Page 15 of Ravage (The Wellard Asylum #6)

O nce again I’m feeling like complete dog shit and have no idea how it happened.

My suspicion is that Kole is behind this once again, but then again, I’m not too sure.

He’s been oddly sweet the last few hours, and a man who willingly holds your hair back while you puke has to be a good guy after all, right?

We’ve been laid out in the bathroom for hours since I have had zero energy to move and insisted that the cold tile floor felt amazing against my skin.

My head has been lying in Kole’s lap while one hand holds a cold washcloth to my forehead and the other one runs through my hair.

The quietness in the room is starting to feel awkward the longer we sit here, and the butterflies in my stomach have been swarming with each touch of his fingers.

“Want to play a game?” My voice comes out scratchy and raw in the silent room.

“Depends, what kind of game?” His words vibrate through his body as he speaks, and his fingers stop their travels through my hair.

“Twenty questions. Might as well get to know each other a little better. I mean, you know what color my puke is and I don’t even know what your middle name is.” My chuckle comes out dry and scratchy, the humor that laces it lacking luster with my lack of energy.

Kole thinks a moment before he shrugs his shoulders and finally answers, “Fine, you go first.” The questions I want to ask him are endless, but I settle with a simple one to start out.

“What’s your middle name?” I say with a smile on my face.

“Owen.” His answer throws me off guard because I was expecting something far different for the type of man that he is. “Where did you live before you took up my offer to stay here?” I balk at his question while I try to think of how to answer that.

“Looks like we are pulling out the big guns right out of the gate then.” My words are mumbled under my breath. “Nowhere important.” I chose the simplest answer, as I’m not ready to open this can of worms.

“Did you live with your parents?”

“My parents died a month ago.”

“So, you were living in their home by yourself?”

“Not exactly.”

“What do you mean? Elaborate.”

“It’s really not important, okay? Not sure why it matters now.” I push off his lap to lean against the bathtub across from him.

“It’s important to me.”

“Good grief. I lived in my car, okay? What did you do before you became a nurse?”

“I worked in a nursing home in the maintenance section. What’s your favorite flower?”

“Peruvian lilies. How was your childhood? Are your parents still alive?”

He studies me with visible gears moving in his head.

“They’re dead to me, and that’s all that matters. How did your parents die?”

“Car crash. Why are your parents dead to you?” His gaze zones out as if he’s reliving some kind of flashback.

“We should really get you up off of this floor right now and into bed.” He pushes to his feet before offering me his hand, pulling me to my own feet.

I sway as all the blood rushes to my head, a wave of nausea hitting me hard.

His hands wrap around my biceps to keep me from falling over.

Kole directs me back into the bedroom and ushers me into my bed.

He turns to leave without another thought, but I stop him with a hand on his arm, tugging him to a stop.

“Wait. Stay with me, please?” His brows furrow at my words, and I don’t blame him because just a few hours ago I hated his guts.

“I thought you didn’t like me?” Insecure words echo around the room while he shuffles back and forth on his feet, making him almost seem human with his nervousness.

“I didn’t.” He shakes his head and starts to pull away before I continue on, “But you might be changing my mind. Stay with me, please?” I ask again, giving him my best puppy dog face along with it.

“Put that fucking lip away.” He says with a chuckle before pushing the blankets back and sliding into bed next to me. “What do you like to do in your spare time? I feel like you don’t leave your room much.” His question is quiet in the darkness of the bedroom.

“I pick up a lot of shifts at the coffee shop so I can afford to live. My parents really fucked me when they died, but anyways, I like to read or go hiking.” I give him a shrug, because I’ve truly not done anything else but work, eat, and sleep since my parents passed.

“I can definitely relate to shitty parents.” He chuckles at his statement, “Maybe we can go on a hike when you get to feeling better?” Kole brushes his fingers through my hair, and I lean over and lay my head against his chest, inhaling his warm amber scent.

His heartbeat is steady beneath my head, which is the complete opposite of my erratic one.

I haven’t lain with a man like this in years.

Kole’s arm wraps around my upper back, pulling me closer into his side.

I know I should hate Kole, but for the life of me I can’t remember why I should.

His tenderness is something I’ve always wanted and needed.

Someone to just lay around in bed and talk to for hours, but I'm leery of when the other shoe is about to drop.

I turn my face up towards his, his lips only centimeters from my own.

My brain and heart war within me, one making much more sense than the other one.

But then Cassie's voice appears in my head, telling me to live a little.

“Your eyes look like molten chocolate, and I would have no qualms about drowning inside of them.” His words are just a whisper, crawling against my skin with each breath he takes.

“Kole…” The moment that word leaves my mouth, I know which route I’m going to take, and I can hear my brain screaming at me in my skull.

I lean up, my lips brushing against his lightly, and for a moment I fear that he won’t kiss me back.

Maybe I read this whole situation wrong?

Right before I can pull away, it’s like something wakes up inside of him.

His lips press against mine as he leans up and rolls me onto my back.

One hand tangles in my hair while the other one grasps my hip in a tight grip.

His lips and teeth attack my own with a ferocity I’ve never experienced before.

I let myself get lost in the kiss because consequences be damned.

Why should something that I know is so bad feel so good?

Kole’s tongue grazes the seam of my lips, patiently urging me to open for him, and I grant him the access he’s so desperately asking for.

The moment his tongue touches mine, I know I’m going to do something reckless.

My hands move up his chest, traveling over his neck and tangling in his soft hair.

He tastes like coffee and bad intentions.

He easily dominates me into submission, and I eagerly give in to him.

Pulling him closer so he is lying between my legs, which are now wrapped around his waist. Kole’s hips start to grind against the apex of my thighs, making my pussy throb with desperate need.

His lips pull away from my own to travel down my neck, leaving small love bites as he continues on his way.

The hand in my hair leaves a trail up my side under my T-shirt, erupting goose bumps in its wake.

His fingers trail the underside of my breast, and his other hand trails the edge of my shorts.

A small moan leaves my lips because his touch is the best thing I’ve felt in so long.

Every swipe of his finger on my skin goes straight to my throbbing clit.

His hips grind against my pussy, putting pressure exactly where I need it it most, and his fingers grasp my nipple between them.

Pulling and twisting in the most intoxicating way.

My back arches off the bed with his movements, and I swear my brain just up and left me here to fend for myself.

As soon as Kole’s fingers breach the waistband of my shorts, my brain slams back into my skull with a vengeance.

“Wait.” The one word is like a gunshot into the open space.

He pulls away from my neck with a pop and leans up on his hands to tower over me.

His brows are furrowed, and his hair is a tousled mess, and fuck, he looks good.

“We should stop.” A blush rises up my chest to creep over my cheeks.

His gaze goes from confused to annoyed in a millisecond.

He leans down to brush his lips against my own, his hand rubbing up and down my side to calm my unease.

“No, Kole, stop.” His kiss comes harder against my lips, his chest plastering against mine while he tries to kiss me into submission.

My resolve starts to break, and I slowly give back in until my brain reminds me that it’s still here.

I wrench my lips away from his, my hands pushing against his chest, legs flopping beside his hips on the bed.

“I said stop!” The look he gives me scares me deep to my core, and I brace myself for the onslaught of what’s to come next, but he visibly calms himself before pushing off of me.

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” He sits on the edge of the bed, his back towards me, his hand running through his messy hair, making it stand up in odd directions. “I got carried away.” His head turns back towards me, his eyes shining with regret that softens my heart.

“It’s okay.” I whisper as I scoot back against the headboard and pull my knees to my chest.

“How are you feeling?” I’m confused at first, then I remember how sick I’ve been the last few hours.

“Honestly, I’m feeling much better, oddly enough. Um, do you mind if I have some space for a bit?” I tug my lip between my teeth, anxiously biting against it.

“Yeah, I do mind actually.” His eyes go hard while he stares me down, and I feel like a kid who just got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. “If you’re upset, then we should talk about it.”