Page 37 of Alluring Darkness
Once I’m done, I walk back into my bedroom, wearing only a pair of boxers.
Raina snaps her gaze to me the moment I come into view. And her green eyes become a shade darker as she rakes her gaze over my half-naked body.
Smug satisfaction swirls inside me. It’s followed by a brief flash of dread, but I block it out as I continue towards the bed until I know that I’m close enough for her to see all the scars that crisscross my skin. They’re mostly on my chest and back, but quite a lot of them line my arms and legs too.
I can feel Raina’s eyes studying them, and I brace myself, waiting for the questions. The comments. The disgust. Or worse, the pity.
None of it comes.
Instead, she draws in a shuddering breath while her eyes burn like dark flames in the way they do when she’s turned on.
Stunned shock pulses through me, and I momentarily forget why I was approaching the bed. Scrambling for something to do, I instead pick up the note and all of Kaden’s equipment that I placed on the nightstand earlier. While moving them over to my polished wooden desk, I try to get my head back on straight again.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Raina says from across the room.
After putting the things down, I turn around and then lean back against the desk. Crossing my arms, I raise my eyebrows in a show of confusion. “Forgetting what?”
Raina pointedly yanks at the ropes still tying her to my bed. “What do you think, asshole?”
“Is that really how you want to start this negotiation?”
“What negotiation?”
“I’m still waiting for you to apologize for leaving campus without my permission.” I flash her a wicked smile. “Since I’ve gotten you to say please already, I suppose a bit of light groveling will do.”
“How many times do I need to tell you? I don’t grovel.”
I shrug. “Suit yourself.”
Uncrossing my arms, I push off from the desk and stroll over to the light switch. The room is plunged into darkness as I flick it.
“Hey,” Raina protests. “What the hell?”
I move back to the bed and climb onto it. The mattress sways underneath me as I scoot closer to the middle until I reach Raina. Then I roll over on my side.
A surprised sound escapes her throat as I drape my leg over hers and wrap my arm around her chest. With a possessive grip on her soft body, I hold her close.
“What am I…” Raina mutters. “A teddy bear?”
“If you grovel, I will untie you.”
“Like hell.”
“Then I guess you’re stuck here.”
“Fucking hell,” she curses, but she wiggles her body against me as if trying to get comfortable.
Heaving a deep sigh, I pull her even closer to me. She smells like jasmine and warm summer days.
That’s the last thought that drifts through my head before sleep pulls me under.
* * *
I draw in a deep breath, and the scent of jasmine fills my lungs. Blinking, I try to figure out what that scent is doing in my bed. But before I can process that thought fully, another realization stuns me awake.
It’s light out.
I jerk upright and turn to stare at the small clock on my nightstand. It’s almost eight in the morning.