Page 5 of Touch of Hate
Now? She’s no longer a child.
And I am no longer unaware of that.
For her sake, I force a short laugh. “What? You think I’m gonna let some slimy piece of shit fuck around with you? You underestimate me.”
“But you… I thought you were going to kill him.”
Something inside me recoils in guilt at the hero worship shining in her eyes. I want to bask in that worship, I realize, which is the most unfortunate thing ever. “Come on. Let’s get back before your dad sends out a search party.”
Her dad. Xander Rossi. An insanely powerful and ruthless man.
I need to remember that. Now more than ever.
Because forgetting could mean being unable to fight the sudden, inexplicable urge to take her in my arms and claim her for myself.
Not only is she far too young, but she’s entirely off-limits.
And entirely too tempting; everything about her calls out to me in a way nothing ever has before.
Fuck. I am in trouble.
Ever since that night, when I’ve slipped away from Corium without Q’s awareness in favor of watching her from afar, it hasn’t been in the spirit of an older brother making sure his kid sister isn’t taking risks.
From that moment on, my entire focus has been on making sure no one puts their hands on her. Not when she belongs to me.
It ought to be my fingerprints on her smooth skin, and my scent clinging to her clothes. I want it to be my voice in her ear as I tease pleasure from deep inside her, waking her up to the magic her body is capable of.
She’s still so young and innocent despite her worldliness.
She deserves protection.
I see she’s left nothing to chance, wearing a skirt that leaves most of her thighs on display as she cuts down the hall at a near jog. Is it eagerness to be with me that makes her move so swiftly? My already growing dick stiffens at the thought. The minx is determined to break down every last bit of my resolve.
One of us has to be strong.
Why does it have to be me when I’m so damn weak for her?
She reaches the stairs and begins climbing, her hand on the banister, her head swinging back and forth. She’s watching for me with no idea she’s the one being watched. It’s a thrill I’ll never be able to shake.
Watching like this without her knowing. The sense of control I feel as I creep silently up the stairs, well enough behind her that she doesn’t hear the soft tread of my feet, is intoxicating. I can’t pry my eyes from her legs, the promise of what’s barely hidden beneath that skirt setting loose a deep, burning desire I’m hopeless against.
This is wrong. We should not do this.
But I’ll be damned if anything in the world could stop me from touching her now. Dark and dangerous need overtakes common sense as I close the distance between us, every heartbeat carrying me one step closer to her.
I need my fix, and I’m going to get it.
2
SCARLET
My loving and somewhat understanding father would flip the hell out if he knew I wandered the halls of Corium alone at night. Though I’m only here for a short visit, eventually, I’ll be a student like my brother, Ren, and Aspen.
Xander Rossi is much more than a protective father, but I’m also much more than his daughter. The need to break free of the ivory tower I feel trapped in consumes me. Which is why I find myself wandering the halls late at night, looking for mischief. Kidding unless a dark-haired, blue-eyed man, four years older than me, is considered mischief.
I suppose, in many ways, Ren is that and then some.
If my father or Quinton ever discovered what was going on between us, hell would rain down.