Page 45 of In Darkness We Claim

I know I’m overthinking things, and it’s only making everything worse, but I don’t know how to stop. After discussing things with Wren yesterday, I’m already waxed everywhere, so I’m not sure what else to do.

I consider getting in the shower, but then my hair will be wet, and I’m not sure there’s any point when we’ll need one afterward. I decide on brushing my teeth and touching up my makeup, and I’m grateful once again that Wren reminded me to drop a bag off with Lawson before the Gifting Ceremony.

He’s already taken the time to put all my toiletries and makeup on the cabinet beside the sink, so I quickly follow my usual routine, though I don’t bother with much makeup. I wore some for the Ceremony, but after Lawson used my face, he completely ruined it, and I don’t fancy doing that again.

Still, I settle for a bit of dark eyeliner and mascara to make my eyes pop, and red on my lips. It’s a tad darker, more sultry than I usually wear, but fits the occasion, so I run with it.

After taking some deep breaths to calm my racing heart—then giving it up as a bad job when it only gets faster—I grab hold of the door handle, finally ready to join Lawson.

I’m still completely naked, which makes me want to cover myself with my hands as I walk into the bedroom, but there’s not much point as he’s going to see it all anyway—and more. So, instead, I pull my shoulders back and hold my head high, trying to project much more confidence than I really feel.

I walk into the bedroom to see Lawson already sitting on the bed with his back against the headboard. He’s removed his shirt, leaving him in just his trousers, and he’s flicking through something on his phone, so he doesn’t even notice me entering the room.

I do a quick scan, not even a little shocked to see Lawson’s bedroom is so much bigger than my dorm. He’s got a seating area with a black leather sofa and matching comfy arm chair when you first enter the room, aimed at a very large TV.

To the left side is a mini kitchen, though it barely looks used, aside from a couple of glasses drying beside the sink. There are two bar stools next to the counter, which he probably uses as a table.

There are two doors off to the side next to the ensuite; one is the main entrance, so the other is most likely a walk-in wardrobe. His large king-sized bed takes up most of the far side of the room, black silk sheets beneath him, with two bedside tables on either side.

The decor is exactly what I expected; plain walls, dark wood, and black and grey furnishings. What I wasn’t expecting is how neat everything is, with barely anything out of place. It hardly looks like the room of a twenty-one-year-old guy at university.

I barely spend more than a minute looking at the room, as my gaze is pulled back to Lawson. I take a moment to stare at him, getting my first glimpse of his naked flesh, and I hate to admit that he’s not bad to look at. In fact, he’s so bloody gorgeous, it should be illegal.

He’s tall and lean, but the hard lines of his body suggest he works out regularly. His chest is bare, but there’s a small trail of dark hair between the well-defined V that arches across his hips, just below his perfect six-pack.

My gaze catches on a couple of tattoos; one across his right pec that travels up his shoulder and around his bicep, while the other is over his left ribs. I can’t make out much of the design from across the room, but they seem very well done.

He’s holding his phone in one hand, and every so often, almost like it’s an unconscious movement, he lifts his other to run his fingers through his jet-black hair. It’s just long enough that the ends are starting to curl a little, and after he’s combed his fingers through, it has the perfect messy bedhead look only Lawson could pull off.

I’m shocked by how much I want to run my fingers through it, to see if it’s as soft and silky as it looks.

As I soak in every detail of him, the sight of his relaxed expression strikes me. The subtle shift in his features, the easy curve of his lips, the way his shoulders have dropped—it all paints a picture of peace that I’ve never seen before.

Whenever I see him around campus, he’s always projecting that cold, hard image of someone who doesn’t give a crap about anyone or anything, yet he’s nothing like that right now. It makes me wonder which version is the real Lawson.

His sudden, sharp cough jolts me out of my thoughts, and I look up to see his mouth curved into a cocky grin. “Are you going to stand there checking me out all night, or do I have to come and get you?”

Caught in the act of ogling him, an undeniable flush of red spreads across my face. There’s no point denying it, as he caught me red-handed, so I opt for sarcasm instead.

“Please… You know you’re good-looking. You probably have enough people telling you.”

He places his phone on the bedside cabinet and swings his legs around until he’s sitting on the edge of the bed, not once taking his eyes off me. He crooks his finger, motioning for me to walk towards him, which I do.

“I don’t care what other people think. But I might be interested in knowing what you think.” His voice is deep and husky, and it sends shivers down my spine.

I stop about an arm’s length away from him, my nerves suddenly getting to me the closer I am to him. Lawson doesn’t seem to care as he reaches out and grabs my hips, pulling me until I’m standing between his legs.

“Tell me, sweetheart, do you like what you see?” He lifts his gaze to meet mine, his sharp, piercing eyes intensely studying me as he awaits my response.

I don’t need to look at him to reply. “Yes.”

A genuine smile replaces his cocky smirk, and it makes him seem younger. He trails his fingers over my hips, up my sides, over my ribcage, before trailing them down my stomach. His touch is featherlight, and the slight drag of his nails over my sensitive flesh makes me shudder as my core tightens.

“You’re just as gorgeous as I imagined you’d be.”

At his words, my eyes widen in shock, and my voice cracks with insecurity as I ask, “You imagined what I’d be like?”

He lets out a short, sharp laugh as he slowly shakes his head. “I have been imagining this day since the first time I laid eyes on you.”