Page 14 of The Villain's Beast

I put my hand back on his sheets, moved it up to his pillow. Everything was cold already. He’d been awake for too long. Gideon set his book down on the foot of the bed and stepped toward me, the heat rolling off of him in waves threatening to drown me right there in front of him. My phone vibrating to life in my pocket was a life boat I wasn’t sure I wanted, and when I pulled it out and saw my father’s name on the screen, I wished I had actually drowned instead.

“What are you really trying to ask me, Gideon?”

The phone went silent, but I knew it was only a matter of minutes before he called back. I wasn’t sure what he wanted, but I knew what I wanted, and I knew I was running out of time. I put my phone back into my pocket and shifted to face him head on. Without a word, Gideon let his green eyes drag over every inch of my face like he was mapping every hair and blemish in my skin. He licked his lips, pulling the bottom one between his teeth, shuffling half a foot closer to me.

“I’ve never kissed anyone,” he said.

My skin burned and I wanted to scream.

Don’t speak unless spoken to.

Never question authority.

Family above all else.

And fuck the North family.

Stay away from Gideon North.

Stay away from Gideon fucking North.

I understood the warning now because, in less than two weeks, he’d wormed his way under my skin and I’d practically cut myself open to make room for him. He closed more space between us and instead of moving away, I stood my ground, shivering when his breath huffed out against my cheek.

He was so close.

My phone started to vibrate again.

I was out of time.

I fisted Gideon’s soft and silky hair in my hand, then I crashed our mouths together and kissed him.

Chapter 10

Gideon

The next day, I went to class with kiss-swollen lips and the promise of change strumming just beneath my skin.

Fletcher had kissed me until I came in my pants, then he’d left without a word. His departure hadn’t worried me because it was the same way he’d left me the night we masturbated together. Besides, it wasn’t like I’d never see him again. Our assignment was due after lunch, and then…

Who knew what would come next?

For the first time since finding out my parents had agreed to ship me off to Rose Hill Prep, I had an undeniable sense of optimism that maybe…just maybe…my life might end up different than I’d always feared.

I got to class early, and Fletcher was nowhere to be found. We’d agreed no texting, so I couldn’t reach out, and when it was our turn to present, Mr. Smith leveled me with a sharp look and a promise to see me after class. That meeting never came because, midway through class, the dean arrived, escorted Mr. Smith out, and dismissed everyone early.

To call it weird would have been an understatement, but when Dean Malcom stopped me in the doorway, my earlier sense of optimism turned abruptly into foreboding dread.

“Yes, sir?” I asked, adjusting the strap of my bag with nervous hands.

“Your lack of classroom participation has been brought to my attention recently,” he said with a frown. “It’s unfortunate Mr. Smith let it go on as long as he did.”

“I’m sorry. What, sir?”

“I’ve been made aware that you offered no participation in your group final.”

“I spent the past two weeks with Fletcher, sir,” I protested, stepping back into the classroom. “We’ve worked on it every night since it was assigned.”

We’d done more than just work on our paper, but those were secrets between Fletcher and me that no one was supposed to know about.