Page 12 of Mortala
“Is this your room?” she asks, running her fingers along some of the books on the bookcase.
“No, this is Chase’s room. I’m not in a fraternity.”
She nods, though she looks more nervous now that she knows this isn’t my room.
“You don’t think he’ll try to come up here? Maybe bring his own girl to his room?”
I laugh at the thought of Chase having enough game to bring anyone to his room. The poor guy can’t flirt with women to save his life. But I don’t miss how she insinuates that she’s mine.
Fuck, I like the sound of that.
“No. Definitely not. Chase isn’t the best at getting women to swoon over him.”
“I see.”
She sits on the edge of the bed, her hands idly stroking the comforter beneath her. I wonder what’s going through that beautiful head of hers. She probably thinks I sleep around, not that she’d be wrong, but all that is about to change.
I sit beside her on the bed as she folds her hands neatly in her lap. My hand finds her knee before slowly gliding up her thigh, savoring the softness of her skin beneath my fingertips. A tiny birthmark rests on the inside of her right knee, shaped almost like a little heart. I trace it gently with my fingertip, and her legs tremble beneath my touch as goosebumps ripple across her skin.
When I lift my gaze, she’s already watching me.
Her teeth catch her bottom lip, worrying it ever so slightly, and my attention locks onto the gesture, my pulse stuttering. What I’d give to steal that lip between my own.
I softly grab her chin between my thumb and forefinger, running the pad of my thumb across her lip and removing it from between her teeth. Her breathing is heavy, her chest growing closer to mine with every exhale.
“You can’t keep doing that in front of me,” I breathe.
She looks at me with confusion, so I push further.
“The next time you bite this lip in front of me, I’m going to take it between my teeth. Do you understand?”
I watch her as she visibly swallows, her delicate neck rolling before me. I can see her pulse from here, loving how responsiveshe is. Leaning in, I’m ready to taste her lips, but she pulls away, interrupting me.
“I’ve never done anything…I mean, before. I-I’ve never doneanything…with anyone else.”
Her chest rises and falls quickly as her eyes shift back and forth between my own, the weight of her words lingering in the space between us. Her emotions are easy to read on her freckled face.
Before I can even get a word out, she’s standing. “I’m sorry, I can go?—”
“Maddie, no.” I grab her hand, pulling her back to the bed. “Has anyone ever touched your lips?” I palm her cheek, slowly brushing my thumb across them. Her eyes flutter shut, a breath slowly releasing from her mouth.
I run my hand through her thick hair. “Has anyone ever run their fingers through these curls?” I grip her hair, tugging gently. A soft moan escapes her at the pull, and I can see the goosebumps prickling her skin.
“Have you ever been touched at all?” I place my hand back on her thigh and glide my fingertips along her skin. Her eyes are still shut, and she shakes her head slightly. I can tell she likes my touch, but she hasn’t given me any verbal consent to keep going, so I stop.
She opens her eyes, her gaze meeting mine, and leans closer, stopping when her knee grazes my own.
“Maybe, uh. Maybe we can just take things slow?” she whispers as she looks back down at her hands, interlocking her fingers and releasing them again. A slight blush reaches the apples of her cheeks, embarrassment clear on her face.
“Of course, whatever you want, Princess,” I say, meaning every word.
Stroking her face, my thumb skates along her cheek. I gaze down at her lush lips and watch as her tongue darts out andglides across the bottom one. I lean into her, her breath catching as my lips come within a breath of hers.
I don’t even get a chance to kiss her.
A brick tears through the window, glass shattering everywhere. Maddie screams as I dive on top of her, trying to shield her from the flying shards.
“What the fuck! Maddie, are you okay?” I quickly examine the exposed skin on her body, searching for any traces of blood and find none. A sense of relief washes over me knowing she wasn’t hurt.
