Page 58 of Villain
In the back of my mind, I’m screamingme.Me, me, me.He’s come here to fuck me against the stacks. God, I would let him.
“Your shift is almost over and the weather’s shit.”
I have to remind myself that this is the same guy who let me walk home in the pouring rain last month.
“So?”
“So, I’m going to take you home. There’s no need to look so surprised.”
“Sorry, that’s just the shock.”
“Are you ready to leave or do you need a minute?”
Oh, I definitely need a minute. And a shrink. And a freaking vibrator.
“Um. Well, this is the last thing that I need to do but,huh?”
“I’ll wait.”
I’m hyperaware that we’re standing in the middle of the shelves staring at each other. I’m definitely overheating, the base of my neck stinging more than ever.
Casper, however, stands perfectly still, waiting for me to put the books in my hand away.
So that he can take me home.
For a second, I wonder if it’s all been in my head. The nastiness, the game playing, the getting one over on each other all the time. But it’s not. He’s the one who’s lost it here. Perhaps he’s not actually a terrible person and doesn’t want me to be in danger. The break-in spooked him, too, and now he’s nice.
It takes me an embarrassingly long time to be able to avert my eyes. His face is too pretty, and he smells incredible.
Perhaps he’s no ghost at all. He’s a wizard who has cast a spell.
“Would you like some help with that?” he asks, amusement making his voice gravelly. It makes me want to press my body against his.
Calm down, you psycho.
“You look like you’re picturing us having sex, Ainsley.”
And… the spell is broken.
I step back as my face bursts into flames. He’s not wrong but I don’t need the teasing that will follow if I admit to it. “I’ll just be a minute.”
I put the books where they need to be, doing a terrible job of it since he’s watching me like a predator stalking its prey. Maybe it’s not just me who’s picturing him pinning me against the stack. His chest sure is rising and falling a little too quickly.
When I’m done, he follows me to the staff room in complete silence.
Casper doesn’t wait outside, and Mrs Crossby says nothing about the fact that he follows me past the desk. The Hart family have donated a lot of money to this university, I know that much. At first, I assumed it was to get Casper a place, but he’s smart enough to get in on his own merit.
I grab my bag from the table and turn to him. My heart is still thumping away but I’ve calmed down… a little.
“You know you shouldn’t be in here, right?”
“No one told me otherwise.”
“You’re a Hart. She wouldn’t.”
Casper rolls his eyes.
“Oh yeah, I’m sure it’s a total pain getting special treatment because of your family name.”