“A fact your wandering hands seem to keep forgetting.” I give him a knowing look before turning my attention back to the paper now resting on top of the folder. “Now suck it up.”
“If I must.” He lets out an exasperated sigh, grimacing as he pushes himself into a sitting position before scooting up the bed to rest his back against the headboard.
Macallan was released from the hospital after two days. Other than a visit to the police station to give our official statements, he hasn’t left his apartment once. Not that I blame him. The poor guy can barely walk to the kitchen without causing himself severe pain.
I returned to classes the day after he was released but have spent every spare moment I have here with him. I haven’t been back to my dorm room since the incident and I’m not sure when I’ll be ready to go back. Char and Lyric packed a bag for me and brought it by, the goddesses that they are. And, of course, they have both offered several times to let me stay with them for the rest of the school year, but I have no intention of taking them up on it.
Lana is gone. She’s not coming back. And once Macallan gets back on his feet, I will eventually go home. Just not yet. And not just because I’m not ready, but because I am quiteenjoying spending my nights in the arms of the man in front of me. A man who has finally claimed the heart I tried giving him two years ago... Better late than never.
“So what do we have left?” he asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
“We just have the attention portion left. We’re testing if you can focus on relevant information and ignore distractions.”
“And what kind of distractions will you be providing?” A wicked grin tugs at the corners of his mouth.
“Not those kinds of distractions,” I tell him with a slight shake of my head.
“Why not? Would make this a little more interesting.”
“We’ve been over this...”
“Hear me out. I won’t even move a muscle.”
“Is that so?”
“I will concede to whatever form of distraction you use.”
“I don’t trust you to keep your hands to yourself.”
“You have my word.” He traces an X over his heart.
“Fine. But if you break the terms of our agreement, the deal is off.”
“Agreed.” He flashes his pearly whites at me.
“I have a feeling I’m going to regret this,” I mutter under my breath loud enough for him to hear.
“I think we both know you won’t.” His confidence, even basically bedridden, is staggering. And yet, despite my reservations, my skin still heats with anticipation.
“Okay, so for the first test, I’m going to play a song. While the song is playing, I will do something to distract you. The goal is to focus on the lyrics. If you can repeat at least one full sentence back to me at the end, you will have successfully completed the task.”
“Got it.” He nods, his eyes tracking me as I pull out my phone, opening my music app before selecting a song he’s unlikely to know.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
“Remember, you must be able to recite one full line of the song.” With that, I press play on my phone, the upbeat tempo of a pop song filling the room seconds later.
I wait until the female starts to sing before pushing off the bed. Reaching for the bottom of my shirt, I pull it up so slowly that I reveal only one inch of skin every ten or so seconds. The song is already a quarter over by the time the material reaches my breasts.
I don’t look at Macallan, knowing that if I do, if I track his reaction, it will be me who breaks the terms of our agreement. He’s not the only one who’s finding abstaining to be torture. I’ve never craved someone the way I do him, and denying myself his touch, the feel of him inside me, has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
I still can’t wrap my head around anything that’s happened over the past few weeks. All the stuff with Lana seems to pale in comparison to Macallan. How I went from hating the ground he walked on to worshipping it. How every time I looked at him, all I felt was rage and now I feel overwhelming and immense love.
It’s too fast—everything inside of me is screaming this fact—but there’s no derailing the train that my heart is currently speeding on down the tracks. I couldn’t stop this even if I wanted to, which, for the record, I don’t.
I knew from the first night I laid eyes on Macallan that he was someone I could fall hard and fast for. And I did. Once two years ago and again now. Though if I’m being truthful, I don’t think my feelings for him ever truly wentaway. I think they just manifested into something else to mask the hurt I felt every time I saw him.
