Page 28

CHAPTER 27

She fits in my lap like my body was meant to hold hers. Her skin is warm against mine, in a way that shouldn't feel this natural. The way she laughs lights me up from the inside out, sparking something in my chest that’s been dead for a long time.

Suddenly, my hands stop moving teasingly around her body, and we both go still. Her head lifts, her inviting honey brown eyes burning into mine.

It’s all fun and games until shit gets serious. I half expect her to crawl off my lap, to make a break for it and avoid letting things get too real. When she asked me to come up here, I wasn’t expecting anything. I just knew I needed to see her.

Playing hockey is an adrenaline rush like no other, and after our win, the only person I wanted to share that feeling with was her. It used to be the boys, but they’ve slipped to the back of my mind. I don’t wanna kick it with people I’m not sure I can trust anymore.

The way she’s looking at me now, hungry and drenched in need, shifts something inside me. My heart thuds unevenly, and my body trembles from the sheer intensity of her.

Her hand rises to my cheek, fingertips dragging a slow line that sparks beneath my skin. Temptation gnaws, and when I can’t resist any longer, I crush my mouth against hers.

Her lips mold to mine perfectly, and when she parts them, I slip my tongue inside, tasting her. Our tongues dance, tangling with something that feels like more than memory—something new, something better.

One hand finds her throat, gentle but possessive, my thumb grazing the flutter of her pulse. The other moves up her side, catching the peak of her nipple beneath the thin fabric of her shirt.

She arches, barely, but it’s enough for me to know she wants this.Then her arms wrap around my neck and I’m all fucking in with this girl.

I slide my hand down lower, tracing the curve of her waist and her hip before sliding up her jean skirt. Her thighs part, skin hot under my touch.

My fingers hesitate just at the edge of her panties, grazing but not yet touching. When I feel the dampness of her want for me and her slight shift forward, I accept the invitation. This isn’t like before in the hospital room. I don’t want to make her bend to my will right now. I just want her .

Pushing her panties aside, my fingers glide between her folds with ease, finding the slick heat of her. I test the waters, curious to see if she’ll chase the pleasure I can give her as I trace slow, deliberate circles over her clit.

“Callan.” She breathes my name like it’s a secret, and I swallow it down. The hand around her throat pulls her closer, letting me deepen the kiss so all she feels is me.

I’ve kissed Avery before, but it was nothing compared to this. The fire, the intensity, the urge. It’s almost too much.

I have to have her.

Her hand grips my shoulder, fingers digging in as she leans closer. I grind against her, my cock pressing hard against my jeans, aching for friction.

My head is dizzy with want and desire. Avery is like a drug, more potent than anything I have ever had before, and I’m already addicted.

Slipping two fingers inside her, she shudders against my skin. Her head drops to my shoulder, body curling into me as I drive deeper, fingers curling to just the right angle. I know my girl and I know exactly what she needs.

Her breath is hot against my throat, soft moans slipping from her as I slide my hand from her neck and pinch her nipple beneath her shirt. When she gasps, it sends goosebumps down my spine, and I can’t help the smirk that spreads across my face.

Her hips tilt just right, granting me more space, and I take it, pushing deeper until she clenches around me.

She’s so fucking tight and warm, and the thought of being inside her makes my cock twitch painfully.

She moves with me, riding the rhythm, rising and falling with every stroke. My hand returns to her neck, controlling her movements lightly.

Avery leans back and our eyes connect. I feel her pulse around my fingers as she tightens then relaxes like her body’s speaking to me.

I glance down and notice her mouth slightly open, breathy moans slipping free like she can’t hold them in.

Her lashes flutter and I can feel her unraveling beneath my hands.

“Oh God,” she whimpers, and fuck, there’s nothing more beautiful.

The sound fuels my need to see her unravel, for me to know I’m the one giving her what she craves and not anyone else. I thrust faster and harder, chasing the tremble in her voice, desperate to pull her over the edge just to watch her fall apart around my fingers… again.

Last time, she fought the pleasure, refusing to come undone. She pretended she didn’t love it, but I knew better. I felt it.

Now, she’s putty in my hands.

Her walls clamp around my fingers, and I curl them again, pressing into that spot I know drives her wild.

“That’s right, Little Devil,” I hum. “Come for me, baby.”

She exhales a heady breath, fingers fisting my t-shirt like it’s the only thing holding her together.

She falls forward again, burying her face in the crease of my neck. Her voice cracks against my shoulder with muffled sounds of pleasure.Her orgasm hits hard and I feel every wave of it ripple through her. Shaking against me, her breath stutters, her moans raw and wrecked.

When she finally relaxes against me, I guide her down, lowering her to the floor. My mouth connects with hers and I inhale every breath that comes out of her.

She parts her legs and I slide between, the ache for her twisting tighter as I grind into her.

Avery’s scent wraps around me, her fingers dragging down my back before she grips the hem of my shirt. We break apart just long enough for her to pull it over my head. When our eyes lock again, something primal snaps.

We tear into each other like wild animals. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt, the burning need between us erupting like a volcano. I devour her mouth, urgency pulsing through every inch of me.

Every emotion I’ve buried over the last four years crashes to the surface—love, lust, hate, anger, pain. It all hits me at once, and I pour every drop of it into this kiss. Like she’s the only one who’s ever accepted me for who I truly am, bitterness and all.

My lips move down to her neck, then over the slope of her chest, before stripping her out of her shirt and bra. Her skin is flushed, goosebumps breaking out where my mouth has been.

I keep going, moving to her breasts that fit so perfectly in my hands.

She gasps as I suck on the bud of her nipple, all teeth and tongue. Her back arches, pleasure radiating from her in waves. When I pull away, a devilish smirk curls her lips.

Avery moves her hands between us, lust-filled eyes locked on mine. She unbuttons my pants, and I sit back to kick them and my underwear off completely. When I’m done, I watch as she tosses her shirt across the room.

With almost nothing left between us, I press myself against her, the heat of her bare skin meeting mine. I cradle her face, fingers gently wrapped around her jaw, and kiss her hard before easing her back down, her hair fanning out around her like a halo of chaos.

My gaze drags over her as I slide her jean skirt down her hips, slow so I can savor her reaction.

We may call her Little Devil, but right now, she looks like a saint sent to save me.

Her chest rises, lips parted.

My fingers skim the hem of her soaked panties teasingly before I rip them off. She shivers and I can’t tell if it’s because she’s cold or excited.

“Touch me,” I tell her as I kneel in front of her.

She doesn’t hesitate. She sits up slowly, eyes locked on mine as her hand reaches out, fingers wrapping around my thickness. I shudder as she strokes me, slow and purposefully, like she wants to feel every inch.

Without a word, she shifts forward on her hands and knees. The sight steals the breath straight from my lungs. Her eyes are hungry, her movements smooth like she’s about to take what’s already hers.

My shoulders pull back and I lean slightly as her lips wrap around my dick. A shiver runs through me as I watch her stroking the base of my cock, her tongue swirling my head like she’s licking a lollipop.

“Jesus, Little Devil,” I rasp as I fist a handful of her hair. I guide her rhythm, slow at first then deeper to match the heat building in my gut. “You look so pretty with your mouth wrapped around me.”

Her eyes flick up to mine, sultry and heavy with desire. Fuck if that look alone doesn’t undo me.

I watch, completely wrecked, as she takes every inch of me into her mouth. Her throat tightens on reflex, but she doesn’t stop. Her lips stretch, jaw flexing as she pushes through it.

She hums sinfully, like she knows exactly what she’s doing, and that revelation both thrills and infuriates me. The vibration shoots through me, hitting my balls first, and before I can brace myself, my orgasm threatens to break free.

I yank her head back, her hair still tangled in my fist.

“I need to be inside you,” I rasp.

As much as I love her mouth on me, I need to fuck her. I need to feel her wrapped around me, skin to skin, nothing in the way.

Like the good little devil she is, she nods, even as spit slides down her face. Her cheeks are flushed, eyes watery, but I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. I help her off the floor, and once we’re standing, I pull her into another bruising kiss. She comes to me willingly, like we both needed this moment more than anything else in the world.

Guiding her to the bed, I ease her onto her back, and she parts her legs as I crawl on top of her.

There’s no need to ask if she’s sure, I see it in the way she looks at me, feel it in the way her body pulls me closer.

She wants this just as badly as I do.

I lean in, mouth brushing her ear. “Are you on the pill?” I whisper before catching her earlobe between my teeth.

She gasps. “Yes.”

With that, I press forward, sliding into her inch by inch. Her heat swallows me, stretching around the head of my cock like she was made to take me.

“Fuck,” I breathe, the word torn from somewhere deep.

My eyes stay locked on hers as I push into her, filling her, pulling back, then sliding in again. Over and over. Euphoria consumes us, and we lose ourselves in the rhythm of each other’s bodies.

The way she takes me, the way she looks at me, it undoes me.

I reach down and hook her leg beneath my forearm, lifting it to my side and opening her up just right.

“Damn, Callan.” The sound of my name on her lips is pure sin. I can’t help but smirk as I go a little deeper, watching her eyes roll back in absolute bliss.

“That feel good, baby?” I murmur.

She nods. “God, yes. Don’t fucking stop, Callan.”

“Not a chance, baby girl.”

I drive into her… hard . Once. Twice.

Her body jolts with each push, back arching and her nails digging into my back. A few more thrusts and her head is flush against the headboard.

Her breath catches on a gasp, and I slide a hand beneath her neck, guiding her face to mine. Then I kiss her hard because I can’t get enough of her mouth. Her lips part for me instantly, like she needs this as badly as I do. It’s deep and messy and full of heat.

She tastes so damn good. Feels so damn good.

Dragging her nails down my back, her moans echo around us. I feel her walls contract around me, squeezing like they never want to let me go. She comes again, her body trembling beneath mine.

Fuck. Watching her come is like Christmas morning. The way her body tenses, then melts into bliss is a goddamn gift.

“Callan,” she cries out.

That’s all it takes.

A surge of electricity shoots through me. My muscles lock, every nerve lit as I come completely undone by the sound of my name on her lips.

“Fuck!” The word rips from my chest as my unstoppable orgasm crashes into me.

I freeze, buried deep, as I pulse inside her.

Then I thrust once more, riding out my release and making sure she takes every last drop of my cum. Our eyes meet and something I don’t expect happens. Avery reaches up, her fingers brushing along the side of my face, wearing a smile that makes me want to go to war for her. Every cell in my body pledges its allegiance to her at this moment.

“I missed this,” she whispers. “I think I missed you more than I ever realized.”

Relief crashes over me, knowing she’s not going to run this time. “I missed you too,” I murmur, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek. With an exaggerated sigh, I collapse on top of her, both of us breathless and spent. Her arms wrap around me like she never wants to let go, and I hold her just as tightly. Our skin is slick with sweat, the stickiness of our release clinging between us.

I shift, sliding off her carefully before rolling onto my back and pulling her into my side. She rests her cheek against my chest and takes a deep, steadying breath. We lie there in silence, letting our hearts sync. Avery doesn’t move to get up, and neither do I.

“That was…nice,” she says with a small giggle.

I tilt her head to look at me, eyebrows raised as I stare at her curled into my side. “Nice? It was fucking amazing.”

“It was pretty amazing,” she admits, her cheeks turning red.

A few more minutes pass before she stirs, her fingers brushing across my chest as she shifts. “I should go get cleaned up.”

I nod, watching as she rolls off the bed and walks to the dresser. She pulls out a worn t-shirt and a pair of light pink sweatpants.

If we were in my room, I’d be slipping one of my shirts on her, looking like sin and mine all at once.

After grabbing a bag, which I assume holds her toiletries, she pauses at the door. Her hand ghosting the knob, eyes flicking back to me.

“I don’t want to go out there alone,” she says quietly. “What if whoever left that box is still out there?”

I sit up, jaw tightening. One of the many things I hate about these damn dorms is that the bathrooms are all the way down the hall and shared with complete strangers.

I’m on my feet in seconds, grabbing my boxers and yanking them on. “I’ll go with you.”

She lifts a brow. “In your boxers?”

“Sure. Why not?” I shrug.

Instead of arguing, she just opens the door and lets me follow. The hallway is quiet, too quiet. The kind that makes you glance over your shoulder more than once. Not for my safety, but for hers.

We slip into the bathroom and go into separate stalls to clean up.

When we get back to her room, we collapse onto the bed like the night wrung us out. The adrenaline is gone, and the weight of everything settles in.

Avery’s head rests on my chest and I curl an arm around her, running my fingers up and down her arm.

"Tell me about Julian," she whispers, her fingers trailing lightly over my chest.

This is what I was afraid of. She knows too much now. I guess after she was branded, it was bound to happen. I could refuse, try to keep her in the dark so she might have a chance at freedom one day. But I know that’s not possible. Once you’re in, you’re in. There’s no going back.

“He was one of us,” I say quietly. “An Ice Lord. Held my position before I did. Before he betrayed us.”

I stop there because she doesn’t need the weight of the rest. Doesn’t need to know what came with that betrayal.

I don’t tell her I was given the task of ending him and returning with his tongue.

I don’t tell her how I drove four hours north with Julian barely conscious in my back seat, blood crusted on his shirt, bones shattered, and how I spent most of the drive praying to a God I wasn’t even sure existed.

I wasn’t begging for guidance, though. I was asking for forgiveness. Because I was gonna do it. I was ready.

Then I failed.

My hands were shaking violently, the knife pressed against the thin skin of his throat. Then his slitted eyes stared up at me as he muttered, “Please.”

I broke.

I dropped to my knees screaming because I didn’t know what the hell I was doing anymore. I couldn’t kill him, but I couldn’t walk away empty-handed either. As much as I believe in dedicating my life to this society, I didn’t realize that meant signing up for murder. Sure we hurt people, but murder feels a little too far for college hockey.

As soon as I stood back up, I knew what I needed to do. Julian seemed to understand that if he wanted to walk away with his life, he’d have to make a sacrifice. Aidric’s words echoed in my ears as an idea took shape: “He used his dirty mouth to tell our secrets. Now it’s your turn to silence him.”

And I did.

I went back to the car and grabbed a lighter, spending three solid minutes heating the blade of my knife until it glowed hot enough to do the job. When I told Julian to open his mouth, he didn’t hesitate. He knew I was sparing him, and this was the only way either of us walked away from it—the only way he lived.

The slice was clean, even through his screams. And when I pressed the heated blade to the stump where his tongue had been, he passed out cold. That made it easier to get him to a hospital. By the time we arrived, he was conscious enough to walk himself inside.

He looked like complete shit, but it was that or leave him on the curb and hope someone found him. Hospitals have cameras, and we couldn’t afford witnesses.

Avery’s head lifts. “Is he alive?”

I look away. I hate her seeing this version of me, the one who hesitates, the one who fails.

“I don’t know,” I tell her truthfully.

I watched him walk in, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t die from complications. I don’t think he did, though. I’ve been scouring the internet ever since, constantly checking for any reported deaths in the town where I left him. So far, nothing.

Aidric and Seb think he’s dead. Hell, maybe he is. But I can’t be sure.

“Then his name stays on the list,” she replies. “We can’t take any chances.”

And just like that, her head lowers again, like we didn’t just discuss a man having his tongue cut out. Like this is just another chapter in whatever twisted bedtime story we’ve fallen into.

A few minutes later, her eyes drift closed, but mine don’t.

They stay wide open as the memory of Julian’s broken voice bleeds back in, mixing with the haunting nightmare of the night Evan fell.

Two ghosts, two failures—both haunting me.