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When this place burns down, I want him to know it was me. “Don’t you think that sometimes, bad things that happen are simply the consequences of one’s actions? The culmination of corruption coming to a head?” I cock an eyebrow, tracking the bead of sweat that slides down the bridge of his nose. “Misdeeds coming to light?”
There are several active criminal cases open, you know. Each of them has, interestingly, occurred since your arrival.” “Coincidences, I’m sure.” He presses his lips into a thin line and shuffles back a step.
Before I can react, he kisses me in front of everyone, slipping his tongue between my lips. A spark flickers in the space between us, and for a split second it’s just us two. His soul and mine, floating somewhere in the ether. Lifting my hand, I go to pry him off, but my fingers curl into his hair instead, keeping him in place. Fuck, am I in trouble.
I reach out to keep from falling, my palm landing high on his thigh. I gulp. He smirks.
Shaking my head, I try to peel my fingers off him, but he reaches down and covers my hand with his, keeping them there.
“Asher,” I warn in a low voice. “Lucy,” he replies, leaning in until our noses are almost touching. “Don’t you think we already obliterated some lines? Is a little PDA going to kill you?” “It might.” “Come on. Just let me be near you.”
Heat envelops my face, making me dizzy, and I glance down at our hands. His thumb strokes mine,
But I guess maybe there’s a part of me that will always assume the worst. Once you’ve been ditched with no explanation, your heart shattered and left flattened on the floor, believing someone wants to stay becomes an insurmountable feat.
Learning is the only way you grow.” Even if it takes me longer to learn some lessons than others.
“You’re right,” Asher says, nodding. “Read to me then.” I frown. “What? Why?” “If I remember correctly, reading stuff out loud used to help you concentrate.”
“So, use me as your audience. Read the material, and I can quiz you on it after. No pressure. But… Maybe I’ll learn something too.” His cheeks darken with a blush. “And if not, at least I get to enjoy the sound of your voice.”
“After three years without a word, I want to hear anything you have to say.”
“I’m supposed to be mad at you,” I note softly. “That doesn’t mean you need to suffer for it,” he replies, just as quietly.
it feels a bit too rudimentary for me. It’s easy to assume that rejecting worldly pleasure might lead to enlightenment or whatever else, because nearly every religious doctrine adopts this idea in some form.”
the belief that virtue, ethics, and justice all stem from the collective. It’s difficult to maintain order in modern society if the backbone is purely individualistic.”
I’m of the belief that too much community can turn negative. Especially when it’s a community fueled by power, greed, and pedigree.”
“When there is no incentive and no benefit for the general public… The people will break off and begin making their own adjustments.”
I can’t make friends easily or connect with people on a whim. All I do is make everyone fucking angry or uncomfortable, because I don’t know how to do anything else. I am barely a human, and skipping steps to do actual good makes me feel like I’m not even that.”
it was quietly eating away at her inside. A person forced to care so deeply about a world she could never fully break into. She cared so much it made her dysfunctional. Unrelatable in a society preoccupied with ego.
“Well.” I lift my chin, meeting those glassy gemstone eyes. Dark ocean water, but clear all the way through. “I did it for you.”
“What are you waiting for then?” she whispers. “I want your hands on me.” Lifting a shaky palm, I slide it behind her head, threading through her soft, luxurious hair.
focus on her. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
“You’re so beautiful,” I utter. Her face reddens. “Don’t say stuff you don’t mean.”
“I’ve never been more honest in my entire life,” I say around her. “You are the most magnificent creature I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
Not after I’m done with her. She’ll be lucky if I don’t beg her to stay in my bed the rest of the semester—hell, the rest of our lives. That’s how fucking far gone I already am. Maybe always have been.
Still, there’s some strange, primal part of me that wants her visibly marked.
My eyebrows raise, but I pull back, sitting on the edge of the bed. Disappointment washes through me, and a wave of insecurity has me tightening my grip on the pencil, loathing myself for not having done this years ago. Maybe she wouldn’t have cared about the inexperience then.
like a symphony contained only by massive walls and domed ceilings.
“Is this not weird?” she asks softly, splaying her fingers on my thighs. “It’s so…intimate.” “Not a thing weird about it, pup.
that gentle, very slight flavor that men abandon their livelihoods for.
“There you go,” I praise once I’ve regained sight, noting how she quivers with the soft encouragement, gushing on my lips. “Suck me good, pup. Let me make a mess in your throat.” Drool spills out
she pulls back, letting her saliva slick all the way down, pooling against my pelvis and her fist.
Drawing a finger through her arousal, I push slowly into her,
“Could you…add another?” she asks, her pussy fluttering with the request. I obey, widening the space between the two fingers.
She starts to turn away, but I squeeze her leg, shaking my head. “No, pup. I want you to watch when I slide into you for the first time. When I claim you where no one else will ever be able to.” Her mouth parts, but she nods, propping up on her elbows.
Putting pressure on her knee, I inhale, tearing my gaze from where we’re connected to check on her.
Agony shutters her eyes, and I freeze. Shit. Is this hurting her?
Gritting my teeth, I exhale slowly, moving back. “Maybe we should—” “No!” She latches on to my forearms, halting my retreat.
“That a problem for you?” She pushes the hair from my forehead, gasping when I finally bottom out
“Not even a little. You can order me around whenever you want,
That makes her laugh, but then I shift slightly, cutting her off. She claws at my forearms, breathing hard
“Asher…” she whispers, shivering as my hands glide up her sides. “Is this okay?” Lucy nods, and I hear her swallow. My fingertips burn where I touch her,
Where she belongs. Where she’s always belonged. With me.
“Spread w...
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“God, look at that. Look how you open for me, taking me in like this is exactly what you were made to do.”
The first one hits her deep, and she chokes, her spine arching clear off the bed. “Yeah? That feel good, pup?”
tangling her fingers in my hair. “Pull it,” I encourage,
I can feel her heartbeat in my chest, and I feel like I’m losing my mind in the best way possible.
“Won’t that hurt?” “God, ...
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“Oh my God, Asher. You’re getting so deep.” “Goddamn, Luce, don’t say shit like that.” “Why?” Her eyes sparkle, a moan falling from her lips. “Does it make you want to come?” Each word is shoved out as I keep fucking
