Page 32 of Devious Knight

“I think it was a girl, Lolita,” Kade speaks into my ear, his voice sounding deep, lazy and languid, like he just got out of bed.

“I think the caretaker was in love with a girl but she didn’t want him,” he continues speaking, giving his theory of what happened. “I think he was obsessed with her.”

His voice drops lower on the word obsessed.

“Or maybe he really was a psycho who liked killing. Regardless, I still think the student was a girl, so you should be more careful on campus, Lolita. Then again, it seems like this girl here has the right idea. She’s leaving, boys.”

Suddenly he holds my acceptance letter from Cambridge before me and my lungs squeeze.

“Dear Miss Kolyav, we are pleased to offer you a conditional acceptance to Cambridge University for Christian Degas’ scholarship program.” He puts on a newscaster voice then laughs deep and low.

Shit. No one was supposed to know about Cambridge. Least of all him and his friends.

I try to pull out of his arms, but he holds me in a tighter lock and I’m so close I can feel the steady beat of his heart against my back.

“What’s the matter? Already flaking out in your freshman year?” His taunting voice pulls at my insides. “Not enjoying life here at Raventhorn?”

“I wonder why?” I find my voice, feeling grateful it doesn’t tremble like the rest of me.

“Aww, don’t tell me you’re leaving because of me.”

“Get over yourself. You’re just a mean asshole. Didn’t you read the part where I got accepted to a scholarship program?” Hearing myself speak in such a defiant way instills a spark of courage in me.

He laughs deep and hearty. Dmitri and Logan join him.

“Mean asshole. But that’s exactly how you like me, Isabelle. Isn’t it?”

I pull at his arms again. “I don’t like you.”

Kade presses his cheek to mine and drops the hand holding the letter back to my stomach.

“Liar.” He presses his lips to my neck and nibbles on the skin there, making my pulse gallop across my throat. “You never stopped liking me. Even now, despite yourself, you want me. You just can’t help yourself.”

“I want you to leave me alone.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want? Because I don’t believe you.”

“That’s exactly what I want.”

“Liar, liar, liar, liar.” He licks the shell of my ear and to my horror, the wild sting of arousal claws at my insides. “You like this. Me touching you.” His hot breath floats over my neck and his fingers climb higher and higher over my stomach.

“I don’t.” The strangled tone of my voice suggests I’m lying. The truth is I can’t think.

“You like the way my hands feel on your body. And you want more. You want me to touch you everywhere.” His fingers brush the underside of my breast and I bite back a moan.

“Let me go.”

“I don’t think that’s what you want. I’ll bet my entire fortune that if I touch your pussy right now, your panties will be soaked.”

I want to protest but the moisture gathering between my thighs tells a different story and silences me. It also tells me that I’ve definitely, absolutely, officially lost my goddamn mind.

“Maybe I should check you right here in front of my friends.”

Friends. Shit. For a fleeting moment I totally forgot Dmitri and Logan were here.

Panic snaps my mind back into focus and I gather myself. “Let. Me. Go. You’re crazy. And you need to stop following me.”

“No, no, Lolita. You and I are just getting started.”