Ruins of Temptation (Corium University Trilogy 4)

This is a problem. Now that I know how good it feels to use her, I’m going to need to do it again. She makes it so easy. And fuck, I want to. I didn’t know how much shit I was bottling up in my gut until I vented some of it earlier.

“You’ll sleep in the guest room tonight.” It’s the first time either of us has said anything, and I waited until gathering up the used dishes after we’re finished eating to say it.

“Oh, really? What did I do to deserve that?”

Smart-mouthed little bitch. I count to five in my head before setting down the dishes. Otherwise, I might’ve thrown them on the floor. “Nothing,” I grit out, my back to her. “I don’t want you sleeping in my room anymore. That’s all.”

“Okay.” She sounds meek again, which is how I like it. Eventually, she’ll have to learn to stop fucking with me. What if I told her there’s no way I’d be able to stop hurting her once I got started? That having her that close, prone, and at my command might be too much to resist? She’d drop that bullshit flirtatious tone real fast.

“Come on. Might as well settle in early and get it over with.” I give her time to use the bathroom and wash up before taking her to the guest room. This is a good idea. Out of sight, out of mind. She looks worried when I turn to give her one last look before closing and locking the bedroom door. I like that look too much. It means I got through to her, and maybe she’ll stop pushing me too far.

Though getting her out of my face hasn’t helped. I’m restless and agitated, pacing the apartment like a caged tiger. I decide to call my brother and let him talk me off the edge before I do something stupid.

Sitting at the small desk in the corner of the bedroom, I flip open my laptop and video call Nic. He answers so quickly that I wonder if he has been waiting for me.

“Hey fuckface,” I greet.

“Very mature.” Nic shakes his head, giving me a disapproving stare.

“I have to be a full-blown adult all the time. If I can’t call my brother fuckface every once in a while, what’s there to live for?” I joke.

“Is that the only reason you called?”

“No, I wanted to see your ugly face too. It reminds me that I’m the better-looking brother.”

“Good night, Lucas.” He lifts his hand as if he is about to hang up on me, but I stop him.

“Okay, calm down. I’ll cut it out.”

He sits back in his chair, still frowning like he is judging everything I do. So typical of him. His demeanor doesn’t stop me from needing his advice, though.

“Quinton found out Valentine had a daughter no one knew about.”

That piques my brother’s interest. He leans forward on his elbows, listening intently. “Go on.”

“He was holding her for a while, questioning her, but couldn’t get anything out of her. There is very little information on her past. Valentine went to great lengths to keep her secret.”

“Where is she now?”

“Here… in my apartment.”

Nic’s eyebrows shoot up. “Is that so?”

I fill him in on the rest of the story, even telling him about the blowjob.

“It looks like you’ve got yourself a situation there.”

“Tell me something I didn’t already know. The point is to give me a clue how to get out of it.”

He lifts an eyebrow the way I’ve seen so many times. “You really need me to tell you? You’re sure you don’t already know?”

For the second time tonight, it’s either count to five or lose my shit. “I’m not in the mood for this. What do you think I should do?”

“I don’t think. I know you need to get that girl out of your apartment. There’s no reason for her to be there.”

“Aside from making sure she stays away from Aspen?”

“Remind me again what she’s ever done to Aspen. Last I heard, she didn’t have anything to do with it. She was mixed up with the wrong people, that’s for damn sure, but she wasn’t there at the time. Kids are stupid.”

“Not this one. She seems pretty sharp.”

“I still go with stupid. Everybody’s stupid in one way or another.”

“So you’re defending her?”

The sonofabitch has the nerve to roll his eyes. “No. I would never do that. Why would you even think it?”

“She might’ve put the whole thing together for all we know. I’m still not sure.” And I’m no closer to finding out since she’s damn good at dodging my attempts to know her better.

“Regardless. You need to get her out of there. What happens next? Fucking her? Maybe hurting her?”

It would be so easy, too. I didn’t have to force her to suck me off today. She got on her knees and got to work. All it would take is her screwing around again, testing her boundaries and my patience, and I might lose control. “I don’t like the idea,” I insist anyway since letting her go means giving up control.