Page 249 of The Villain We Tempt

She smiles as she sinks against me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

“I love you,” she chokes into my lips as she clings to me.

“I love you too.”

44

GALINA

“You don’thaveto do this, you know.”

I fiddle with the buttons on my blouse and frown at my reflection in Lochlan’s floor-length mirror.

I slept likeshitlast night, waking three times from horrible nightmares involving Nacho chasing me through the dark, his face bloody from where I smashed him with the rock, followed by his bloodcurdling screams as he tumbled over the guardrail at the edge of the cliff

I don’t know if those nightmares will be going away anytime soon. But if I can keep the remedy for them I had last night, namely waking up in Lochlan's arms, knowing I was completely safe, I think I’ll be okay until they’re gone.

The weird thing is that I don’t feel any guilt this morning. Last night I did, a bit. But when I mentioned it to Lochlan last night, he just shook his head and told me I had nothing to feel guilty about. That I should never be sorry for defending myself.

And yeah. Today, that guilt is gone.

The other worry I had last night was if I should keep going with this online alter ego. I’ve always known I had fans who got a little overzealous. But after what happened with Nacho, even though it was a total freak occurrence that he figured out who I was,didI want to continue?

I’m pretty sure I do.

What I’ve always loved about being Velvet Villainess isn’t the fans, or the follower count, or the likes. It's always been the comments like “I was in a book slump until this rec. Thank you!” Or “That series you suggested got me through chemo.” Or “The BDSM book saved my marriage. You opened our eyes to a whole new world of kink and exploration. I’m so thankful.”

I get to hold the door open for people looking to escape to something new. To learn something about themselves, or their relationship.

I get people toread, and I’m pretty okay with that.

I probablywillgo over my security, make extra sure that nobody can track me down. I might even get a slightly fuller coverage mask, just to be safe.

But Nacho’s crazy obsession isn’t going to take Villainess away from me.

I shiver when Lochlan comes up behind me, already dressed for class and lookingdelicious. He wraps his arms around me and gently swats my hands away before he takes over buttoning my shirt.

Well, okay,firsthe slips a hand inside and palms one of my tits before he toys with my swollen nipple through my bra. But afterthat, he buttons up my shirt.

…I’m kinda wishing he’d do the opposite.

But we do have class soon. Specifically, Social Psychology of Deception. That could have presented a slight hiccup to our plans of “coming out” today as a couple, since Lochlan is the class TA, and colleges, even ones like Knightsblood, don’t exactly take kindly to students dating their TAs.

But this morning, after he went to The Atheneum for me and got a change of clothes with some help from Arianna, Lochlan stopped by the academic offices and officially disclosed that he was in a relationship with me and that he needed to be relieved of his teaching duties, effective immediately.

They agreed, and another Psych professor is going to be taking over for the rest of the semester.

Lochlan catches my eye in our reflection as he finishes buttoning my blouse.

“What do you mean,this,” he murmurs in my ear, making me shiver.

“I mean walking out of Kingsward today with me. Announcing to the whole campus that we’re…you know…”

He smirks. “Fucking?”

I roll my eyes. “I mean,yeah, that’s implied. But I mean us being…a thing.”

Lochlan grins. “A thing.”