Page 15 of Revere

Her golden eyes filled with secrets meannothing.

At least now she’s sleeping, so I’m not forced to stare into them.

Fifteen minutes ago, Patience’s eyelashes started to flutter. Ten minutes ago, her shoulders sagged. Now she’s sleeping at a table in the center of the library with her cheek resting on the back of her hands, stubborn as ever, and refusing to go home before I do.

I slide my ankle off the opposite knee and push to stand.

The library is empty apart from the two of us.

Knowing her parents, I expected her to be a little less trusting of strangers, so I’m surprised to see she let her guard down to give me such access. Maybe she doesn’t see me as a threat.

Why does that only irritate me more?

When we spoke on the plane, I got the impression she knew better.

Her father has committed unspeakable sins.

Her brother is notorious for violence.

Patience should know better than to leave herself at my mercy like she has now. Especially as I circle the table to get a better look at her.

Her blonde hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail. Tempting me with the perfect rope to wrap around my fist and tug until her back arches. Until she stops talking back and lets go of her defenses for once.

My blood runs hot at the thought.

Maybe that’s all this is—a chemical reaction.

Physical attraction.

Not that I’ve ever felt this way about a student.

But Patience, with her smooth, porcelain skin, has me questioning the only ethical code I’ve yet to break. She has asingle freckle on the side of her nose, and I wonder how many more dot her body. Her long lashes sweep over the apples of her cheeks, and I wonder what she hides in those beautiful eyes.

She’s too young. Only twenty. And she’s pure fire.

Patience is the type of girl who ruins empires. Beauty that starts wars. That dethrones kings and puts queens on the throne in their place. She’s an itch spreading through my veins.

Women don’t get under my skin. I don’t let them. Not when the only one I ever cared about was brutally ripped away.

“She was a liability.”

“So you eliminated it?”

“We did what had to be done.”

Those words echo in my mind like the invisible blood that sticks to my hands. Nothing washes certain things clean.

I promised to never have a weakness again, which is why Patience makes me so angry. With every sassy comment, every challenge, every bit of fight, she proves she’s nothing like I expected.

I step closer and smell the sweetness of her sweat from under the mask of her floral perfume. I’d like to peel apart her thighs and see if she tastes as sweet as she smells. Find the pliant part of her that she refuses to show people. I wonder how long I’d have to fuck her with my tongue until she would stop battling me.

From the rosy blush that dots her cheeks with every conversation, I assume it wouldn’t take much. She might have fight in her, but I sense she wants the excuse to let go. If only she’d let me take control…

These are dangerous thoughts. Ones I can’t entertain when Patience is the key to my revenge. I’ll destroy her if it means her father finally pays for what he did. There is no other option.

I reach down and brush a stray blonde strand off her face. My fingertips are nothing more than static on her skin with the fraction of space as I brush it away.

What would it be like to touch her?