Page 87 of Savage Elites

Both Leopold and Sebastian had suggested that Prakash and I had become close on that forgotten Monday. It was hard to imagine how I might have broken through his hard exterior and touched the kind soul underneath, but I must have done or said something terrible to him to drive him away. It had taken nearly the entire term for him to warm to me.

“What happened between us?” I pulled my hands away from his cheeks.

His brows drew together. “I don’t follow.”

“Did we…” My gaze dipped, and warmth spread across my cheeks. After everything I’d done with Leopold and Sebastian, it was ridiculous to feel so bashful around Prakash. I gazed at him through my lashes and asked, “Did we kiss or something?”

His liquid-brown eyes dropped to my lips, and a thrill of anticipation shot through my insides. If I’d kissed Prakash and forgotten about it, I’d have to demand a re-do… to jog my memory.

“We opened up to each other,” he said. “Or rather, I told you my darkest secret of how I caused a nice girl’s ruin.”

An image of him downing glass after glass of golden liquid flashed through my mind. As did a memory of him telling me how much Corrine had changed in her last year of life. I furrowed my brow. “But you regret it, now.”

“More than you can ever know,” he rasped. “If I could have saved Corrine, I would, but she’d gone down such a dark path and made the most unforgivable accusations—”

I placed my finger on his lips. “You don’t have to rehash things on my account. My memories are returning.”

“Don’t force it.”

My heart warmed at his concern. What was it about Prakash that made me feel like I’d known him forever? That I could trust him with all my heart, despite his admission of having broken Corrine’s? Perhaps his stand-offish exterior gave the impression that he didn’t open up to many people, and when he did, it was something to cherish.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

“What for?” he asked.

“You went out to the mountains and found me, didn’t you?”

The slight lowering and raising of his gaze told me he had.

“And you saved me from Bianca and her group of sycophants. Thank you for taking such good care of me.” I rose onto my tiptoes and pressed my lips onto his.

Prakash stilled for a heartbeat then took over the kiss. He wrapped a possessive arm around my waist, making me feel like I was his to protect, his to kiss, and his to love. Melting into the kiss, I parted my lips and moaned.

His tongue met mine in a dance of mint-flavored caresses, and the arm around my waist pulled us closer.

I threaded my fingers through his thick, black hair, marveling at how silky it felt under my fingertips. Everything about this guy was strong and masculine.

“Are you sure about this?” he murmured into the kiss.

“Would you break my heart?”

“Never,” he said in a voice as strong as iron.

“Then I’m certain.”

“Then I won’t cease kissing you until you make me stop.”

With a growl, he walked me backward to the edge of his bed, still kissing, tasting, devouring my mouth until my knees weakened, and I lowered myself to the mattress. He bent and placed a knee on the mattress at either side of my hips and laid me flat on the bed.

A breath caught in the back of my throat. I swept my gaze down from the thick strands of inky black hair framing eyes that burned like coals to a curling mouth of full, devastatingly kissable lips. Prominent pectoral muscles bulged from his white, cotton shirt, and a thick erection protruded from his green, uniformed pants.

“I’ve wanted you for so long,” he snarled. “I don’t know if I can hold back.”

Excitement surged between my legs, making me squeeze them together. I whispered, “How long?”

“From the moment I saw you in the hallway with your sister. I couldn’t look at you in case you noticed the desire in my eyes.”

I swallowed hard. “All I saw was contempt.”