“What are you talking about, Lex?” I laugh. There’s nothing for him to atone for. He smirks at me to cover his true feelings, and I know a thousand dirty ideas are running through his mind. He’s excellent at distraction.
My toes curl over the wooden floor when he stands, flashing his index finger to ask for a moment. A smile spreads across my cheeks, and it’s criminal how he can make me feel so good in the middle of all this. Just his smirk is enough to fill me with excitement instead of dread. Lex returns holding a leash I recognize well. Swallowing, I remember the feel of it snapping around my neck a few months ago. It wasn’t that long, but everything is different now, and it feels like much more time haspassed. I stand, marveling at the idea of trying to go back to that after everything. My hands stretch toward the collar, but to my surprise, he pulls it out of reach and hands me the lead instead.
“Who says you’re the one wearing it?” A brow raises over his stunning green eyes.
“Areyouwearing it?” I laugh ’cause there’s no way Lex Morwen is about to walk around on a leash.
He dips his chin slowly before lacing his arm around my waist. “Why, Miss Briarwick, you think that you’re the only one allowed to have fun?”
He hands me the rest of the leash slowly, and I smile at the challenge. I’m feeling giddy, and my chest flushes as I lean into him. I drop the lead and hold both ends of the buckles as I wrap the collar around his neck. I hesitate before fastening it, waiting for him to change his mind at any point. He remains still, and our bodies touch along every inch as I finally slide the straps into place. He leans forward and presses a kiss to my lips.
“Go get dressed,” he whispers against my mouth. “Take me for a walk.”
Damn, I planned to wallow for a full day, but I can’t ignore an invitation like this. My favorite dresses were lost when they locked me out of my bedroom, but thankfully, I didn’t move all the boxes out of the guys’ rooms. I find a beautiful leather corset and know right away it will go perfectly with the leash. I put everything on quickly and came back to the room to find Lex waiting, playing with the end of the leash.
“Ready?”
His eyes devour me as I take the leash from his hand and give a tentative pull. He stumbles into my chest, not expecting the move. When he falls, I feel the evidence of his want, his hard cock pushing against my belly. That’s suddenly the only thing I can think about, but I won’t ruin this opportunity by being impatient. I peel my body from his before I fall into temptation.
“Let’s go,” I say, half lying.
CHAPTER 69
SABLE
Facehard and leash in hand, I don’t waste my time with secret passages. Half of the fun of a special new toy is showing it off, especially when it’s a limited edition.This one is especially hot, I think to myself as I tug him a little just for fun. He shoots me a filthy look that makes my panties wet. Lex chuckles behind me when he realizes my choice of route, and I look over my shoulder and wink at him.
I lead us through the most crowded halls, parading my new toy like the good boy he is. All six-plus feet of him follow me, and my eyes hungrily move over the sleek Victorian fashion Bellthorn is most known for. The uniformity is meant to control, but it also makes these dark and brooding boys a little too entertaining to look at.
“Miss Briarwick, you know all the Bellthorn secrets now,” he says, and something about the words with the collar around his throat makes me especially ravenous. I laugh because not yet, but we all will pretty soon.
Students turn and stare as we pass. Men jump out of my way as I walk. The girls stare, mouths open in hunger, their faces in shock as they watch a Morwen walk by on a leash. No one says anything to me, only whispers follow as we make our way tomy first class of the day. Every step fills me with an unshakable sense of power, and I nearly laugh at the thought that putting him on a leash was exactly what I needed to improve my mood.
To my right, I catch some of Arabella’s friends watching. Their mouths hang open too, but for an entirely different reason. Arabella has been painting a pretty little picture of what it’s like to be the Offering, acting like she owns what belongs to me. A lot of people know the truth after the cafeteria, but not everyone was in attendance. I can’t resist pointing out the obvious and teaching them an important lesson. I tug Lex harder, making him walk faster behind me.
He whimpers behind me, a guttural sexual sound that makes the muscles deep inside me clench. It’s only loud enough for me and those girls to hear, and it’s obvious a man’s never made a sound like that for them. If anyone still doubted where we stood after our last show, they know for sure now. These men will do anything for me. They are mine and no one else’s. I leave them in a cloud of unrequited lust because they will never have what’s mine.
We take the longest, most visible route to the med department, and by the time we arrive, I’m so wet my thighs are sticking. When we arrive, we find the class full of waiting students. Cillian might have abandoned his room, but I’m not sure if the class will be the same. It doesn’t seem like he warned anyone of his absence, including the overseeing professor. Everyone talks easily about the assignment due at the end of the week. Laptops sit open in front of them, and I start to wonder if we’re going to have another standoff right here.
They turn when we come in, expecting their teacher, but it’s just me, walking Lex Morwen on a fucking leash like he’s my pet, and damn, he’s so obedient I think he actually might be. For a moment, I freeze in front of the class, unable to move down the stretch of carpet leading along the rows of seats. Their eyesstick to me, and my knee-jerk reaction is to hide. The public eye has always been a comfortable if not slightly tense spot for me, but I’m a new person, one they’ve never seen before. Can I still handle the heat?
Fuck that, an old version of myself says from somewhere deep inside me.You are Sable Briarwick, and they failed to kill you.
“You’re a fucking goddess,” Lex says at my back, giving me the last touch of courage I need. Whatever is going on at Bellthorn makes me the center of drama. That’s where I’ve always been, and that likely won’t change soon. If they want to make me the main character, that’s exactly what I’m going to be.
Chin up high, I lead him down the line so that everyone can take a good look at him, before picking a seat up front. Lex plays his part really well, standing there, not even attempting to take one for himself as he waits on my command. He arches an eyebrow at me, daring me to keep going. When we met, I thought Lex was too full of himself. I thought he needed to be the loudest voice in the room. That he liked being superior and showing everyone how much better he was. I couldn’t have been more wrong about him when he first shoved me to my knees out front.
Lex likes power, yes, but he’s smart enough to know power sometimes is quiet. He enjoys pulling my leash, but he likes this too. He enjoys their surprised expressions just as much as I do. He craves the unexpected, and he’s not too stupid to let his ego prevent his own enjoyment. Like he said, he wants to atone.What a very good boy he is.My mouth curves with a smile, and I pull the leash until my chin is up against his throat and he’s close enough to smell. I tug hard, and he falls to his knees in front of me. Giving him a little room to breathe, I place my hands on my legs and spread them for him. A quiet rush of murmurs swells around us before falling perfectly quiet again.
Green eyes on blue, we share a secret when he pushes forward, bringing his hands up to embrace me while on his knees. I loop the chain around my hand so I’m free to touch him too, to feel his warmth under the shirt.
“How does this feel?” he asks, pressing his chest to mine until my back hits the chair.
“Like this is my throne.”
“Yes,” he murmurs, so much passion into his words that I forget all about the world outside of us.
Lex’s hand curves around my ankle underneath my dress. He knocks the shoe off my foot so easily and brings my leg up to rest over his shoulder, eyes devouring me as if he’s a second away from burying his head between my legs.
