Page 76 of Soul So Dark

After a few seconds, Alex gently pulls back. “Slower, like this.”

Holding my head steady, he slides his tongue between my lips, moving his mouth at a torturous pace. Each time he pulls back, he gives my lip a slight tug, only to go back in deeper each time. All I can smell is the sharp, clean scent of his hair and it’s blurring my vision the more I breathe him in. I can feel his cheek muscles move and I know he's smiling, probably laughing at me, but I couldn’t care less right now. I just want Alex to keep kissing me.

He runs his hand around the back of my head, weaving his fingers into my hair before giving it a tug, making my breath catch when he pulls my head back. A shiver runs down my spine while Alex trails long, slow kisses up and down my throat.

“You’re too good at this, Dal,” he groans against my throat. “I want to leave so many marks on you,” he sinks his teeth into my neck, making me wince as the adrenaline shoots from my belly down the entire length of my legs, “in places no one will ever see.”

Fear claws at me, but the more he touches me, the more light-headed I get from the constant rush of dopamine. He guides my mouth to his, devouring every inch while I knead his sweatshirt, trying to feel the contours of his shoulders beneath the thick cotton.

“I…I love kissing you.” The words tumble out before I can stop them.

“Maybe I want to do more than kiss you. Would you like that?”

I nod, my breaths shaky and deep while I’m about to melt into the wood veneer.

“Are you sure,Mariposita?” I nearly fold in on myself when he calls me that and I don’t even know what it means. “I thought you said I’m no fun anymore,” he lifts my hand from his chest and kisses the inside of my wrist, “that I’m just a quarter of a brain,” he wraps my arm around his neck, “afucking idiot.”

I start shaking my head frenetically.

“This is mine,” he says as he leaves a lingering kiss on my lips. Then he runs his hand down the back of my shorts, over top of my cheeky underwear. The wider my eyes get, the wider his smile gets. He palms my ass and gives it a squeeze. “This is mine.” Then he slides two fingers right down the center.

My eyes fly open in a momentary flash of panic and I don’t know what to do except dig my fingertips into his shoulders.

“Andthis,” he starts dragging his fingers up and down, “is mine, too.”

My eyelids start to droop and my mouth falls open. Because the more he does it, the more I like it. The thin layer of material does nothing to dull the sensation, only makes me want it more.

“Youarea little hellion,” he hums into my neck. “I knew I found the right one.”

A tiny moan escapes my throat as I fidget against his excruciating touch. The harder I lean into him, the more my legs fall open and I want something to fill the space between them. But suddenly, my face falls away from the warmth of Alex’s chest. He lets go of me and steps back from the bench top. I grab the edge of the table, my legs still dangling in mid-air. Then he raises his chin, looking down at me with smug satisfaction.

“You should get back to class, Dallas,” he says with a sharp nod to the door.

I gape at him with vacant eyes. Words don’t exist, only the euphoria that’s quickly dissipating like a wave on a beach. He’s drawn me in again, just to rip everything away at the last second. And now the tide’s going out, and it’s dragging me along with it.

But unlike last time, Alex doesn’t leave me. This time, he watches like a hawk as I slide off the edge of the table and gingerly make my way across the room. My legs feel like Jell-O and I think they might collapse under me. When I reach the door, his voice finally splits the air like thunder.

“Nine days.”

I don’t know whether it’s a threat or a promise. Maybe both.

Either way, it spurs me to action and I grab the knob, fleeing into the dark hallway and all the way back to class.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Alex

“Ican’t believe you’re doing this.”

Adrian’s words coming out of Jordy’s mouth is one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever heard. Even more bizarre than Jordy nearly punching a hole in my car window on the way to Mason’s and then spending the next four hours acting like nothing ever happened.

But Jordy’s good at putting up a front. As hard as she works to make herself look like an airbrushed goddess, she’s shockingly deficient when it comes to basic self-esteem. Her confidence comes from fear, and she knows I don’t pine for anyone, including her.

“I decided this before we were even a thing.”

She pinches her brows with disgust. “Well, what amIsupposed to do, Alex?”

I stare back at her blankly. “What do you mean?”