Page 17

Chapter 16

Deirdre

“I have great faith in fools, self-confidence my friends will call it.” Edgar Allan Poe

K ieran releases me from his embrace, and even in the darkness I can feel the heat of his gaze on me. Licking my tender, swollen lips, I let out a soft giggle.

We’re absolutely insane, and I don’t care.

“Follow me, Professor.” I wink as I take a few steps in front of him.

“After you, Miss Ravencroft,” he responds, his voice low and deep.

The night air feels electric against my flushed skin as I walk us through the courtyard toward the dorm. My pulse is still pounding from that kiss, the one that stole my breath away and left me trembling and craving more of his touch.

Kieran walks just a few steps beside me, just visible in my periphery. His stride is purposeful, but I can tell he is trying to maintain restraint. His hands are clenched at his sides like he’s fighting every instinct to touch me again. The heaviness of his gaze lingers on me as we move forward, but I don’t dare look at him. If I do, I might just drag him back into another feverish embrace right here beneath the glow of the campus lights.

I mean, would it be so bad if he fucked me in the courtyard?

I giggle at the thought. The man is quite literally causing me to lose any of the inhibitions I once had.

“Something amusing, Miss Ravencroft?” His voice breaks my thoughts.

“No, Sir.” I smile sweetly at him.

The dormitory looms ahead in the distance, its tall windows bright against the dark silhouette of the building. The front entrance is crowded with students coming and going, laughter and conversation spilling out into the night.

My stomach tightens. The last thing I need is more eyes on us after what happened at the party.

Without a word, I veer toward the back corner of the building, leading him toward the emergency stairwell. It’s tucked away in the shadows, a heavy metal door propped slightly open, likely from someone sneaking out earlier. I glance over my shoulder. Kieran doesn’t question me. He simply follows, the desire in his eyes unmistakable.

The moment we step inside, the air changes. The stairwell is dimly lit, the sound of our breathing loud in the narrow space. The weight of everything that just happened between us lingers. I turn to him, lips parting, ready to say something flirty or cute, but before I can, he reaches for me.

I melt into his arms.

He presses his lips against my forehead. When he pulls away, I turn and begin to ascend the first few steps with him following closely behind me. His intoxicating presence makes me delirious, and I forget that I even have half a brain to realize this is a horribly bad idea.

The emergency stairwell door clicks shut behind us, sealing us away from the rest of the world. The distant hum of campus nightlife fades into the background, leaving only the sound of our hurried breaths and the sound of our shoes against the concrete steps.

I barely make it to the fourth step up when a firm hand circles my wrist, and Kieran spins me around to face him. The air between us crackles like a live wire, and before I can speak, his lips are on mine. His kiss is hot, insistent, and demanding. My ass presses hard against the cold metal railing, but I don’t care. The contrast between the chill of the rails and the heat of my flushed skin makes me shudder.

Kieran groans against my lips, his hands sliding down my sides, memorizing the curve of my waist. He kisses me like he’s drowning, and I’m his only source of oxygen, like he’s been starving for this.

I clutch at his shirt, fisting the fabric as if it’s the only thing tethering me to reality. His hands grip my hips, tugging me flush against him, and the moment our bodies align, a quiet whimper escapes me. It’s impossible to ignore the way I fit into him.

I was made for Kieran McKnight.

We break apart just long enough for him to rest his forehead against mine, his breath ragged. “Deirdre…” he pleads.

I answer with another kiss, this one slower and deeper. He groans into my mouth, and I feel the way his fingers tighten on me, like he’s fighting a battle within himself.

We slowly ascend the stairs, step by step, pausing only to press desperate kisses against lips, skin, and the hollow of a throat. By the time we reach my floor, my pulse is hammering in my ears, and my skin is on fire.

When we reach the landing of my floor, Kieran presses me against the wall just outside the stairwell door, his lips skim along the shell of my ear.

“You drive me crazy,” he murmurs, his voice rough and strained. His hand slides up my arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake before settling at the base of my throat. He applies a slight pressure and smiles when he feels the wild rhythm of my pulse. He presses his erection into me, and I instinctively grind against him, begging him.

I tilt my head back, surrendering to the moment, and whisper, “Then don’t stop.”

His answering groan vibrates against my skin, and then his mouth is on mine again, deeper this time, igniting every nerve ending on my skin. His free hand slides beneath the hem of my sweater, fingertips skating over the bare skin of my waist.

A sudden noise echoes from the steps below, followed by a door opening and voices carrying up the stairwell. We both freeze, breathing heavily, as our eyes lock on each other.

Just a second later, the voices quiet and a second door closes.

I peer down between the stair rails and listen intently.

“They’re gone,” I say and I turn back to face him.

Kieran lets out a quiet, frustrated chuckle, resting his forehead against mine. “You should get to your room before I do something completely reckless.”

I bite my lip, reaching for his hand, intertwining our fingers.

“Professor, I need you to fuck me recklessly. Right here.”

His gaze darkens as he pushes me against the cold painted brick. My back smacks the wall with a small thud. He presses his body against mine, and I move my hips forward against his hard length. The ache between my legs grows more intense each second.

“You want to risk getting caught, Miss Ravencroft?” he growls in my ear, then nips my neck.

I may regret every minute of this later, but at this moment, I have to have him inside me.

“Fuck the rules, Professor. Fuck me,” I plead.

My heart races as his hands roam my body with an urgent need. I gasp as his fingers slide under my skirt, teasing along my inner thigh.

“Someone could come in,” he whispers as I arch into his touch.

“Please…K- Professor…” I quickly correct myself as I lean my head back against the wall. I bite back a moan as his fingers find their target, stroking me through the thin fabric of my underwear. His lips slowly graze across my neck while his fingers rub painfully slow circles around my clit.

My hips rock instinctively, seeking more friction. I fumble with his belt buckle, desperate to feel him. He lets his slacks fall just enough to free his hard cock.

He hikes up my skirt, and lifts me, pinning me up against the wall. I wrap my legs around his waist as he slides my panties to the side and pushes inside me in one smooth thrust. The full feeling of him stretching my pussy makes me cry out softly.

“Shh…You wouldn’t want to get caught would you?” he whispers, taunting me.

He begins to set a frantic pace, clearly as desperate for release as I am. The risk of getting caught only heightens every sensation. I bite down on my lip to keep from crying out more. With each thrust, my back pounds against the cold wall and I find myself clinging to his shoulders for dear life. My whimpers grow louder as I dig my nails into the fabric of his shirt as waves of pleasure build inside me.

Kieran’s chest heaves with rapid, shallow breaths as he mercilessly pounds into me over and over in a rhythmic succession. Each exhale comes out as a ragged gasp, hot against my skin. As the sensations intensify, his breaths become low grunts and moans of pleasure.

“You feel so good,” he groans, gripping my ass tightly with his hands.

“So.”

Thrust.

“Fucking.”

Thrust.

“Perfect.”

The now familiar ache begins to build in the pit of my stomach, making me tighten my legs around his waist.

“Kieran!” I cry out, my voice echoing off the walls.

A bead of sweat begins to drip down his forehead to his brow as he begins to fuck me harder.

“That’s it. Let me hear you when you come,” he commands.

I dig my nails deeper as he bounces me up and down, impaling me on his thick cock. My release courses through me in waves of pleasure.

“Fuck!” I scream, louder than before. Kieran continues his rhythmic motion as I slowly come back down to earth, and my vision returns to normal.

His hips stutter slightly as his breath hitches and catches in his throat. Finally, with a long, shuddering groan, he pours himself into me. Slowing his thrusts down to a languid pace, his breaths return to deep, satisfied sighs.

Slowly he pulls away from me and gently sets my legs down. He doesn’t let go of me until my trembling body has grounded itself.

He presses a soft kiss to my forehead and his hand slides up my leg. Chills erupt at the contact.

“My come stays inside you. Understand?” he whispers as he swipes at the small amount of liquid dripping down my thigh. He gently slides his fingers deep inside me and curls them forward. My body jolts at the sensation.

“Kieran!” I shriek.

“What did I say?” he growls in my ear.

“I-It stays inside me,” I whisper breathlessly.

“And why?”

“Because I’m yours. To fuck. To claim.”

He smiles at my response, and my stomach fills with giddiness at the thought of pleasing him.

“That’s my good fucking girl,” he praises as he slowly pulls his fingers from me. “Now, go to your room and get ready for bed. You’ve had a long night.”

He swipes the hair from my face with his other hand.

“Yes. Professor.” I smile back, delirious. My body is completely sated, and I can already feel my muscles begin to stiffen, physically exhausted from everything that has transpired tonight.

With one final kiss, I turn on my heels, and he smacks my ass as I walk through the door. As I enter the hallway, I look back once more to see him still smiling at me as the door to the stairwell closes.

When I turn back to start toward my dorm, I see Tyler emerging from my room. He is adjusting his shirt and fumbling with his belt.

“I see you made sure she got home all right,” I say in a joking tone, folding my arms across my chest, as if my professor didn’t just fuck me nine ways to Sunday in a fire escape stairwell.

“Uhh…yeah,” he replies sheepishly, his face turning red as he passes by.

“Goodnight Tyler.”

“Night, Ravencroft.”

Turning the handle on the door, I take a deep breath and exhale. Pausing for a brief moment, I try to prepare myself for the barrage of questions that await me on the other side of this threshold.

The door clicks shut softly behind me as I step into the dorm room. The glow of Claire’s bedside lamp casts warm light over the small space, and I spot her curled up under her blankets, her back to me, completely still.

Thank God she’s asleep.

I know we need to talk about tonight, but the last thing I want is to be interrogated. My mind is still tangled between the chaos of Brandon’s outburst and the raw, unfiltered moments I shared with Kieran just moments before.

I drop my purse onto my desk, kicking off my shoes with a sigh.

As I start to undo my skirt, I mumble to myself, “ I guess Tyler fucked her to sleep.”

Before I can even blink, Claire shoots up from under the covers, her wild hair sticking up in every direction.

“Yeah, right!” she scoffs, making me jump back against my desk. “That guy is about as entertaining as a doorknob.”

I clutch my chest. “Jesus, Claire! You scared the shit out of me.”

She flops dramatically back onto the bed with a groan. “I swear, Deirdre, I tried to give the guy a chance; I mean he is so hot, but the moment he started kissing me, I just…” She fake snores loudly. “I pretended to pass out drunk, and he actually tucked me in.” She grabs her fuzzy blanket and holds it up. “Look! Poor guy.”

A laugh bursts out of me, the tension from the night cracking just a little. “Yeah, I saw him walking out of the room. I guess he didn’t get as far as I thought.” I pause. “Well, at least we know he’s a gentleman.”

Claire sighs, shaking her head. “Yeah, yeah. A gentleman, but so boring and no chemistry. Zip. Zilch. Nada.” She rolls onto her side, propping herself up on one elbow. “But enough about my tragic love life. Are you okay?”

The shift in her tone is instant, one moment she’s playful Claire, the next, she’s deeply concerned.

I don’t answer right away. Instead, I walk over and sit on the edge of her bed, rubbing my hands together. “I’m okay,” I say, though my voice lacks conviction. “Just shaken up.” I glance down at my hands, balling them into fists. “Tonight with Brandon…it reminded me of Trevor.”

Claire’s expression softens. “D…”

I shake my head, forcing myself to breathe through it.

“I’m fine. Really.”

But there’s a pressure building in my chest from the unrelenting anxiety of finally telling Claire about me and Kieran, even though she already knows. Now, she’s going to get confirmation from me, and I just pray I can trust her with this.

I turn toward Claire, meeting her gaze, my pulse quickening. “I know this isn’t going to come as a shock to you, but you were right.”

She raises a brow, as if she’s amused. “I’m right about a lot of things; elaborate ma’am.”

I roll my eyes and swallow hard. “About Professor McKnight.”

Her twinkling eyes widen, and I know there’s no going back now.