Seriously wrong.
Because I can’t help replaying what happened in the storage room over and over until I choke on the carnal memories.
Until my heart threatens to burst and my head fills with all sorts of depraved theories.
And images.
His hand on my ass, his fingers inside me, my hair at his mercy. My whole body homed in on his ruthless dominance.
I’ve always thought I would be the type who likes respectful sex, the ‘can we do it tonight’ sex, the ‘we’ll have a date, then eat and touch each other in the dark’ type.
So what if I somehow ended up watching hardcore porn once or twice—okay, maybe a few times. That was only curiosity, a fantasy, and had nothing to do with my real-life preferences.
But those preferences and every single perception I had about myself have been shattered to pieces in a single encounter with Creighton.
He reached inside and yanked out a part of me I didn’t even know existed. It was hidden right beneath the surface, waiting for a natural disaster of Creighton’s caliber to finally show itself.
I tiptoe inside the apartment I share with the girls, then stop just past the threshold. Why do I need to sneak around as if I’m doing something wrong?
Truth is, a sense of corruption reeks from my every pore, not to mention that I’m a little bit filthy in the best ways possible.
“Anni!”
I jump slightly, then school my reaction and smile as Ava waltzes in my direction, holding something in her hand.
“Someone dropped this in the mailbox with your name on it. Do you think it’s poison?”
My lips part and my vision fills with the tube of ointment in her hand. No one else would know I need this except for the one person who gave me a reason to use it.
“Earth to Anni?” Ava waves a hand in front of my face.
“Uh, I don’t think so.” I subtly pull it from between her fingers. “I’ll throw it away, just in case.”
“Yeah, good call. Looks fishy as hell.”
“I’ll go change.” I step past her, thankful that she doesn’t see the emotion on my face. Hell, I would’ve sworn she’d comment on my crumpled dress and possibly see the handprints her childhood friend gave me.
“Wait.”
My breath catches in my throat. Please don’t tell me she’s seen something more incriminating.
I hold on to my cool as I turn around to face her with my usual smile. “What’s up?”
“I know I’m supposed to fix something for dinner, but I don’t want to. Can we order instead?”
Phew. “Sure thing. I can cook if you want.”
“No, definitely not, I mean no.” She’s quick to wave my offer away.
I narrow my eyes. “My food is edible, you know.”
“Not to humans. Seriously, Anni, I love you, but you’re not made for cooking. Just stick with your fresh salads.”
“Creighton ate my food just fine,” I grumble. Though it was only once and not in front of me.
“That one eats anything, including dog food if he finds it.”
I tuck my hair behind my ear. “Do you know why he has that weird fixation about food?”
“Not really. It’s been there since we were kids.”
Sometimes, I envy Ava and the others for having known a younger Creighton. But then again, Cecily said his personality isn’t drastically different, so on second thought, it’s probably better that I didn’t meet him back then.
He would’ve either friend-zoned me to death or broken my heart into irreparable pieces.
He could still break it now.
I smother that thought in the dark corners of my mind and focus on Ava. “Like his silence, I assume.”
“Totally. Creigh is a man of few words because he simply doesn’t feel like talking. And I know he might seem standoffish and cold, but he can be super caring.”
My ass throbs and I mutter, “You must be talking about a different Creighton than the one I know.”
“Nope.” Ava leans against the wall and tilts her head back, eyes seeming lost in another universe. “He was there for me during a dark moment. He didn’t say anything, just sat beside me and let me use his shoulder to cry my eyes out on, like a brother would, and I will never forget that.”
This is the first time I’ve seen Ava so pensive. In pain, even. I want to ask what that dark moment was, but I don’t want to come on too strong or to intrude.
My friend shakes her head and narrows her eyes on me. “Wait a minute, you flirt. Why are we talking about Creigh when you wanted to fake date Bran last night? Ces and I even put in a good word for you, you know. Bran doesn’t like dating that much, since all the girls go to him because they can’t get Lan. And if they actually liked him for himself, they’d change lanes to the evil twin as soon as they meet Lan. I’m on a mission to stab those blind little bitches in the eyes for hurting Bran.”