THIRTY-ONE

Billie

THOUGH THE EXTRA pair of yoga pants I packed in my soccer bag didn't have a defined purpose, Ethan's cum messing up my undies and joggers gave them one. I appreciate his forethought and preparedness, but the quick towel wipe-down in the stacks was rather insufficient, especially once I started moving. And then, well, it was the sneeze that really did it.

After a more thorough cleanup in the bathroom and putting on a change of clothes, I feel tidier and a hell of a lot less uncomfortable. I drop my soccer bag back down on the floor next to one of the two tables I normally sit at in the back of the library on the main level. Plunking myself down into my chair facing the entrance, I tuck my ankles under my sit bones and rock myself into a cross-legged position, returning to my notes on The Possessed by Dostoevsky for my World Literature class. Why? Why does each character have so many different freakin' names that sound the same in these damn Russian novels?

The heat of spicy cinnamon awakens my taste buds as I chew on a fresh piece of gum. I'm about to put my earbuds in when I hear a high-pitched giggle. "Oh, you're such a gentleman, Xander!"

Xander? Who's giggling Xander ?

I look up to find that lady, Rachael, walking into the library. Xander is following her, letting the doors close behind them. Are they here together? I'm staring at them, thinking that I'm too far away to be noticed, but when her eyes scan the library, they still on me, and she arches an arrogant brow in my direction. Plastering a blinding smile on her face, she looks over at Xander and points to an empty table near the front—far, far away from where I'm seated. The fresh gum in my mouth is no longer being chewed, and the inside of my cheek burns from the intense heat of the cinnamon while I sit here slack-jawed, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

Snapping my gaze to my mate—and he is my mate, bitch—I notice he's not really paying attention to her. His eyes are on me. As they should be. He shakes his head and says something to her while pointing a finger in my direction. Her gaze follows where he's pointing, and her smile tightens while my upper lip curls into a somewhat savage snarl. Tapping my mouth with my fingers, I mentally calm myself and Little Fox. Simmer down, just simmer down .

Rachael rolls her eyes in what seems like annoyance while shrugging a casual shoulder at Xander, who has now overtaken her. His strides are long and purposeful.

WTF? is the look I give him on his approach. I inhale to center myself, and it backfires. His normal pine and cloves scent is toasted, like when he's aroused. Why is he aroused with her? I swallow hard and start chewing my gum with what one may say is aggressive vigor, not wanting to admit what I feel. I manage to swallow down the foxlike hissing growl scrambling up my throat. Not liking being silenced, a sharp jolt resounds through my chest from Little Fox slapping her tail down in warning. I nearly cough out my gum.

Xander pauses at the end of my table, his eyes reading me, clearly sensing that I'm trying to hide something (like the irrationally possessive feelings inside of me that are currently doing a boxer shuffle, ready to throw down). Hopefully he fails to notice how I've managed to plaster my gum over my front teeth like a mouth guard or how my hands are currently curled into fists on the table. Yeah, I'm smooth, totally not giving anything away. Lies.

He tilts his head to the side and nibbles on that damn fleshy lower lip while he continues deciphering my nonreaction, 'cause I'm not reacting at all; I'm completely chill. Cucumber in an ice-bath level chill. More lies .

Uncurling my hands and using my tongue to pull my gum off my teeth, I jostle my head from side to side and press my lips into a thin smile. "Hey, I, um, didn't expect to see you here," I say in a strained voice.

Xander sets his bag and phone down on the table and pulls out the chair next to me. "Ethan sent me a picture of you in here," he informs while giving me a knowing grin and turning the chair around to face me before sitting down.

"Oh," I exhale in relief, letting my inner Mike Tyson—who was more than ready to bite an ear off—settle into his corner as the knot of tension in my chest eases. So that's the reason for his scented arousal.

Xander leans forward, wrapping his large hands over my bent knees, and swivels me around to face him. Licking his lips, he sighs. "Thought I'd try to see you before your next class." His hands begin to uncross my legs pulling them out long and spreading them so they're draped over his.

My face heats up when I look around to see who's near us besides Rachael. The library is pretty full, and we're definitely drawing some attention, which isn't surprising since you know, I'm known as the campus slut who's bangin' three guys at once—most recently upstairs less than an hour ago, or so the rumor mill spins. I'm thinking about easing my legs back when I notice the picture on Xander's lock screen. Us.

Bringing my gaze back to Xander's face, his eyes follow mine from his phone up. I reach for him. My hands brush along the bare skin below his elbows where his shirt has been pushed up. Lightly tracing my fingers through the long hairs on his forearms, down to his hands, I rub my thumb over the area where my mark is. Xander's eyelids shutter closed, and his chin drops to his chest. His mouth opens on a long husky moan, and his fingers dig into the flesh of my upper thighs.

A smug smile curves my lips, and I murmur, "I'm glad you came looking. Must have been some picture Ethan sent you."

Lifting his chin and leaning forward so his face is mere inches from mine, he brushes his hands up and around the back of my hips, firmly grabbing the sides of my bum. My hands trail up to hold on to his broad shoulders. Wetting his lips, his breath warms my face as he groans, "It was highly memorable." Then he pulls me up and over to hover above his thighs. My legs widen, and my hips open, letting my core nestle down onto his lap. The rough feeling of his jeans pushed outward by the hardening length of his cock press against my thinly covered core. My arms drape over his shoulders while our eyes watch ourselves draw nearer until our mouths meet. My lips, still swollen and tender from Ethan and Jax, melt into his butter-soft ones in languid, affectionate kisses. My fingers tease their way up the back of his neck, lightly combing through his hair. I feel his body quiver under mine, and our mouths open with sighs of contentment at being with one another again.

The loud smack of a book being slammed down on the table pulls Xander and me away from each other, and we both glance over at Rachael. With a hand on her hip, she purses her lips and snaps, "Sorry." Pushing her long dark hair over her shoulder, uncovering more of her plentiful chest, then even more when she bends over and places her hands on the table while taking the seat across from us, she explains, "I didn't mean for it to land so heavily." Based on what I'm seeing—the tightness of her jaw and the tension in her shoulders—I don't think she lost control of the book or that she's sorry about it. Her blue eyes flame hot with irritation as she looks from me to Xander. "I thought we were going to discuss our microeconomics project," she states in a chastising voice.

Since she's here to talk to Xander, I ignore her and decide to distract myself with the man below me. Pulling the collar of his thermal down, I place several featherlight kisses on his shoulder, slowly speckling my way upward. His skin pimples under my touch, and his spine erects while his hands splay across my backside. I lick my lips, and the taste of his flavor has my mouth watering. I moan for more. Snuggling myself in deeper, I smush my face against his heated skin and inhale his delicious scent from shoulder to ear.

"I had told you I was coming here in hopes of catching, Billie," Xander answers in a strangled voice, his hands on my rear, pulling me in closer.

Grinning with satisfaction, my teeth graze over my mark. "Caught me," I tease giving him a little nip.

"I sure did," he grunts, while— smack ! I gasp. Did he? Did he just spank me in public? And did I just like it? Throbbing clit says I did.

"Okay, but what about our project. We are partners" she presses on, and I swear I can hear the eye roll. "You can deny it all you want, but you. . ." She pauses, and it feels like a deliberate attempt to gain my attention, which sadly, she does. She proclaims, " You must have wanted to work with me since you didn't object when Professor Folger gave the class the option to choose partners."

That's interesting, I think. Lapping my tongue up the length of his neck, I nip his ear with unsubtle possession and lowly growl my request for an explanation.

Bringing his mouth to my ear, he growls in return, heating my flesh and sending shivers down my spine. His grip slides higher up, pulling my body flush with his. With no space in between us, he's letting me know there's no room for another to ever think of claiming. I hum in satisfaction.

"I told you, I zoned out," Xander retorts in a harsh voice that is in complete opposition to the soothing strokes of his warm hands up and down my back. "My mind was distracted. Images popped in, and I couldn't really focus on anything else." He kisses my neck and tightens his hold on me, then whispers in my ear like a soft breeze. "It was you. It's always you."

His words drape around me like a mantle of warmth, urging me to stay cuddled up with him like this. It feels so damn good being with him how I want to be, regardless of where we are or who we're around. Showing how much, we mean to each other. The beep of a book being checked in or checked out reminds me that the library can't become a study in PDA. I do need to study here, and I'm on a first-name basis with the head librarian, Margie, who I do enjoy talking with.

Pulling my mouth away from his neck and letting my head rest on his shoulder, I exhale a resigned breath. "Why don't you and Rachael figure out if you're going to work together on this project or try to get new partners." Knowing that we'll be separating soon, I sit up in Xander's lap and readjust myself, which has my core rubbing against his fully erect cock. Xander groans, and his hands clench around my sides. I turn to Rachael and toss her a saccharine smile. "I'm sure there are plenty of people in class that would love to work with you."

Returning my attention to Xander, his eyes stay on mine while I stare at those plush lips of his. Unable to help myself, I kiss them a few more times before reluctantly pulling back and saying, "I would like to review some more of my notes prior to class. That was my plan before Ethan decided to join me." Threading my fingers through his hair, I gaze into his eyes and whisper, "We're all going with you tonight, so I do need to use this time now."

The dipping of his brows and the sound of his sharp inhale are the only warnings I get before I'm squished against his chest. His arms, like bands of steel around my waist, hug me with an emotional relief I wasn't really prepared for. Did he think we'd not be there for him? My arms wrap around his shoulders, pulling him closer. The wet warmth of his breath and the silky feeling of his lips along the flesh of my upper neck has my head tipping to one side, opening up for him. His mouth latches onto his mark, and both of our bodies quake with shuddering inhales. "I love you," he croaks against my skin.

"I love you, sempre il mio cuore ," I reply with a soft smile.