Black Promises (Blackwoods College)

And yet he hadn’t so far. If anything, he was entirely controlled, much more than I was. On that football field on Sunday, he was a wolf among sheep, wrecking, hurting, killing, rending flesh with his mighty jaws, and I kept wondering where that monster was hiding and when he’d show himself.

I caught a glimpse up close only once. The night we murdered Dr. Silver, as he sank the knife in deep, I saw the glimmer of hunger in his eyes, like taking a life was somehow nourishing him.

There must’ve been a reason why he was constantly getting into fights. The rage simmered below the surface, but he kept it under control when I was around. I knew he had the potential to explode at any moment, and for some reason, that only made the excitement so much sweeter.

I wondered if I was broken.

“It’s still bad if the detectives are looking at me,” I said, leaning against a sapling. I pulled at a branch but not hard enough to snap it. “I shouldn’t be on their radar at all.”

“We knew the risks when we started this.” He came toward me. I didn’t flinch when he reached out and laced his fingers in my hair. “You’re a victim, little Cora, and that means something.”

“I’m also the villain in this story.”

“I wonder about that.” His lips came down and brushed against mine. “I think about justice. What does it mean to take the life of a monster? Are we marred forever because of it?”

“I don’t know. I worry about that though.”

“I don’t. Silver deserved what he got and I’m glad I plunged that knife into his throat.” He moved back toward my ear. A thrill ran down my spine, excited and afraid at the same time. “Have you dreamed about it, freak?”

“Of course.” I closed my eyes and leaned into him. I let the smell of his skin, soap and sweat and something spicy, linger in my nostrils. I pressed my hands against his muscular chest and didn’t say that mostly I dreamed of him, of Jarrod’s hands on my body, his tongue licking the same spot on my neck where he sliced open Dr. Silver.

“I dream about it. The thrill of watching him die, knowing that I was the one who did it. There’s a power in death, isn’t there? You can feel it, just like I do.”

“It was revenge for me.”

“But it was also pleasure.” His hand tightened. “There’s a fine line between ecstasy and terror.”

“You want to drag me down it, don’t you?”

“Of course.” His lips pressed against the soft skin at the base of my throat. “Are you going to stop me?”

“I should. I could scream.”

“Nobody would hear.”

“Someone might.”

“Then go ahead. Scream. I don’t mind.” He met my gaze and his eyes flashed and his lips curled back in a delicious smirk. “I think I’d like to fuck you screaming.”

I slammed my lips against his, unable to take it anymore. The tension was too much and I felt pulled in a hundred directions: afraid, aroused, needy, angry, and a thousand other little variations. His tongue drifted into my mouth and he pulled my hair harder, making me gasp into his kiss.

It was pleasure and pain. That was Jarrod—nothing was simple with him, nothing was easy. And the messed-up part was, I didn’t want simple or easy.

I wanted a struggle. I wanted to fight.

He pinned me against the sapling. The skinny trunk dug into my back. His body swallowed me, dominated me, and I couldn’t imagine trying to fight something like him. He was all power, muscular but also agile, athletic and graceful and sly. I bit his lip and that only made him kiss me harder, his hands moving down to my hips, and I wondered—

Would this be it? The moment I wanted so desperately?

I’d wondered for years what it would be like to finally get fucked. To feel a thick cock between my legs, a man’s hands on my skin, pinning me down, taking me viciously. Jarrod could do that and more, and I knew giving myself to him would only make this strange, simmering feeling in my guts so much worse.

I was afraid it’d make me want more than one night.

He broke the kiss off and left me gasping for air.

“Why are you stopping?” I whispered.

That made his jaw tense. “You want it too badly.”

“I thought that’s what you were waiting for.” I dug my fingers into his chest. “Stop playing around. Stop being a fucking tease.”

His smile returned and his right hand moved along my stomach, tugging up my sweater. His fingers were cold and I shivered with excitement as they grazed my belly button and moved down to the edge of my jeans.

“Is this what you want?” He unbuttoned and unzipped me. I didn’t fight him, only stared with my mouth open. I could feel my pulse between my legs and I knew I was dripping wet, my whole body vibrating with need. “You want to get it over with that badly?”