Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Wyn

My first instinct is to run back outside and flag Christian down, but I can already hear his car speeding off into the night.

Stepping forward, I clutch my phone in my hand and glance around. My place is tiny—a kitchenette to the left, a small closet, a dresser, a queen bed, and a bathroom. That's it. My closet door is open, so if anyone is hiding in here, then they're a fucking contortionist and crammed into one of my two cabinets. Unless…my gaze shifts to the closed bathroom door.

It was open when I left. It's just me here, so I never close it.

My heart hammers against my ribs so hard, my entire body is vibrating. Fuck. What do I do?

I glance down at my phone and consider calling someone. But Alexis is still at the party, and she doesn't have her phone. So I dial the number of someone I know will answer.

"Hey, Wyn," Lux's calming voice comes over the receiver. Since she and Roman have gotten together, and both resigned from the Burning Crown, they're always home, and they're usually doing one of three things: watching TV, cooking, or fucking.

My back is pressed against the front door, my free hand on the knob, ready to bolt if someone comes bursting out of that bathroom. "Hey, Lux, can you stay on the phone with me for a sec?"

Her cheerful tone switches to alarm. "Why? What's wrong?"

I push out a breath. I'd have her come over, but she's all the way across town, and there's no way I'm standing out in the dark to wait. "I'll explain in a second, just…be ready to call 911 if I scream."

"Wait, what? Wyn, tell me what's going on."

But I'm already creeping forward. Fortunately, my apartment is the size of a cracker, so in just a few steps, I'm already standing in front of the bathroom. Placing my hand on the door handle, I suck in a deep breath, and twist, flinging the door open before I can chicken out.

"Wyn…" Lux's voice is in my ear as I step into the bathroom, and open the shower curtain. The relief is instant. No one is there.

"Oh, my God," I breathe into the phone, bending over to gather myself. " Shit. "

"I swear to God, Wyn, if you don't tell me what's going on, I'm going over there."

She's pissed now, and I don't blame her. After the year she's had, the poor thing is on high alert at all times, and I basically call her up and tell her nothing, except that she might need to call 911. That would freak anyone out.

"Sorry," I say, moving to the windows, and French doors to make sure they're locked and they are. If someone got in, they must have come through the front door. In my rush to leave this evening, did I forget to lock it?

I explain everything to Lux, who is thoroughly freaked out on my behalf.

"Why don't you come sleep here tonight? Roman won't mind."

Oh, right, like I'm going to invade their love nest? I'd rather sleep on the couch at Rush House, and with all the fluids that thing has seen, it's practically a science experiment at this point. But even that would be preferable to sleeping over at their place and suffering through their PDA and cutesy remarks to each other. Gag.

"No, thanks, I'm okay," I say. "There must be a logical explanation for it."

"Like what? " she asks incredulously.

I shrug, even though she can't see me. "I don't know, what if the building manager had to come in and check for a gas leak or something?"

"Most building managers leave a note on your door, not a piece of fucking shrubbery on your bed."

I yawn. "I'm okay, I swear. Thanks for being on standby."

Lux blows out a breath. "Text me the second you wake up in the morning, so I know you're okay."

"I will, I promise."

As soon as I hang up, I peel my dress off and fling it aside, then find my sweats and a t-shirt and tug them on. At last. There's nothing better than putting comfy clothes on after a night out.

After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I walk over to my bed. The gardenia is still sitting there, creepy-like. Picking it up quickly, I toss it in the trash under my sink, then turn the lights off and crawl into bed.

For a second, I just lay there, blinking up into the darkness, my thoughts swirling around the flower. Who could have left it? Not my parents. That's not something either one of them would do. But I don't know who else it could have been.

Eventually, my thoughts stray from the mysterious flower to Lucas West, king of the assholes. I can still see him in my mind's eye, looking down at me with fury in his eyes. As angry as I am with him, that look in his eyes turned me on a little. It's fucked up and confusing, but it's the truth.

Maybe I'm so sex-starved that just about anything is a turn-on right now. That could be it, right?

Reaching over to my nightstand, I open the drawer, fish out a razor blade, and my vibrator. The vibrator is big and girthy and exactly what I need to take the edge off. The razor blade is to deliver that sharp spark of pain that I now crave before I come. It's something I picked up after my initiation.

Flinging the covers off, I pull my sweats and panties down and imagine Lucas West fucking me with that thick cock I felt through his slacks. With one hand on the vibrator, and one hand on my breast, I pinch my own nipple as hard as I can.

With just a few strokes, my body tightens, and an orgasm slams into me, which just goes to show how on edge I've been. Electric heat ripples through me like lightning, and with Lucas' face in my mind's eye, I buck against the dildo that's buried in my pussy, prolonging the pleasure.

When it's all over, I'm panting and sagging against my pillows. It takes me a second to gather myself, but eventually, I get up to wash the dildo and then clean myself up. By the time I climb back in bed, I'm completely spent, and this time when I close my eyes, sleep comes easy…

A delicate ping wakes me up from a dead sleep. Blinking, I glance at the clock on my nightstand. I have three precious minutes until my alarm goes off, so I roll over and adjust my pillow. But thirty seconds later, there's another ping, and I give up, throwing my covers off. Ugh. I might as well get up now. Sitting up, I reach for my phone. The ping was a text from Lux.

ARE YOU ALIVE?!?!

I laugh and text her back immediately, assuring her that I survived the night. Considering her past, I shouldn't have involved her last night, but in the moment, I didn't know who else to call. Now I'm going to pay the price, though. Now, Lux is going to be paranoid about me living alone, and I'll never hear the end of it.

I get all my bathroom stuff done, throw some makeup on, and a cute little summer dress I've been saving. It's finally warm enough to wear it. It's moss green with little white flowers, and it makes me feel beachy.

Grabbing my backpack, I lock my door, double-checking to make sure it's locked and then I head over to my building manager's apartment. She answers the door with a friendly smile, her graying hair pulled back in a ponytail. A tiny dog barks at me from behind her ankles.

I perk up with my own smile. "Oh, hey, um, I'm in 2A and something weird happened last night. When I got home, there was a flower on my bed. Do you know anything about that?"

She scrunches her nose and looks genuinely perplexed, assuring me that no one has been inside my apartment. She throws out a few theories, but ultimately, none of them really sound plausible. Have I given my key to a neighbor? Have I had any work done inside the apartment? No, on all counts. So we end up chalking it up to a weird anomaly, and I promise to let her know if it happens again.

From there, I head over to my Communication Research class. I make my way to the back of the small lecture hall, to my usual seat. But as I weave through the isles, I see something sitting on my desk. It looks like a crumpled piece of paper, but as I get closer, I realize what it is, and my stomach drops.

It's a white flower.

I pause, mid-step, staring at it.

No.

This isn't possible.

Swallowing, I look around, scanning every face. But no one is looking at me, no one is even paying attention to me.

"Who put this on my desk?" I practically yell, pointing at it.

We don't have assigned desks, but I sit here every Tuesday and Thursday. Everyone knows that.

Several heads turn in my direction, and they look at me like I've lost my mind. They don't answer me. And eventually, they just go back to whatever they were doing.

Fuck this.

Turning on my heel, I rush out of the lecture hall, my breath coming in gasps. Once I'm out in the hall, I glance around. No one is watching me. No one even looks remotely suspicious.

Who is fucking with me?

I can't explain this away as a weird anomaly now. Whoever this person is, they know where I live, and they know my class schedule. I'm thoroughly freaked out.

Putting my backpack down, I lean against the cold plaster wall and suck in several long breaths, trying to calm myself.

It's okay. Everything is okay. It's a fucking flower. You're fine.

Pulling out my phone, I immediately text Alexis. She replies within a few seconds, thank God, and tells me to meet her at the coffee shop after her class.

I book it to the coffee shop, even though I'll have to wait forty-five minutes for her class to be over. I just can't be in this building right now. It's making me feel claustrophobic.

I practically burst out of the building, into the bright morning, and instantly collided with a brick wall. A brick wall that smells like sand, ocean, and bright blue skies—if any of that had a smell. A pair of large hands curl around my upper arms, steadying me.

"Wyn," the wall says, surprised.

Glancing up, I see Lucas' face, his brows pinched together in concern. "You good?"

I blink up at him. Why is he here of all places? It's suspicious, but then again, everything is suspicious right now. "Were you following me? Did you put that…" I search for the word, but my brain is completely scrambled right now, "... thing on my desk?"

"I'm on my way to class."

I pull myself out of his hold, stumbling back a little. Okay. It's okay. Everything is fine. I struggle to pull in a full breath, but it feels like there's an iron band tightly secured around my ribcage. I tilt my heat up and pace.

Oh, Jezus.

I'm having a panic attack.

Yup. Perfect. And right in front of Lucas, too.

I rub my sternum, trying to catch my breath. My heart is beating too fast. Maybe I'm actually having a heart attack?

Lucas grabs me again, pulling me into the building I just left, and into a woman's bathroom. He checks the three stalls quickly, then finding them empty, he locks the main door so no one can come in.

"Lucas…" I try to push past him, but he throws me against the wall, and the breath whooshes from my lungs.

"What the fuck is going on, Wyn?" he hisses, his knee pressing between my legs, causing a delicious sort of tension to throb in my core.

I swallow, struggling to get my bearings. With him so close, it's hard to focus on my panic attack. Fucking rude.

"Breathe," he whispers, leaning in, his breath hot against my cheek.

I fight against him, but it's pointless. He's too strong, and his hands and body prevent me from moving freely.

"Shhh," he soothes, whispering in my ear. "Focus on me."

Pulling in a gulp of air, I let my head fall against the tiled wall, and suddenly all the fight is drained from me. I close my eyes and try to focus on my breathing like he's telling me to do. What the hell do I have to lose, right?

His hand slips under the skirt of my dress, pushing past the hem of my panties. One long finger finds my slit, and without any warning, he pushes it inside me. I suck in a sharp breath and rise up onto the tips of my toes. Fuck. Yes. He moves inside me slowly, driving in deep. Then he adds more fingers until he's pumping in and out of me quickly.

What the fuck is happening right now?

That thought flits across my mind for a brief second before I'm completely overtaken by sensation. It's been so long since I've been touched. A vibrator is great, but it's not the same. It's not like this. And Lucas knows his way around a pussy, that's for sure.

His handsome face is close to mine, his musky scent surrounding me as he fucks me with his hand, his thumb applying just the right amount of pressure to my clit.

Oh, damn, that feels good.

I'm gripping his shirt, pulling him closer, holding on for dear life as my leg comes up and wraps around his waist, giving him better access to my pussy.

"You like that, don't you, filthy whore?" he whispers harshly in my ear.

His words are like a bucket of ice water being poured over me. I suddenly remember who has his fingers inside my pussy, and it jolts me back to reality. I shove at his chest, and he actually moves a little. But it's not enough to get him to back off, so I pull my hand back and slap him across the face. His head whips to the side, and a red mark instantly blooms across that incredible jaw.

"Get the fuck off me," I yell.

He's still inside me when he straightens. His jaw is tight, and his nostrils are flared. He's pissed, but he maintains control. He starts moving his fingers again, thrusting into me with so much force that my body awakens all over again.

Then it happens. My orgasm comes so fast, and so hard, I choke on it, sucking in gulps of air as an electric current rushes through my bloodstream. I'm about to scream out, but he shoves his hand over my mouth, muffling the sound.

And still, he doesn't let up. He strums my clit until every last drop of pleasure is wrung from my body. When he finally removes his hand, I sag against the wall, eyes closed, all the energy completely wrung out of me. My legs are jelly.

My God.

"You're a fucking bastard," I say.

Fuck him for taking that orgasm without my permission. The fucking asshole. I didn't want him to have that part of me.

He moves away from me, and I hear the tap turn on for a second before my heart finally slows down, and I'm brave enough to open my eyes. I regret it instantly, though, because the look in his eyes is dark and angry.

"Touch me again, Lucas, and I swear to God…"

He grabs my face. "Don't ever fucking tell me what to do again," he says, squeezing my jaw so hard my eyes start to water. "You hear me?"

"I hate you," I say through gritted teeth.

He smirks, and pushes my face, finally giving me the separation I crave. "Join the fucking club…"

I open my mouth to say something back, but he's already unlocking the door, and stepping out into the hallway, and I'm left there, wondering what the fuck just happened…