Nothing to Fear (Wicked Games, #1)

by Jenn Plummer

Silas and I study in the quiet, but there’s no denying his presence. Every so often, my eyes flick up inconspicuously, wanting to catch a glimpse of him, wanting to watch him.

His head is downcast, eyes shifting back and forth over the words, but my focus is now solely on the connection between us. Silas moves his fingers ever so slowly, the very tips of his fingers brushing over mine. The touch is minuscule, barely there, but I feel it to my core, heating me and threatening to burn me alive.

Why does he have to be so gorgeous?

We sat next to each other in both of our Fear and Ink classes and didn’t say a word, just sat silently. Every so often, Silas would bump his knee against mine, a silent little nudge, as if I needed a reminder of his presence.

Now, everything has changed. I’ll have to deal with that once I find a way to make Silas mine.

It’s unfair to goad him, knowing he isn’t openly out, but I want to push him, want him to see what he could have if he just took one step at a time in my direction. If he would just hand over the reins to me, I’d make sure he was okay. He deserves to live the life he’s always wanted.

His resounding “mmm” is muffled against my neck as his tongue traces up and down the length. I tilt my head to the side to give him easier access when I lift my eyes to meet a set of icy blues across the room. Silas looks pissed. Anger is etched deeply into his skin as a fist clenches at his side, his other hand gripping the Solo cup so tight it’s crunched against his palm. Is someone jealous?

My feet are moving before I realize it, only one person on my mind. I like knowing he was jealous, but the last thing I want to do is hurt him. I’m overwhelmed with regret, feeling terrible for how I just behaved. It’s not like me at all. Yeah, I wanted to see his reaction, but at what expense? I was just practically rubbing everything Silas wants and can’t have in his face.

“Careful, Silas, or I’d think you were jealous.” His face turns red, heat flashing behind his eyes before he shakes his head with a scoff. But I saw it. It’s not the first time, either.

His chest rapidly rises and crashes, and I know without a doubt that I’m right. He wants me. He’s just too fearful to go for it. I’m not going to let him put up the wall this time. He’s not running away from me when I know he wants this.

I want to eat him alive, bury myself into the marrow of his bones so I’m forever part of him. “I knew you wanted me,” I taunt. “Shut the fuck up, Ash.”

“You may be king of this castle, Silas, the school’s prized player, the president’s golden child, but here? With me? You’re mine. No more running away.”

He fucking whimpers. A smile fills my face as my hand reaches up and finally, finally, touches his hair, pushing the blond strands out of his face before cupping his cheek. If he wants me to be in control, take the lead, handle him with care? I can do that. I’d love to do that.

“I want you, Si, so bad. I can lead this, just give me the okay, tell me I can touch you. Really touch you.” “Fuck. Touch me. Please touch me. I feel like I’ll die if you don’t, Asher.”

Jesus Christ, his voice when he’s desperate? It’s nothing like the asshole jock I’ve known for the last three years. This version of Silas? This is what dreams are made of.

Pleasure pulses through my body, and I haven’t been touched in return. Yeah. Silas Blackwood is an obsession I refuse to give up.

His touch. It’s everything. It’s so much different than with anyone else I’ve been with before him, yet so comfortably familiar, I’m completely at ease.

I’ve never felt like this before. At a complete loss of control because I’ve given all of me up to Asher on a gold platter.

“Fuck, slacker, you’re a temptation I didn’t need. Do you know how bad I want you? I knew you wanted me, Silas. You’ve ruined me. Look at how well we fit together. How can you fight this?”

I’m torn, stuck between what’s right and wrong. I want him. Wanted him since the moment I saw him three years ago. But to want him and have him are two different things.

We’ve been stuck in a cycle with each other for so long, I don’t know how to break it. I don’t know how to give myself over to him completely. Even if I’ve been able to give him glimpses, this is different.

This is a moment of weakness, one he surely won’t repeat. His words are said with no meaning behind them, passionate words said in the midst of a lust-filled haze. Can I live with knowing what his silken hair feel...

I kiss him back like I hate him. Like I don’t hate him at all. I kiss him like the only thing in the world that matters is right this second, and I wish like hell I could make it last for eternity.

His hand grasps my face tightly, while mine grapples to pull him closer. It’s too much and not enough at the same time. My mind is out of control as I kiss him back, throwing everything I’ve kept locked up into it, letting him feel all of it.

“Delicious. We taste so good together. Are you going to run from this? I’ll happily chase you down.” “I-I don’t . . .” What the fuck am I doing?

Asher’s eyes flicker with doubt, and my heart nearly cracks wide open. He’s all I’ve wanted for years, and he’s giving himself to me. Why the hell would I walk away from that? There’s only one answer. Fear.

As if he can read my mind, Asher’s hand cups my cheek, his thumb swiping back and forth across my skin, grounding me, giving me a sense of security and comfort that I’ve never felt before. “There’s n...

But it’s not enough. Voices echo from down the hall, and I press my hands against Asher’s chest t...

Quickly righting myself, tucking my softening dick away, and shrugging my jacket back on, I don’t dare meet Asher’s eyes. I can’t do this. “You’re just gonna...

“You’ve been hiding who you are. I see you, Silas, and I’m obsessed with what I see. Let me help you.” I turn so quickly in his direction, I swear I hea...

Asher’s features are dark and ominous, sending chills down my spine. His face is flushed with a rosy hue, the dark features illuminated, making him look otherworldly. I want to stay so badly. Want him to be telling the truth, want everything to just be easier. But it’s not. “You have to.”

After a single nod, Asher turns and walks in the opposite direction from us. It takes everything in me to continue on toward Harrow House, when all I want to do is chase down a specific man with dark raven hair and claim him as my own. Too bad I let fear run my life.

Watching Silas walk away from me was agonizing torture. There’s so much I want to talk to him about, so much I want to learn. I don’t know what caused me to take that leap with him, but seeing him storm off in a jealous rage just flipped a switch.

The pieces I’ve seen glimpses of over the last few weeks have been little crumbs I’ve gobbled up like a starved man. Now that I’ve tasted him? I need the whole loaf. No more bits strewn about when his guard is down, I want all of him.

I meant everything I said to him; if I thought I was hooked on him before, it’s ...

When I imagined my senior year at Corvus, it never crossed my mind that stalking Silas Blackwood would be at the top of my list of hobbies, but here I am.

can’t shake him from my mind. He’s the center of my focus from the moment my eyes open in the morning, and he haunts my dreams while I sleep. Touching him earlier about did me in.

The way he melts for my touch is both agonizingly erotic and heartbreakingly beautiful all at the same time. There’s a wild part of me that wants him so desperate for me that he can’t think straight, but there’s also a protective part of me that wants to burn...

He’s all defined, toned muscle . . . all man, and so mouthwatering. He’s so painfully beautiful.

I watch him sleep for a while, the steady rise and fall of his breathing, and I so badly want to strip out of my restrictive clothes, rest my head against his chest, and fall asleep to the thump of his strong heartbeat.

I’ll make him see that this is okay; he can’t continue to live and pretend to be someone he’s not. I can help him embrace who he is here at Corvus; I won’t let anything happen to him. He’s just gotta...

And I did it again last week here in his room. Of course it was him. Being anyone else was never even an option. Everything is leading us to each other. If I had any doubts about fate, I don’t now. Silas and I are meant to be together. Fear be damned.

Me: Be there, Si. I want to see you after what happened Silas: Probably not a good idea Me: It’s the best idea. Silas: That can’t happen again, you know that right? Me: If we both want each other and the timing is right, yeah, it’s gonna happen again. Silas: Since when did you become so cocky? Me: Who said I wasn’t always like this when it’s something I desperately want?

The three little bubbles pop up and disappear several times before vanishing altogether. He’ll be there. He feels this thing between us just as much as I do.

I craved the solitary environment and the quiet stillness of the rooms of the archives. But now? Being down here makes me think of Silas.

Now, I crave my counterpart. My opposite in every way. This place belongs to both of us now, and it feels empty without him.

I’m on my feet, moving in his direction before I’ve realized it. His crystal-blue eyes flash with passion, his lips turning up in a wicked, sexy grin. Filthy liar. I know he wants me.

My hands reach for him without hesitation, one sliding around his waist, the other around his neck, his body so warm despite the cold air outside, pulling him into me.

Silas doesn’t miss a beat this time. Our lips connect as his hands wrap around my waist, his fingers digging into my flesh as he pulls me until we’re flush against each other. The kiss is nothing like it was last night; there’s nothing frantic about it, but it’s still every bit as passionate.

The big, strong, athletic captain of the rugby team is melting for the bookworm. They should write books about this someday.