Sweet Little Lies (Dirty Little Lies Duet 2)

She senses something’s off with me. I’ve been edgy lately, and I was a total bitch and snapped on her last night during my call with Dad. It was like he was paying more attention to her than me. I felt like a total jerk and apologized later. I’m feeling needy and sorry for myself, and I just want this thing with Gabriel to be something it never will be. A relationship, maybe? Even I have to laugh at that insane idea. Hi, Dad, I brought my new boyfriend home! Oh, that’s right, you know him. Anyone up for pizza? Yeah, and then watch all the bloodshed. No thanks. No one will make it out of that one alive.

Violet pushes through the doors, her lips turned down in a frown and her shoulders tense.

“Everything go okay?”

“No. He’s a creep. I told him I wasn’t interested, and he seems to think otherwise. Isn’t really taking no for an answer. If he keeps this up, should I tell someone? Drop the class?”

“Oh god, don’t drop the class. I need your notes to pass.”

She laughs and playfully slaps my shoulder. “Shut it. You’d be fine. Any who, thanks for waiting. I actually have to go to the registrar’s office. Something’s up with my tuition. My mom probably forgot to pay it or something. Meet me back at the room?”

“Yeah, sure.” I smile and head toward the quad to our dorms. My phone buzzes, and once again, it’s him. “You going to say hello this time, or just breath heavy and then hang up on me?”

He chuckles through the phone. “Depends, pet. What would turn you on more?”

Ugh… Why does he have to have this effect on me? Anything he says, it’s like a flame to my skin. “At this point, anything. You didn’t teach me what to do when I’m in limbo waiting on you to snap your fingers and request my presence. I’m pretty sure the wind could blow past me, and I’d orgasm.”

He howls out a laugh. But I’m not laughing. “I’m serious. What is it we’re doing? Are you trying to show me it’s possible to have sex withdrawal? Gabriel, the other day my Econ instructor slapped her ruler on the desk, and I got turned on. What. Are. We. Doing?” Holy shit, I’ve lost it. Only a lunatic admits that. I wait for him to hang up on me and accept I won’t be hearing from him ever again.

“Do you want me to touch you, little bird?”

I lift my head to the sky. “Yes.” Amongst a million other things.

“Show me where.”

There’s a falter in my step, and I almost trip over my feet. His voice. It echoed. As in…, it wasn’t coming from the—“Wait, what are you…?” Looking up, I see Gabriel standing like a giant in his tailored suit, phone to his ear.

“My girl missed me, so I thought I would make an exception and give in to what she wanted for once.”

I’m shocked, elated, and maybe about to cry! I take a step to throw myself at him when he speaks. “People are watching. Be careful.”

I halt and gaze around the busy campus, then back to him. Then I jump on him and wrap my arms around him. “And if anyone asks, I’m hugging my uncle who came to visit me.” He presses me harder to him, knowing if we were alone, I’d earn a spanking for that.

“Uncle, huh?”

“Well, I can’t say daddy. That would be weird.” I pull back and capture his eyes. His beautiful steely gaze I’ve missed like hell. “Did you really come to see me?”

“I really came to see you.”

Why do we have to be in public right now? “I want to kiss you so bad.”

“In thirty-states, that’s considered illegal.” I laugh against him.

“So, what do we do now? Does Dad know you’re here?”

“Yes, pet. I told him I’m fucking his little girl and paying her a visit because she misses my cock, and I feel bad for not feeding it to her in a while.”

He puts me down, adjusts his jacket, and takes my backpack. “Let’s go. I’m not here for long. I have an engagement back home.” I follow him, my mood taking a nosedive.

“How long do you have?” I ask, unable to hide my disappointment.

“Enough time to break you down so you can’t move.” My mood climbs back up a notch. “First, let’s grab some food. You’re going to need your energy.”

Yes!“So, tell me, how are classes going for you?” He watches me as I take a bite of the cherry cheesecake he ordered from a diner just off-campus.

“It’s okay. Hard. Time-consuming. Not as much playtime as I thought.”

His brow raises. “What kind of playtime are you in search of, little bird?”

Another bite. “Not that kind. I have my hands full with you. No time for mediocre college boys.” I wink at him, loving how easygoing we are right now. We’ve always been comfortable around one another, but it’s changed. We look at each other differently. He doesn’t see me as a child but as his lover. It sounds silly, but there’s an understanding between us. Consent. Trust.