Page 67 of The Villain's Beast

He reached up and ruffled my hair, giving my head a rough shove. I held my footing, heels against the curved edge of the pool deck. “I knew you needed to be convinced to see it my way. I persuaded you.”

“Of course, Father,” I agreed.

His expression changed from a sneer to as much of a plea as I’d ever seen or heard from him. “There are lives on the line.”

I nodded my concession, my submission. “I understand, Father.”

And I did.

But it was his life in question now, not mine.

Chapter 47

Luca

The weirdest thing about my senior year at Rose Hill had been going back to class after everything that happened over the initiation. Pretending that I hadn’t just permanently seared the crest of the Roses into Gideon’s flesh, that Fletcher didn’t chase Bellamy through the woods and fuck him into the dirt, that we didn’t walk in on Fletcher taking Gideon up his ass in the middle of his living room.

Like things between Daren and I would ever be the same.

It was easy for me to admit I was jealous.

Gideon had always been frosty with me, socially and sexually. The events of the initiation didn’t change any of that. Even though I’d snuck out to see Daren a handful of times, I was still mostly alone and he was the opposite. He was tucked up safe and sound in that house with BellamyandFletcher, and on more than one occasion I’d jerked myself off thinking about the two of them splitting Bellamy wide open with their cocks.

I wanted to be split open. I wanted to be fucked.

And Gideon wanted to be left alone.

I headed back toward Rose Hall and was halfway there when I decided—fuck that. I flipped my hood up and changed course, taking the long way around campus until I reached the propertyline of Thorn Hill. Bellamy and Daren were sitting on the porch, both of their heads snapping up toward the tree line when I deliberately stepped on a branch. It shattered under my feet and Daren was off the porch like a rocket, gesturing for Bellamy to go inside.

I waited until he was close enough to see me, then I walked deeper into the woods. Behind me, his footfalls grew closer, louder. Then I could hear his breath, and the side of his forearm slammed into my back, rocking my chest and face into the closest tree.

“What are you doing here?” he whispered, free hand already working quickly at my pants, then his.

“I missed you,” I said.

He spit in his hand and rubbed it on his cock, then forced the blunt head into my hole. I reached down and covered my own erection with my hand before Daren fucked me right into the tree, thankful for my quick reflexes. I liked it rough, but my masochism had limits.

“We’re supposed to be careful,” he grunted, thrusting his cock inside of me with one sharp snap of his hips.

Pushing back, I shoved him out of me and turned, flattening my back against the tree and hooking one of my legs around his hip. I spit in my hand and added it to his cock, drawing him closer to me.

“I’m all alone there,” I whispered. “Gideon won’t touch me.”

Daren grunted, flipping his ball cap backward and shoving his shirt up underneath his chin. He lined himself back up between my legs and fucked up into me again. I brought my other leg around his waist and threw my head back, so grateful for the feel of his body once again inside mine.

I knew I was desperate and needy, and I wasn’t ever going to change.

“I love you,” I said, even though it sounded like a plea.

“I won’t lose you.” He pushed me into the tree and I closed my eyes, letting the feel of him and the pleasure of his cock wipe away all of my jealousy and my fear. I took my dick into my hand and jacked off while he thrust into me, the friction of our skin well past the point of painful. I had four frantic minutes before I shot my load all over my hoodie, and another two minutes before Daren spilled inside of me. He breathed ragged and hard into my ear, cock still throbbing.

“Try again with Gideon,” he whispered. “I don’t want you to be alone. And if he won’t, then go find someone else like before.”

I bit back a protest, not wanting to argue with him and ruin the moment. But trying to break through Gideon’s walls was the equivalent of trying to get into Fort Knox. There was no breaching his perimeter unless your name was Fletcher Sinclair.

Footsteps storming into the tree line had Daren easing me back down to the ground. I tucked my sticky cock back into my underwear while Daren righted himself, but I stopped him when he tried to turn his hat back forward.

“This is hotter,” I said, dropping my forehead against the outside of his shoulder.