I’d kissed her, halting the conversation, coaxing her higher, but not over the edge, until she was teetering just shy of release.Removing my fingers had her whining, but pressing my cock into her had her straining to get closer, to get that last bit of friction to throw herself over the edge.
And when I’d finally let her fall, she’d dragged me over the edge with her, our hearts thundering as our bodies traded pleasure like electrical currents between us.
She hadn’t brought it up again. And I hadn’t either.
But now, I’m living that question. Can I do it? I have been, even if it hasn’t been perfect.
Feed RJ. Check on Jansen. Wake up tomorrow and do it again.
At least on Monday my class isn’t meeting, instead giving us extra studio time for a project due Friday that I completed the day it was assigned. But that change means I can go with RJ to stalk Clara. I’ll get to see her again, even if it’s from a distance.
It’s got to be enough.
And even if it isn’t, every drawing added to my portfolio is getting us closer to getting her and Trips out of there. Even if it feels like busy work, I finally understand exactly how vital I am to this plan.
Putting away the chalks, I pat the pile of drawings on top of my ID printer like it’s some sort of good luck charm.
Soon.
Soon, we’ll be free of all this.
Then I’ll be able to see Clara and hold her whenever I damn well please.
Chapter 82
Clara
The weekend passes in a confusing mix of more scheduled sex and boredom, Mattie out of town for a school trip. By the time Monday rolls around, I’m ready just to be surrounded by other students, to let a small amount of controlled chaos occupy my brain.
Smith grips my shoulder with his good hand as we cross the quad, and it’s all I can do to keep myself from snapping the rest of his fingers for touching me. By the time my second class of the day finishes, my patience has worn thin.
This one gets out in late afternoon, with only a few night classes taking place on this side of campus, so the halls are typically empty after we’re released. I have a question for the professor, though, and as I can’t just send the woman an email, staying late is the only solution.
The hallways are deserted by the time I lead a looming Smith from the room, my professor rushing off in the opposite direction from where we’re headed. I’m almost at the exit when the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Instinct has me ducking and spinning, Smith’s bad hand glancing off me as I skitter back. “What the fuck are you doing?” I squawk, hands flying up to block out of instinct.
He sidesteps, and it only takes a moment to figure out he’s trying to corner me in the alcove next to the trash cans. I dive for his bad side, my forearm up to deflect, my shoes squeaking as I barely dodge his leg sweep, a glancing blow hitting my ankle, but not taking me down.
The dodge puts me back in the hallway, with more exit points than a brick wall. “This is a bad idea, Smith,” I say, wondering if I can reason with him.
He smiles, and it’s the same strange expression he wore that night so long ago, one I’d almost forgotten after so long of his benign disgust for me. One that says he likes violence—that to him, this is the best idea.
“There’s nobody around, girl. No cameras. No big, bad Westerhouse boy or Falk and his twisted morals.”
“Doesn’t mean this is a good idea.”
“Do you know how long it took me to heal from that swipe you got on me?”
“No. Honestly, I thought I’d killed you.”
He lunges, but I block and dodge, the strength of his strike powerful enough for my forearm to ring with pain. His grin stretches. “I thought it was a lucky strike. Maybe it wasn’t. If that’s the case, this is going to be even sweeter.”
“It was a lucky strike. I haven’t touched a sword before or since. Once I got a home run in tee-ball, though, when I was six. It doesn’t change the fact that you going after me is as good as a death sentence.”
“Nah. I’ll say you tried to run. I’ll be fine. And you’ll be dead. Bashed your head in while we struggled. Karmic justice.”
This attack is a flurry of blows, too many to block, so I lock my core and move with his attacks, lessening the impacts. It still hurts like hell.
