Chapter 42

FORTY-TWO

M aybe it's selfish to say things are good, but they are, at least with Alek and me. We can't keep our hands off each other, and he doesn't seem to care too much who is looking. I guess losing me woke him up a little. I still don't push it, but I find him reaching for me more often, and yeah, it might put a goofy grin on my face. However, we are both still worried about Alice, and the police aren't any closer to figuring out who killed those two or sent the flowers.

It has us all on edge, especially Alek. Usually, I let him take it out on me, letting him fuck me until he can relax, but it seems inappropriate with his sister in the car, not to mention my best friend.

"Nice bag, Anders," Lally comments, picking one up from the footwell. "I didn't expect you to carry a man bag."

Lally teases Alek as often as she can. I expected him to snap at her or hate it, but it seems they have some sort of truce, and I'll admit it makes me happy to see my boyfriend getting along so well with my best friend. Hell, Alek and Tommy talk for hours about cars when he comes to my dorm.

Glancing back, I spot a black shoulder bag and look at Alek. "You never carry a bag. "

His ears are turning bright red, his eyes locked on the road as he drives us to campus. He just shrugs. I grip his bicep, squeezing until he glances at me.

"Baby?" I know it's his weakness, his eyes practically flaming with desire.

"I started carrying it for you," he admits quietly. "I noticed you were struggling to carry your camera and books all the time, so I figured I'd carry it in case you needed help."

"Oh my god," both girls say in the back, but my eyes are locked on a blushing Alek.

"What?" he asks when I just stare at him.

Leaning closer, I drop my voice. "You are so getting laid tonight," I whisper as I kiss his cheek.

His smile is wide as he winks at me, even as he continues to blush, but luckily he focuses on parking so it calms him down a little.

"You are so whipped, Anders," Lally remarks with a laugh.

"Shut up, pinkie," Alek retorts as he turns off the engine.

"What do you think, cutie?" Lally asks, nudging Alice. "Is your brother whipped?"

Alice blushes so hard, I think she might pass out, and I shoot Lally a warning look, but she only winks at me. Like me, she's a terrible flirt, but when Alice smiles, I let it go. She's been through a lot recently, so if Lally can cheer her up, then so be it.

"So whipped. Last night, Evan mentioned he was craving pastries, and this morning, Alek set an alarm on his phone on silent so it wouldn't wake Evan, and then he went and stood in line at Evan's favorite bakery to get them for him."

My mouth drops open as I gape at Alek. He never told me that. I just figured he had them.

"When you two get married, I want to be best man," Lally says.

"Who else would be?" I wink as Alek's head snaps around to me. I expect him to freak about our joke, but he just watches me seriously.

"You'd marry me?" he asks quietly.

"Baby, seeing you in a tux with a ring while locking you down? Yeah, I'd marry you. Now come on, we need to get the kids to school. "

"Hey!" Alice protests as I laugh, climbing from the car, but within seconds, I'm pressed back against it, and Alek's mouth is on mine. I gasp in surprise, gripping his wide shoulders as he pins me, kissing the life out of me.

"Come on, cutie, they could be at it for a while. I'll walk you to class. Bye, Daddy One and Daddy Two, see you at dinner," Lally calls.

I wave, but my hand drops when Alek bites my lip. Pulling away, I pout as he rubs his thumb across the stinging bite, his eyes smoldering for me.

"What was that for?" I mumble.

"The idea of marrying you made me want to kiss the shit out of you," he answers without shame, smiling brightly as he steps back. "Okay, let's get you to class—wait, where did they go?" He frowns at the empty back seat.

"They left." I snicker as I take his hand. "I have a free period before my next class. Want to hang around campus and feel each other up like a horny couple?"

The smirk he gives me makes me cough, and it's my turn to blush. I hold his hand tighter and tug him after me. "Come on."

We did exactly that. We lounged on the grass, touching and teasing each other, and we laughed and talked. It was so nice just spending time with him in the sunshine.

Sighing in contentment, I look down at Alek, who has his head on my lap. He's lying on the rim of the fountain in the middle of campus, one hand covering mine on his chest, the other playing with grass. I can't help but smile as I play with his hair.

"I can feel you staring at me, rich boy," he rumbles, his chest rising with a deep breath.

"Can you blame me?" I tease, kissing his forehead with a grin. "You're so beautiful."

"I'm handsome or arrogant?—"

"Nope, beautiful." I laugh as I sit up. Our words trail off, both of us content in comfortable silence.

"I'm worried about Alice," he finally admits. I know he is. He hasn't been sleeping, and it's obvious. I just wish there were more I could do to help.

"I know," I murmur, squeezing his hand in support. "The police are doing their job?—"

"Not fast enough." He sits up, eyeing me as he pushes his sunglasses up on top of his head. "What if something happens in the meantime? I can't lose her, Evan. She is all I have. She's my entire family?—"

Grabbing him, I tug him into my arms, rubbing his back.

"I know she is. You won't lose her. Alice is a smart girl, and we are all here." Pulling away, I cup his cheeks, looking into his terrified eyes. Sometimes I forget that Alek is only a few years older than me. He acts so confident and strong, but he's still barely an adult. He lost his parents, and now he's facing losing his sister, and he looks lost. He needs a purpose. Alek isn't the type of guy to sit on the sidelines.

"How about we snoop around?" I offer. "Look into it as much as we can? I'm not saying we will find anything, since the police are already investigating, but it might help you feel better."

His brows draw together as he watches me. "What could we find out?"

Running my eyes over his face, I debate how much to say. I don't want to break the rules of Silent Rose, but this is the love of my life and it is life or death, so surely they will understand. "There were murders like this before," I admit. "My friend told me her brother was here when it happened. Apparently, it was covered up as suicides, but everyone knows it wasn't. They never found who did it. Maybe if we can look into that, we might find some clues."

"It can't be the same person, though, if that was years ago, right?" Alek muses.

"They don't have to go to school to be here, Alek." I point at him. "They could work at the college or even close by. Maybe they aren't connected, but maybe they are, and it's obvious the police won't be looking into that link since they closed those cases years ago."

"Good point. Where would we even start?" He sighs. "Also, what friend?" His eyes narrow. "Is it a guy?"

"Not every guy I'm friends with is trying to fuck me, Anders," I scoff.

His eyebrow arches. "Most would have said that about me, but you have this way about you, pretty boy."

"It was a girl," I add helpfully.

"Still no better," he grumbles.

"Is that really what you're focusing on right now?" I ask, and he pouts at me, looking way too adorable. "Well, do you want to work together to catch a killer, baby? We could play detectives."

He groans, flopping back. "You're going to want nicknames and weird outfits, aren't you?"

"You know it." Standing, I tug on his arm to get him up. "Come on, we can start in the library. There must be news articles about what happened, and they have stored all the local newspapers."

"Fine, but I refuse to have code names," he snaps as he gets up, slinging our bags over his shoulder.

"Princess Cupcake, are you in?" I hiss into the phone.

His sigh is long and suffering. "I'm in."

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear that. Could you repeat, Princess Cupcake, since I don't know whom you are addressing?" There's a long silence where I'm sure he's debating murdering me.

"I said, I am in . . . Sprinkle Tits." It's low and growly, and I can't help but laugh as I hide in the back of the library. I have a student card, so I got in easily, but Alek not so much. Last time we came, it was nighttime and easy to slip inside, but not today. I distracted the security officer and receptionist while he snuck in and hid, but I wasn't sure if he made it .

Putting the phone down, I bite my lip to hold back my laughter as I wait, and two minutes later, he appears at the end of the row of shelves and heads my way, looking way too grumpy and sexy at the same time. I grab his hand and silently pull him toward the door. "The nice receptionist?—"

"Whom you were flirting with."

I turn, my eyebrow raised. "She was like forty. Now, don't get me wrong, I get the whole cougar thing . . ." His eyes narrow in warning, and I grin. "But I'm more into the grumpy mechanic thing. It's the coveralls that do it for me."

"Fine."

"Anyway, she said this is the room we need. I booked it for the next few hours so we can look in peace. Apparently, they have physical copies, but they were also integrated into an online catalog. Let's go."

Putting in the code she gave me, I scan my ID and tug him into the dark room, then I shut and lock the door. His hand slides up my arm to my shoulder, and I hit the door.

His lips meet mine, his tongue tangling with mine as I groan and pull him closer, unable to resist. The darkness of the small room only makes it that much hotter, knowing we could be discovered at any moment. I pull away, my eyes wide as I try to see him, but it's too dark.

"Catching a killer, remember?"

"Hmm. Just one second. I need to remind us that you belong to me, otherwise I might go a little crazy with the way everyone has been flirting with you today."

My breath comes out in heavy pants as he slips down, his shadow crouching before me as he unfastens my jeans.

My eyes widen in shock at how brazen he is as he pulls my boxers down, his tattooed hand wrapping around my length. I groan, and his lips curve with a wicked smirk as he leans in and swipes his tongue along the head of my cock. My hips jerk as desire courses through me so hard, I can't catch my breath. Leaning back into the door for support, I reach down and slide my hand into his hair, needing an anchor .

Seeing Alek Anders on his knees for me is a godly experience.

"Is this how you like it, pretty boy?" he murmurs before sucking the head of my dick. The suction is so strong, my back bows as fire races down my spine. "Yours is the first cock I've ever sucked, so you might need to teach me."

His teasing tone drives me wild, but something about the idea of teaching him has me tightening my hand in his hair until he groans. Tugging him closer, I slide the wet tip of my length across his lips. "I'll teach you, princess. Open up." Obediently, he opens his mouth, his dark, wicked eyes glittering as he watches me above him.

Biting my bottom lip, I push my cock into his mouth, the warmth making me grunt as he closes it around me.

"That's it," I purr, my hips stuttering as I slide deeper into his mouth. His eyes tighten, and I groan. "Breathe through your nose," I order as he starts to gag. Pulling out, I let him recover before pushing back into his mouth. His other hand grips my thigh, and I start to pull back when I see tears gathering in his eyes, but he pushes his head farther down, taking all of my length to the back of his throat and holding himself there. His hot, wet mouth is wrapped around my length so tightly, my hips buck.

Gripping the dark strands of his hair, I tug him from my length and slam back in, unable to hold back. My head hits the door with a bang. "Please, baby," I beg, my chest heaving.

I groan his name, and it bounces around the dark room. His mouth goes wild on my length, sucking and licking as I drive into his throat over and over. My rhythm is faster than it should be, but I can't help it, and he doesn't protest—if anything, he drags me deeper, letting me use and abuse his throat and mouth. His watering eyes remain locked on me, drinking down my every reaction.

My free hand slides up my shirt, across my abs, and up my throat before hitting the door with a thump. My eyes want to roll back, but I keep them locked on him, not wanting to miss a single second of this.

Pulling back, he licks his raw lips. "You taste good, rich boy," he murmurs, licking the tip of my cock again as my hips jerk, my balls drawing up. "I want more of it. Fill my mouth with it until you're all I taste."

Fuck!

That thought is enough to have me tumbling over the edge, and he opens his lips wide as I slam into his mouth before pulling back, reaching down, and pumping my length for him.

"Stay like that," I demand breathlessly, working my cock hard and fast until I come.

Groaning deeply, I shoot ropes of cum into his open mouth, watching as it hits his tongue and slides down my hand. I massage his throat. "Swallow me," I order.

His mouth snaps shut as he swallows, letting me feel it, and then his tongue darts out to lick his lips. He catches every single drop of cum before he leans back to sit on his heels. "Well, is the teacher happy with my performance?"

All I can do is nod jerkily, my legs weak, and he grins.

Sliding up my body, he kisses me softly, letting me taste my release. It might have started with me playing with him, but we both know it ended with him getting what he wanted—me.

"Good boy," he purrs against my lips. "Next time someone looks at you, remember me on my knees for you, that you are mine, and this"—he grips my softening dick, making me gasp—"is mine."

I nod. "Yours."

"So what year should I start on?" I glance over, my mind still locked on what he just did to me. My eyes drop to his lips, and he smirks. "Focus, pretty boy."

Coughing, I rub my neck. "Maybe start five years ago? I think that's when her brother graduated."

"Got it."

I continue to stare as he searches through the boxes on the shelves, and he must feel my gaze because he turns and winks at me. "Keep looking at me like that and I'll bend you over that desk. You wanted to catch a killer, remember?"

Turning away before I order him to do just that, I wiggle the mouse and bring the computer to life. I plug in my ID and password and wait for the slow system to load. I hear him muttering as he searches. We decided to divide and conquer, with him on the physical papers and me on the system. It finally loads, and I almost groan at the system's organization. It's dated, but there isn't much more than that.

I click on the year I want and start to scroll, losing myself in each newspaper.

"Look at this," Alek calls, making me jump. Turning, I see him bent over the middle desk, newspapers spread out before him. Getting to my feet, I stretch and head his way, reading through the article he's pointing at.

SUICIDES ON CAMPUS SHAKE PINE VALLEY

It's a tiny article, almost hidden, and labels them as a suicides. I meet Alek's eyes, and he points at the box.

"The next few are missing, almost a month of articles just gone."

"How? Why?" I frown, looking back at the article. "Is someone still trying to cover up what happened?"

"Maybe. Why else would they get rid of them? You said this is the central storage for all news in Pine Valley. Aside from the journalists, no one else would really have them, right? Unless it made national news, but I don't remember seeing it."

"Me either," I murmur as I reread the article. "Maybe they didn't erase them from the online system." I hurry to the computer, hoping I'm right. We could use a lead.

"What's the date?" I call.

He reels it off, and I search for those around it and load them up.

"Okay, there are only two left," I tell him as I read through one. "Nothing in this one. It must have been before it happened. Wait—" I load the second, my eyes widening at the article hidden at the bottom. If you weren't looking for it, you wouldn't have a clue .

"A female student, Clarissa Wright, admitted that she was worried about walking on campus before the suspected murders even took place at Pine Valley, stating she felt unsafe, and there was a worrying pattern of stalking and abhorrent behavior," I read out loud. "This is before they called it suicide. It doesn't say much else, but it's something." Leaning back, I grab my phone.

"What are you doing?" Alek murmurs as he peers over my shoulder.

"We have a student and teacher directory, and alumni are included too. I'm searching for her." I type in her name and wait. There are only two people with that name, and one graduated ten years before. The other has a student ID but no alumni information.

"That's weird," I mutter.

"Why?" he asks.

"She should have graduated. This means she was a student but didn't . . . Maybe she dropped out?" I look up at him. "And I'm betting I know why."

"But how do we find her?" Alek asks.

"They don't list contact information or addresses." I have an idea and pull up Bones's information, hitting dial. He answers within seconds.

"You okay, Evan?" he asks. "I'm at home, but I can be at school in ten?—"

"No, no, I just need a favor, if that's okay?" I reply.

"Of course, tell me," he murmurs. There is a voice in the background, and then the sound of a door shutting.

"I need you to find someone, and I know you have connections. Her name is Clarissa Wright. She left Pine Valley three years ago. She was a student," I explain.

I hear him typing. "Got it. Give me ten, and I'll call you back, okay?"

The fact that he doesn't even ask why makes me grin. "Thanks, Bones." I hang up and smile at Alek. "He'll find her, then we can speak to her and find out what really happened."

He nods and then tilts his head. "How do you know Bones? "

"You know Bones?" I gape.

He chuckles as he lifts me then sets me on his lap, wrapping his arms around me and tugging me closer. "Hmm." He nods. "He's teaching Alice self-defense. I met him at the gym."

"Ah, he goes here." I hate that I have to lie to him. "We met in a club."

"A club? I didn't know you were part of a club," he asks curiously, not suspiciously.

"Oh, you know how it is, so many clubs. I just wanted to try one." I cough and straddle his lap, sliding my hands up his chest to distract him. "Want to fool around while we wait?" I wiggle my eyebrows, and he laughs.

"You are insatiable," he remarks, but his hand slides down my back, gripping my ass and tugging me closer so we are pressed together.

Lowering my head, I place teasing kisses along his lips until he groans and yanks my head to his. I moan as he kisses me deeply, but my phone rings, interrupting us. Opening one eye, I grab it and hit speaker as I pull away. Alek keeps kissing down my neck, making me close my eyes in bliss as I bite back a moan.

"Hmm?" I answer.

"Evan?" Bones asks in confusion.

"I'm here." My voice is slightly breathless, but honestly, he's doing this thing with his tongue. I hiss as he bites me and push him away, then I narrow my eyes in warning. "Did you find her?"

Bones chuckles. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Nothing," I warn Alek with my eyes as he smirks.

"Okay, well, Clarissa Wright dropped out. She moved home, which is three hours away, but when her mother died, she moved in with her father just thirty minutes away. I'm texting you her address. She is still there, registered as his nurse and working at a local pet supply shop. Is everything okay?"

"Yep, just some research," I reply. I'll tell him later when Alek isn't here .

"Okay, well, good luck. Let me know if you need anything." He hangs up, and I swing my gaze back to Alek.

"You'll pay for that!" I growl as I lean in and bite his shoulder, making him yelp.