Page 100 of The Substitute

Too raw to keep everything bottled up, I cling to him, whimpering into the quiet he’s creating in my chaos. In a matter of seconds, I’m desperate.

“Did you and Ambrose fight?”

“Kind of. I don’t know. Everything went wrong.” I can’t break down with his roommate lingering. I don’t want to overstep.

But Savage pulls me into his arms right there in the entryway. Something Ambrose would never do. “What went wrong?”

I shake my head, not wanting to admit to him about the bridge and why Ambrose’s words fucked me up so much. I know I’m being too harsh, but it’s so hard when he sees right through me.

“Let’s go upstairs.” Savage starts to turn with his arm still around my back.

Someone clears their throat behind us, and I jerk away from Savage. I’m acutely aware that there is no explaining that away as anything but what it was. Fuck. Does his roommate know? Have I ruined this for him? “Oh, uh. Hey.”

“Lovelace, this is my boyfriend Tobi.” Savage grabs my hand and links our fingers. “Tobi, my roommate Lovelace.”

Boyfriend?

“Damn. Nice to meet you! Savage told me all about you.” Lovelace grins and waves but seems shocked.

Tears spring to my eyes, and my head snaps to lock gazes with Savage, who’s smirking at me.He told his roommate about me? Will Ambrose ever come out? Could I even take him home as anything other than my roommate?

“Nice to meet you, too,” I barely manage.

“Come on,” Savage says, pulling on my hand. He chuckles at his roommate, and as we pass, I hear him say, “I’m just as surprised as you are.”

The second we’re in his room and the door is closed, I jump on him, wrapping my arms and legs around him, taking his mouth in a hungry kiss. “I need you,” I say against his lips. “Make me come until I pass out.”

He pulls back enough to look at me, taking in every millimeter of my face before gripping my ass in his huge hands and grinding himself against me.

“Anything you want, baby girl.”

But All I really want is to be worth it.

THIRTY-TWO

SAVAGE

Iknow I’ll have to have a conversation with Lovelace later, but right now, I need to focus on Tobi. He’s a mess and has clearly been crying.

“What happened, baby girl?” I ask as I set him on his feet next to the bed.

He buries his face in my neck. “I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I think you should.” I lay him out on my bed, and he looks fucking good there. “It’s going to be nice to not have to squeeze into your twin bed.”

He half laughs. “You mean you don’t want to lay on top of me?”

“I do, but in my bed I can sleep with my legs straight.” I climb in on top of him to prove my point.

He picks his head up and grabs my ass. “Don’t get used to it. Your place is so far from campus.”

“I can drive you back in the morning.” I rest my chin on his chest, settling my hips between his thighs. “What happened?”

“Ambrose and I got into a fight.”

“What about?” I know my step-brother is an idiot, but Christ, what do they even have to fight about?

“I told you I want to forget, not talk about it!”