Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 89074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
He comes while I’m still deep inside him, and I feel one thing in that moment.
Proud.
I got to make him feel that good.
I got to be here with him, taking him to the brink and watching him get pushed over the edge.
God, I’m fucked in the head for liking Hunter Knox this much, but at this point I know I can’t stop myself.
“Hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” I murmur as I slide out of him, discarding the condom.
“Speak for yourself, king.”
He looks so good lying back on his pillow like this that it almost hurts.
Why do you have to be so perfect in these moments?
Why does it have to be like this?
I tear my eyes away and give him a little nod. “I need to go wash off.”
I head out the door quickly and across the hall into the bathroom.
The world is spinning.
The rush of emotions hit me like a hot blast, and now everything feels different.
Once I’m alone in the bathroom, I lean over the countertop and try to catch my breath.
Breathing in, breathing out.
Remembering that look in his eyes.
A look that drew me in so completely.
Claimed me.
I glance across the counter and see the little plastic organizer basket that’s full of Weston’s stuff. It’s a shared bathroom, and all at once I’m confronted with the reminder of what I’m doing.
It’s not just a vengeful drunken kiss at a party, anymore.
I’m fucking my best friend’s brother.
And even worse, I’m keeping it secret.
When I’m with Hunter it feels like we’re in our own little world.
And then the moment I’m back out here, in reality, everything else comes spiraling back down onto me.
My heart pounds. I hop in the shower for a quick rinse.
As if the water on my body will scrub my conscience clean.
As if it could make anything right.
When I head back into our dorm room I close the door behind me, and I purposely don’t lock it this time.
I head over to my bed, not looking over at Hunter.
“You know, you could sleep in my bed,” he offers. “For the warmth.”
“I’ve got my own,” I tell him. “You know how often Weston barges in here in the morning to wake me up.”
“Right.”
Once I’m lying down I want to turn his way and look over at him.
But I know if I do, I’ll just be pulled right in.
For Hunter, this is all just a game. We both know how good it feels when we’re together, but we also know that none of this is real.
He wants to be alone.
None of it can last.
And none of it can ever be public knowledge.
But I fucking felt something when I looked down at you.
Even after I came.
For you, everything’s just physical. A fight. A fuck. Whatever it is.
Yet I felt so, so much.
Part Two
Crimson Fire
18
Hunter
I watch as Weston’s arm lands across Rayne’s shoulders, both of them laughing as Noah snaps a photo.
All around me, Crimson fall lantern fair is in full swing.
The quad is lit up by dozens and dozens of hanging paper lanterns that are strung up in the trees, transforming the quad into a glowing maze full of rows and rows of fair games.
Rayne and Wes are in front of the ticket booth, because the rest of the Onyx boys just arrived.
I’ve been sitting here for an hour already.
Scoping out the place.
Because a campus fair is exactly the kind of place that somebody could attack Rayne, and I’m not going to let that happen.
I’ve been scanning the quad for anything that looks out of place the entire time I’ve been here, but it turns out that the only fucked up thing I’ve witnessed tonight is happening inside me.
Right now.
Because my blood’s fucking boiling as I watch the casual way Wes drapes his arm over the man that fucked me senseless, just a week ago.
My brother keeps his arm over Rayne’s shoulders for a while, even after Noah’s done taking the picture.
Roman and Oliver aren’t far ahead of the other guys, and with their tickets in hand, they’re starting to walk out into the fair and look at the games, food, and prize booths ahead.
And there’s Wes.
Still touching him.
And it’s a strange thing, feeling jealous of my brother for the first time in our lives.
It’s always been the opposite.
I have the upper hand. Always have.
But suddenly it feels like a table’s been turned right in front of me, because no matter how good Rayne fucked me the other night…
I’m the one here.
Hiding in the shadows.
I’m not allowed to walk around the fall lantern fair with my arm on Rayne, acting like he’s my real prize.
I don’t do well with rules.
I’m behind a row of food stands, and the sweet smell of frying funnel cake fills the air as I keep parallel with Wes and Rayne as they head down the walkway.