, pressing my lips together. My chest aches, a sharp, hollow pain spreading through me. My fingers dig into the leather pouch in my pocket, clinging to the charm that is supposed to make all of this easier to bear.
Three days. Then it’ll be over.
I don’t know if I can stand it.
The walk back to camp is awful. Rowan’s steps are lighter, his shoulders looser, like he’s shed a hundred pounds. His relief is a palpable thing.
I hate it.
“I’m gonna head to my tent,” I say, tears already thickening my voice as I veer off the path before he can respond. I need to get away before this dam bursts.
