Page 19

I tug him harder, leaving the party behind us as we step out into the crisp night air. "Ethan’s fine. He’s surrounded by friends.” Even so, I pull out my phone and shoot him a text, just in case.

The cool autumn breeze hits my face, making me feel alive. I lead Ryker off the main paved walkway, cutting across campus toward Karloff Hall. Tucked into the shadowed side of the old architecture of one of the buildings is a narrow alcove. A secluded nook where no one will notice us. It’s completely hidden from the main quad, and isolated from the rest of campus.

The second I notice the coast is clear, I spin around, grab Ryker’s hand, and yank him down into the shadows with me.

"Teagan, we shouldn't stop here. The quad is too open. Anyone can sneak up on us."

"Shut up, Ryker."

There’s a shift in the air around us, and I press my small body against his, looking up. The lingering terror from the frat house vanishes, consumed by the heat that seems to be simmering between us. Ryker freezes, his sharp, pointed ears twitching back as he looks down at me. His blue eyes flare brightly, reflecting the desire he’s so desperately trying to hide.

Fuck that. No more hiding.

"We shouldn’t."

"No. Enough," I whisper, sliding my hands up his chest. The frantic thud of his heart beneath my palms is reassuring. He wants me. "I don't like being told what to do."

I rise up on my tiptoes, tangling my fingers in his black hair, and yank his mouth down to mine.

Ryker groans. The moment our lips meet, it’s as if all of our doubts and excuses vanish right along with it. His hands slide down to my waist, his huge fingers spanning the width of my hips until he’s cupping my ass and lifting me off the ground. He crushes me against his solid frame.

The kiss is a possessive frenzy of tongues and lips. His taste is unlike any kiss I’ve tasted before; sweet and intoxicating. Ryker moves his mouth over mine with a desperate intensity. My lips part easily as his tongue claims me.

I let out a soft, helpless moan, my fingers tightening in his hair. He shoves me against the cold brick of the building and tilts my head back to give him complete access. He’s rough and unapologetic about it.

My mind goes entirely blank. Hell yes!

I’ve had people flirt with me before. I’ve dated co-stars and dealt with endless press rumors during my idol days. But no one, freaking no one, has ever made me feel like this. It’s as if I'm not just a famous actor or a fragile piece of glass. He touches me in this desperate way I crave.

His tail snakes forward, wrapping tightly around my right thigh, pulling my leg up to rest over his hip. The position causes my hard cock to grind against his body. I let out a gasping breath against his lips, my hands sliding over his shoulders to ground myself. There’s something so damn sexy about all this power coiled tight beneath his smooth, granite-like skin.

Ryker presses me back against the building, his body pinning me in place. His head dips low, tailing a sensual line of open-mouthed kisses along the curve of my jaw, down to the sensitive dip where my neck meets my collarbone. His sharp teeth graze the skin there, and I swear I almost come in my pants.

"God, Teagan," he growls. His hot breath sends a violent shiver down my spine. "You're driving me fucking insane. You have no idea what you're doing to me."

I laugh. "I think I have some idea." My eyes flutter shut his his teeth gently graze my pulse point again.

His gargoyle instincts are a total turn on. He’s dominant, protective, and a little animalistic. The span of his wings twitches behind him, trapping us together in a sensual, private world.

For a few heated minutes, I let myself drown in him. Drown in this feeling. Drown in his intoxicating scent. I trace the muscles of his back, before wandering up to the outline of his wings. He shivers, and I marvel at the sexy size difference between us, addicted to the way his hard body presses against me.

But as his hands continue to grip my ass, squeezing with that possessive grip that threatens to ruin me, a sudden zap of reality pierces through my desire. I remember the conflicted look in his eyes back at the dorm when he talked about keeping things professional. I remember how hard he fights himself every single day just to be the reliable, stoic bodyguard he thinks he needs to be.

If I let this go any further tonight, and I let us cross that final line in a random alcove after an adrenaline-fueled fight, Ryker will probably hate himself for it in the morning. He’ll pull back even further, hiding behind his bodyguard persona.

Monster gods, he’ll probably blame himself for taking advantage of me.

I can't let him do that. I want him so fucking badly, but I want all of him. I just want him without the suffocating weight of his guilt attached to it. Breathing heavily, I press my palms flat against his broad chest and push back gently.

Ryker freezes. He’s so still I almost have to fight back a chuckle because he actually looks like a gargoyle statue. I unwrap myself from his embrace until I’m solid on the ground.

His cerulean eyes flash wide with a dark unfulfilled lust. He blinks down at me, his chest heaving up and down, his tail loosening its tight grip on my thigh. "Teagan?" he rasps. His voice is rough and laced with immediate panic. "Did I go too far? Did I do something wrong?"

"No," I say quickly, resting my palm against his cheek. "No, Ryker. Never. You were amazing."

He steps back, taking his heat with him. His hands drop to his sides. He looks completely rattled, his shoulders tense, and his tail twitching.

"I’m so sorry," he mutters, "I lost control. Again. I’m supposed to be protecting you, Teagan. Not backing you against a building and taking advantage you." He runs frustrated hand through his messy black hair.