Conceited (Crimson Elite 3)

“I want you to stay. Stay with me, Falcon.”

He doesn’t say anything, just lays me on the bed. I feel his fingers brush my hair away from my face and I reach for him, pulling him closer. Then ever so slowly I aim for his lips wanting to know how he tastes. He doesn’t stop me. Our lips connect and he seems to freeze in that moment then pulls back. When I open my eyes, a look of disgust is written all over him.

Am I that bad?

“Don’t do that again. Goodnight, Raven!” He says it with such disdain that, in that moment, he makes me feel less than I am and I hate him for it. I hate that he’s made me think I’m not good enough for him, and he’s made me question who I am. My head’s foggy and my body is playing tricks on me and as I sit up I lose everything that was in my stomach all over him.

“Oh my God.” My hands cover my mouth and he hands me a towel to wipe myself. I do nothing as he walks out and that’s the last thing I remember.

The next morning, I wake up with Falcon sleeping on my floor, my house is clean, and Tracey is still passed out on my couch.3FalconNow* * *She’s refusing to give me her number, but she doesn’t know the lengths I will go to get it. I missed out on having her once. This time I won’t. I’ll get my taste, then I can move on. Until then, it seems I can’t. A black-haired beauty seems to have been stealing all my thoughts for days now.

“Just give it to me.” I reach for Tracey’s cell and try to unlock it, but she has some passcode shit on it.

“I’ve told you a hundred times, no. She doesn’t want you to have it.”

I fall back in the chair with a huff.

“Why do you want it so badly, anyway?” I smirk at her, and she punches me. “No, you fucking don’t. She was in love with you growing up. Now she hates you. I prefer it that way. Leave her alone, Falcon.”

“Why does she hate me?”

She rolls her eyes at me. “You rejected her, I’m guessing. After that night at that party, even my relationship with her changed. She never wanted to come over to our house after that.”

“I was a gentleman,” I say in disbelief. That was the first night I saw her for what she was, a woman. And what a beautiful one she is at that. She still haunts my dreams.

“That I find hard to believe.”

“Come on, Tracey, give me her number. At least, tell me which newspaper she works for?”

“Nope.”

I cross my hands over my chest. “Fine! I’ll call every single one until I get her, then I’ll get her fired.”

She punches me in the arm. “This is why most women hate you. Don’t you dare get her fired.”

I lean forward. I wouldn’t get her fired but I will search and call every newspaper there is until I find her if Tracey doesn’t help. “You know I will. Wouldn’t it be so much easier to just give me her number?”

Tracey flips me off and walks out. When she comes back she has a piece of paper in her hand and pushes it over to me. “I’m telling her what you threatened to get this, just so you know.” I smile at my victory. “She hates you, Falcon. Just leave her alone.”

I lean forward to my sister. “Who could hate a face as beautiful as this?”

“Me. Now, fuck off.”

I lean down and kiss her before I leave.“You can’t be serious. Ariel?” Echo asks.

I nod my head, smiling after telling him how I just scored Ariel’s number from Tracey.

“And you should see her, too. She’s even more stunning and that’s saying something considering how she looked back then.”

“You always think with your dick. She knows you. You think she’ll just fall at your feet?”

“Why wouldn’t she?”

Echo shakes his head before he walks into his office.

Creed steps past, looks in, then keeps walking.

Pulling out my cell I enter her number and start up a message.* * *Me: Why must you hide, when you were meant to fly?* * *I hit send and wait to see what she types back. The icon pops up indicating she’s typing. Then it goes away. I wait, staring at my cell, eager to see what she’ll say.* * *Raven: Wrong number.* * *Me: No, right number.* * *Raven: Who is this?* * *I smile knowing how she would be looking at her cell right now with her lips scrunched together and her eyebrows pinched. Just before I write her another message, my cell starts to ring and her name pops up on the screen.

“Raven,” I say into the cell.