TO MY DISAPPOINTMENT, Mr. Carter didn’t show up to detention today either. Instead, I was stuck with Mrs. Chen and the never-ending saga of her romance audiobook. At least I still had some company from the boys who got in trouble in the science lab. It appears they’ll be in detention for a while too. And while I’m pretty sure that I’ve served my sentence, I keep showing up regardless, and I will until Sebastian tells me otherwise.
Cheer tryouts are this evening, and I help Sybil practice on the quad before they call her in. She makes me wear one of her old uniforms to make the experience authentic, whatever that means. We’ve studied the routine so many times that she’s not nervous about it, and I already know she’s a shoo-in, but she won’t know for sure until next week.
“I have to go put in some studio time,” she tells me as we leave. “You going to be okay?”
“Always.” I bump her hip with mine. “I’m just going to take a walk around campus to burn off some of this excess energy.”
“Okay,” she chirps. “Have fun. I’ll be back in my dorm before curfew if you want to chat.”
I nod, and she skips away while I consider going back to the dorm to change. It’s cool outside, but I’m still burning up from practice, so I opt to keep the cheer uniform on for my evening stroll. I haven’t really had a chance to explore the entire campus yet, and I really need to do something to clear my head. It’s a good plan until I realize that the seasons are quickly changing, and the light is fading a lot faster than it normally would. At seven o’clock, the campus is already swallowed up by darkness, apart from the occasional lights around the buildings.
Regardless, I keep moving along the fence line on the east side because the cool air is refreshing and I’m feeling rebellious. Secretly, I hope that if I exhaust myself, I’ll be able to put Sebastian out of my mind and get some sleep tonight. But that notion falls to pieces when I hear his voice behind me.
“What the hell are you doing?”
The biting sharpness in his tone makes me jump before I turn around and glance in his direction. The blue suit is gone, and now he’s in a black T-shirt and gray sweats. The sheen of sweat across his forehead seems like an indication he’s been running off his own pent-up frustration. And it looks like he’s been at it for a while. My tongue darts out to wet my lips, and I force myself to remember how much I hate him as I toss out my reply and turn away.
“Walking, obviously.”
I don’t get what his problem is. It’s not even curfew yet, and technically, I’m not doing anything wrong. But Sebastian doesn’t seem to agree, and he makes that clear when he catches up with me and grabs me by the arm.
“Stella.” His voice is a warning, and the silhouette of his face in the shadows reminds me so much of Saturday night my entire body comes alive for him.
“What?” I croak.
“It isn’t safe for you to be out here,” he snaps.
The severity of his tone irritates me to no end, and I yank away from him. “Don’t act like you care.”
I try to move, but he corners me against the brick border wall that acts as a fence line, caging me in with his arms. We are completely alone out here, and he knows it.
“Goddammit, Stella.” He pinches my face between his warm fingers. “I’m not fucking around. What the hell are you thinking walking alone out here?”
“I’m thinking that it’s a nice fucking night, and I wanted to go for a walk,” I bite back.
His nostrils flare, and even now, fireworks are flying between us. His face is only inches from mine, and his body even less. But he’s still trying to act like a teacher, and he doesn’t want to acknowledge any other truth.
“I know it was you,” I tell him.
His grip on my face tightens as he leans closer, his words laced with venom. “Do you even realize what could have happened to you if it wasn’t me?”
My rebellion falls apart under the weight of his angry confession. He just admitted it was him, and that feels huge to me. There’s still a lot to be said, but right now, I don’t care. I curl my fingers into his shirt and lean up on my toes to kiss him.
Sebastian doesn’t allow me for one second to think I’m in control. As soon as our lips come together, his hand fists in my hair, and he starts to devour me. This time isn’t like Saturday night. This kiss is one hundred percent venom, and it’s clear that Mr. Carter is all out of patience as far as I’m concerned.
I’m left gasping for air when he whirls me around and slaps my hands down onto the brick wall, commanding me not to move. He flips my skirt up behind me and tugs the spankies and my panties down around my knees. The cold air hits me between my thighs, followed by his warm palm sliding over me.
“You look fucking ridiculous in this outfit,” he grunts.
“Yet here we are,” I whisper. “With your hand between my legs, regardless.”
“You’re soaked for me, you little deviant.” He nips at my ear. “Because you haven’t stopped thinking about it, have you?”
I don’t want to be so transparent, but there’s no denying the truth between my legs. The evidence is there on his fingers, sticky and sweet and wanting.
“This time isn’t going to be tender,” he threatens as he yanks down his sweatpants. I feel his hard cock poking against my ass before he slides it down between my thighs and kicks my legs farther apart.
“Don’t even think about moving.” His fingers dig into my hips.