Black Promises (Blackwoods College)

He leaned closer. “Do they?”

I felt my cheeks go hot. “What do you want?”

“I want to know what you’re doing with Jarrod. Des is too involved in his own world to notice and Addler is too protective of Jarrod to ask. That leaves me.”

“I’m tutoring him. There’s nothing else.”

Calvin considered me for a long few seconds. His words scrambled around in my brain, trying to make connections and find meaning.

Like, for example, why the hell would Addler be protective of Jarrod?

“Here’s my one warning, so listen up. If you’re doing something stupid with him, stop right now. Jarrod’s on a hot self-destructive streak, and I’m not interested in watching him hit rock bottom. Do you understand?”

My jaw tightened. He was right that we were up to no good—but how the hell did he knew?

Lucky guess, that was all.

“Hopefully, my tutoring doesn’t push him over the edge.”

“For your sake.” He stood up and regarded me then walked off. He disappeared into the stacks and didn’t look back.

I slumped back in my chair and let out a silent groan.

What the hell was that?

Calvin Solar was terrifying. He was handsome and talented and smart—but he was much too intense. I couldn’t handle his scrutiny, and I definitely didn’t like his line of questioning.

That was going to be a problem.

My burner phone buzzed and I nearly screamed.

Jarrod: Lovely, lovely, lovely freak. I’ve been dreaming about what I’ll do to you on our one and only night. Do you want to hear?

My heart felt like it might tap dance right the hell out of my chest. I had to get myself under control—I didn’t know if Calvin was watching.

The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

Cora: I don’t think sexting is a part of our contract.

Jarrod: I’m going to spread your legs and lick the length of your wet pussy until your back arches as I roll my tongue along your clit. I want to taste you come before I ever fill you up and take your cherry.

I chewed on my lip. Sexting was definitely not part of the deal, but I had to admit, the man had a way with words.

Cora: Save it for after. You haven’t earned the right to touch me yet.

Jarrod: You have no clue how hard I am right now. You want me to earn the right to fuck you, sweet Cora? I’ll cut out that pedo fuck’s tongue and choke him with it just for the privilege of sliding my thick cock between your lips.

“Shit,” I whispered to myself, pussy tingling with desire.

Cora: Stop.

Jarrod: That’s one word you won’t use when I finally take you. Or maybe you will—if you’re into that. Do you want to fight me, freak? Do you want to struggle while I rip into your cunt? I can hold you down and make sure you can’t get away.

Cora: I swear, if you don’t stop, I’m going to back out.

Jarrod: That’d be a mistake.

Cora: Mutually assured destruction, remember?

Jarrod: I can’t forget. Meet me at the parking lot after football.

Cora: What are we doing?

Jarrod: Surveillance.

I shoved my phone into my bag and closed my eyes, picturing his big hands on my skin, peeling my legs apart, licking my dripping wet pussy, lapping me up, then holding me down and fucking me rough and without mercy—and god, I was losing my mind, I was seriously going insane, because I wanted to fuck him, I really, really wanted to fuck him.

Even though he’d banged half the freaking college already, I wanted Jarrod.

One of the Horsecocks.

God, I was absolutely broken.

7

Cora

I slipped into the passenger seat of his rusty, beat-up truck. Fortunately, the other Horsemen were nowhere to be seen, though the memory of Calvin sitting across from me like an angry snake was still fresh in my brain.

“How was class?” I asked the brooding nightmare of a man.

Jarrod glanced at me then started his engine. “Don’t talk.”

“You wanted to talk earlier.”

“I wanted to fuck you. Still do if you’d like to pay me with interest.”

“No thanks.”

“Then let’s practice meditation and keep our mouths shut.”

He roared out of the parking lot. I glared at him then stared out the window, trying not to let my anger get the best of me. I never knew which Jarrod I was going to get. One second, he was almost kind, in his dominating sort of way, and the next he was a real bastard.

I felt sorry for Robyn. She put up with his shit more than anyone I knew, and I never quite understood it. Whenever I asked, she always just said he had his reasons, and that I didn’t really know him, and blah blah blah.

I knew him, all right.

Jarrod was a killer and a monster, and I was in bed with him.

He drove fast, tearing down quiet suburban streets. He headed toward Main Street and the cluster of business parks that were built around the outskirts of the county courthouse. I knew where he was headed the second he turned down a shade-covered lane and slowed to a crawl before pulling into a parking spot.