Ruthless Love (Ash and Innocence 1)

“Stop,” I said, finally getting him to pause outside his room. “That first time… It was a mistake. I was confused, and it just happened.”

He didn’t move at first, then he kicked open his door, shouldered it shut behind us, and set me down on his bed. His eyes were like blazing coals as he yanked a chair from his desk and sat across from me. “You want this as much as I do.”

I raised my eyebrows, scooting back a little. “I don’t know what I want.”

“I do.”

I shook my head. “Tristan, just because some silly game said we should—”

He climbed on the bed, pushing me back with a single finger to the center of my chest. I fell back, head spinning slightly from a combination of alcohol and dizziness.

“All you have to do is say ‘stop.’” His lips brushed my earlobe, igniting the nerves all down my neck. “Or ‘no,’” he whispered, lips skidding along my jawline now.

I thought of the way glaciers break apart—like those clips on nature shows where a giant shelf of ice splits free suddenly and without warning, crashing into the ocean. All it took for thousands of tons of immovable ice to come crashing free was a single crack. One small fissure that grew and grew beneath the surface. Listen closely enough, and you’d hear the echoing cracks across the water. A chance look. Maybe a whispered phrase. The way his hand brushed against my neck when he was getting me into my chair. Each little moment drove the crack deeper and deeper, until the moment was inevitable.

Tristan brought his lips to the tip of my nose, kissing me there. “Or you could say ‘fuck off.’”

I grabbed him and pulled him down to me, finding his lips with mine. He kissed me carefully at first, like he was afraid of breaking me. But I didn’t want his worry—not now. I gripped a fistful of his shirt and pulled him down harder, drawing a satisfied groan from Tristan that vibrated through his mouth and into mine.

He kissed me like he was hungry. Like each time our lips brushed together, it only made him more ravenous.

His tongue disappeared inside my mouth, more hot and velvety than the sweetest dessert.

I hadn’t realized his hips were resting between my legs until his body started to move against me. I felt something hard between my legs, stirring up an explosion of warmth that started in my belly and melted downward, spreading pleasantly until my whole body was singing with the sensation.

We kissed like that, bodies writhing together unashamed, seeking pleasure wherever we could find it. I was caught off guard when the pleasant feeling between my legs reached a fever pitch. A moan slipped from my lips, muffled by his mouth. My eyes squeezed shut, flittering uncontrollably as my body tensed. I dug my fingertips tight into his hard body, knotting my hands in his clothes as I trembled all over.

I finally laid back, eyes wide and gasping for breath.

Tristan was watching me carefully. His eyelashes looked so long and thick up close like this. Every graceful curve and sharp line of his face was like a masterpiece I could get lost in, and I could hardly believe I’d just been making out with that.

“Can’t say I’ve ever made a girl come with a few kisses before.”

My face felt red hot. “I don’t think—”

He ran a playful fingertip down my cheek, making me shiver all over. “I could get used to that.”

Tristan began lifting the hem of my shirt, but before I could decide if I was going to try to stop him, I heard a sound that made my blood run cold.

“Kennedy! Kennedy Stills! Come out here, because God so help me if I have to come in there it’s only going to be worse!”

The sound was muffled, but there was no mistaking it. My mom was standing outside Tristan’s house.24TristanKennedy didn’t show up at school after her mom dragged her away from my place. I tried shooting her a text but got no response. I even broke my own rule and sent a second text, which also got nothing.

By the time I was done with practice, I couldn’t think about much else. So I made my way to the old oak tree by her house that was quickly becoming familiar. I took the slight leap of faith, landed, and made my way to her window. I tapped as quietly as I could, because her mom’s car was in the driveway.

Kennedy’s curtains were drawn, so I wasn’t sure if she’d heard me until I saw a dark shape behind them. She pulled them aside, looking tired as hell.

When she pulled the window open, she put a finger over her lips, then pointed downstairs. I nodded, keeping my voice low.