Hollow Hearts (The Harkwright Trilogy)

He glides it down until it rests on the lower part of my bra before his weight leaves me and he stalks around to take me in.

“I definitely prefer you with fewer clothes on but tell me Little Zero, why the fuck would you wear this to bake in if you don’t want to be fucked hard enough to lose a few brain cells?”

I force myself to meet his gaze as I take in a few deep breaths to steady the nerves he raises in me, and try to forget the fact that my breasts are hanging out of my outfit because of his deft fingers.

“Because I’m not allowed to wear the clothes I’d usually pick without permission,” my pale blues meet his hazel eyes and I almost smile when he scoffs and rolls his eyes.

“Fucking politics, fine but this only counts for when you’re doing your nighttime baking,” I have no idea what he’s talking about as he grabs a pad of paper from the side and starts scribbling across it. Before folding it up and walking over to me. “Keep this on you and show it to anyone who may ask why you are dressed in non-sanctioned clothing.”

I feel smaller than usual under the weight of his stare as he grips the cup of my bra and pulls it away from my skin, but he doesn’t steal a peek before slipping the paper inside my cup and then stepping away.

“Let’s get baking,” his tongue slides across his bottom lip and I can’t stop myself from staring at the movement until he grabs my arms, spins me around and directs me over to the bowl.

Guess I’m making some pot brownies, this is going to be a place of so many firsts. I wonder how many of them won’t be regrets when all is said and done.

Aeron is like a big kid, aside from the joint constantly dangling from his dirty as fuck lips and the constant stream of cuss words. He licked the beaters the moment I was done with them and the bowl didn’t even need to be rinsed before I placed it in the dishwasher, he licked the fucker clean.

I shake my head with a smile on my lips as I pull the tray out of the oven and place it on the side.

“Yes, brownies here I come,” he says as he reaches out for them and I don’t even think as I slap his hand away.

I freeze on the spot as my mouth falls open and I look up at him, his look almost mirroring mine before a sly grin forms on his face and he stalks closer, backing me against the counter and trapping me with his arms.

“You’ve got some guts, I don’t know if I should be pissed or turned on,” he runs his nose up my neck before snaking his tongue out along the same trail.

“It was… a reaction,” I say on a gasp as his teeth bite down on my lobe before releasing me and capturing my stare with his own.

“I’ll let you have this because you have made me brownies but… you have to eat one with me,” he’s smiling like the Cheshire Cat and I want to refuse but I don’t think I can.

“I don’t do drugs,” I say weakly and he bops me on the nose with his finger before saying, “neither do I, I’m a good boy.”

“Yeah, I don’t believe that for an instant,” I say without thought and he bites down on his bottom lip as his body moulds against mine and I can feel every last inch of him.

“I won’t make you take one, this time. But I’ll only give you so many free passes, remember that Little Zero,” I nod my head at his words, my own failing me as his length grows harder against my lower stomach and right now, I don’t think I could refuse him anything.

Fuck, how that thought scares me.

8

One Week Ends and So Does a Zero

A week has passed already and I can’t believe how fast it’s gone. I’ve only seen Liam in passing and Millie seems to have caught the eye of a Harkwright. She’s barely in our room now, maybe even less than Carly and man how that bitch hates it. The funny thing is, they are both still a Zero so I have no idea what the men are waiting for. The only ones who haven’t changed are me and Caitlyn. We spend every night in our room, and aside from my night time baking for Aeron I haven’t spent time with any of them so far. They barely even look in my direction, which only makes me wonder more and more, why they even chose me as a stand in.

“Do you fancy checking out the gardens with me today? I really want to go out there but I’m nervous to go on my own,” Caitlyn says as she pushes her lunch around the plate and although I’d much rather read a book or do some baking, I can’t bring myself to say no.

“Sure, why not? Let’s finish our lunch and then we can head over,” I reply with a smile, only a little forced and by her returning one, I know I made the right choice.

We finish up in record time and head out of the mess hall, walking down the long corridors with mosaics for ceilings. Sure, because white paint isn’t good enough for this place.

We make it to the foyer with the spiraling staircases and come up short when we see the small crowd that has formed. A girl has tears streaming from her eyes and she is full on ugly crying, as she clutches onto one of the Harkwright’s sleeves. I think it’s Simon, and he’s leveling her with a look so hateful it even seeps into my bones.

“Please, I can’t leave. It was a mistake,” she pleads as he pushes her off him and she stumbles before falling onto her ass, looking up at him with eyes so open they gut me.

?

??You’re right it was a mistake, you knew when you agreed to come here and take a number that we would not allow you to refuse us. Yet you have the audacity to do just that, you sicken me,” he says before spitting on the floor by her hand.

“I’m sorry Si, it scared me. I’ve heard that it hurts and I wasn’t ready to accept the pain that goes along with it,” her words are making my blood boil, what the fuck was he demanding of her?