North Woods University

by Beck, J. L.

  “Yeah… ah… Luke. I didn’t expect you to drop by so soon.” Clark looks between us sheepishly.

  Luke shrugs. “I like to get things done quickly. No point in prolonging the inevitable.”

  “Can I offer you a drink or something?” Clark asks nervously, making me even more wary of this guy. If Clark is afraid of him then I should definitely be.

  “No thank you, I only came by to tell you that it’s done. You don’t have to worry about Paulson any more, and neither does anyone else.”

  The world falls away and my mind goes blank for a moment. The words I just heard start to slowly take seed in my brain. He said Paulson. He said not to worry anymore. He said it’s done. What’s done?

  I can feel Luke’s eyes on me. “Judging by her shocked expression, I’m guessing you didn’t tell her?”

  Clark looks over at me shamefully. “No, I didn’t want her involved in any of it. I would have told her, but I figured it would be safer if she knew as little as possible.”

  “You don’t have to worry about anything coming back to you. I’m a professional after all,” Luke says matter of fact, almost as if he’s a tad offended by the insinuation.

  “Em, I’m sorry I was hiding this from you, but I had to do something. I couldn’t let him get away.”

  I stare at Clark waiting for the guilt and sorrow to hit me.

  Clark hired someone to kill Rick. This guy, Luke, killed Rick. Because of me. Someone died… no, got killed, murdered, because of me.

  I let it sink in. I should feel guilty. I know I should, but the feeling never comes. All I feel is… relief. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. For the first time ever, I feel ... free.

  “Well, I’ll be going now. Seems like you have a little explaining to do,” Luke smirks, and I feel this strange need to hug this stranger. It’s the least I can do, so I take a timid step forward and then another, wrapping my arms around the stranger’s middle. He stiffens as if he doesn’t know what to do. Clark’s arms snake around my waist hauling me backward against his chest.

  Ignoring Clark, I look up at Luke with tears in my eyes. “Thank you.”

  Luke looks surprised at my feeble attempt to hug him. Discomfort written all over his face when he murmurs, “You’re welcome.”

  I guess he isn’t used to having people be so thankful, or hugging him.

  Clark releases me and walks Luke to the door, telling him goodbye. After he closes the door, he turns his attention back to me. Alone at last, I know I should be scolding him, telling him that he was wrong to do what he did but I can’t. He approaches me slowly, as if he is waiting for the moment when I freak out and start yelling.

  “I’m not mad at you and I’m not going to freak out,” I tell him before he gets the chance to say anything. He takes my hands into his and brings them to his lips, pressing soft kisses to each knuckle. It’s such a tender motion. Fire fills my belly, every cell in my body lighting up like I’ve been struck by lightning.

  “I wasn’t keeping it from you. I was going to tell you eventually, I was just worried…”

  “Shhh, I’m not mad, and I don’t think you were keeping it from me because you wanted too. I trust you and I know without question that you were doing it to protect me. I know I should be freaking out, you hired a… criminal to get rid of Rick, and as messed up as it is, I know it came from a good place. I know you did this out of love for me.”

  Clark smiles, showing off his two dimples. “I had to make sure nothing would ever happen to you again and the only way to do that was to get rid of him. I hope you don’t think badly of me.”

  “I could never think badly of you. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m so fortunate to have found you and have you in my life. I love you so much and nothing you could do would ever change that.”

  “You mean it?” Clark asks, and all I can think about is proving to him just how much he means to me.

  “Let’s go to bed so I can show you just how much I mean it,” I wink. “Unless you want to sit down and eat the pizza first.”

  “Fuck pizza, I’m hungry for something entirely different now,” he teases, his gaze traveling up and down my body before his hands circle my waist, sinking into the flesh. He gives them a tight squeeze before he starts to guide me backward and into the living room.

  “We’ve never done it on the couch,” I squeak as my legs meet the edge of the sectional. With his eyes on mine the entire time, his fingers grip the hem of my t-shirt, waiting patiently for me to give him permission. Nodding, he pulls the shirt up and over my head, tossing it to the cushion beside us. My bra is unclasped and follows suit next.

  Clark releases me and gently nudges me back against the cushion, his fingers slipping into the waistband of my yoga pants. He tugs them with my panties down my legs, and I lift my hips to help him.

  “Eventually I’ll take you on every surface inside this house.” He leans forward and presses a kiss to my lips while tossing my pants over his shoulder. Reaching out, I slip my hands into the front of his sweatpants, my eyes widening when I don’t feel anything but bare skin.

  “Did you have this planned?”

  “I’m always ready for you, Emerson, permanently hard,” he says cheekily, giving me a wink. I shove the sweatpants down his hips, and his steel hard cock breaks free of the fabric, hanging proudly in the air. A soft giggle passes my lips, that turns into a gasp as his lips find my skin. He peppers my collarbone, chest, and each nipple with hot kisses, causing rivulets of heat to pulse through my abdomen, igniting a fire in my already throbbing pussy. I need him inside me, today, tomorrow, forever.

  “I want you…” I pant, raking my nails down his chiseled abdomen.

  He groans, “I want you too, but I also want to taste you, finger you, worship every inch of you for as long as I live.”

  “Take me, please?” I plead, my hand finding his cock, circling the velvet skin. I give a squeeze, and then another, enjoying the way his eyes darken with each squeeze, the honey color in them being overtaken by a need for something more.

  “Fuck, Em, I’m weak for you…” he hisses, taking his cock and guiding it to my entrance. He presses just the head inside and I sigh, knowing I’ve found my forever. Leaning forward, he brings a hand behind my head cradling it. He flexes his hips forward and with one single motion, he’s seated deep inside of me. We both let out a pleasurable sigh at the connected feeling coursing through our bodies.

  With his forehead pressed against mine, he starts to move, his hips thrusting as we reach a rhythm that suits both of us. It’s not long before I’m a panting mess, the sound of our mixed arousals filling my ears. I feel nothing but Clark, inside me, on me, he is under my skin, in my head, and wrapped around my heart.

  “I love you,” Clark whispers as he presses a kiss to my lips. The sparks of fire in my belly ignites into full-blown flames that flicker wildly.

  “Clark…” I sigh, the sound of the sofa hitting the wall softly filling the room, and grow louder and louder as Clark moved faster, his hips swiveling. I’m close, the pleasure building at the bottom of my spine.

  “I’m… I’m going to….” My lids fall closed, my teeth sinking into my bottom lip to stifle the screams trying to erupt past my lips.

  “Come, baby, come all over my cock,” Clark growls in my ear, his teeth grazing the flesh. That was all it took to set me off flying across the midnight sky like a shooting star. I was on fire, soaring, floating, protected, from everyone by the one person who owned my heart.

  “Fuck,” Clark curses as he snuggles into the crook of my neck. A few more strokes and he had found his own release, a deep groan rumbling out of his chest and vibrating through me. His cock pulses deep inside of me, as his sticky warm cum fills my womb.

  Forever. Clark Jefferson is my forever, and never will I give him up.

  Proudly I say, “I love you…”

  “I love you too, Emerson, and I’m so fucking glad you’re mine.”

&nb
sp; Epilogue

  Clark

  “Are you sure we should just drop by like this to tell him thank you?” Emerson questions, her hand tightening in mine.

  “He’s the Dean of the University, Em. It’s literally his job to see students.”

  “Yeah, but maybe we should have made an appointment or something?”

  I shrug. “What’s the worst thing that can happen? He turns us away.”

  “I guess you are right, but it is kind of late, I think they are about to close the administrative building.”

  “Well, hurry up then,” I tease, tugging Emerson around the corner, drawing a high-pitched giggle out of her. As if she’s flipped a switch, her laughter is cut off suddenly. I come to an abrupt halt as I take it the person in front of us.

  “Luke?” I try not to sound so nervous, but it’s not every day I run into a contract killer… one that I’ve hired, nonetheless.

  “Oh hey, crazy seeing you here,” he greets as if this situation is the most normal in the universe. Dumbfounded, my eyes catch on a willowy looking woman tucked into his side. She can’t be much older than Emerson and I… and I guess Luke is our age as well, though it’s hard to tell with the whole assassin vibe he has going on. He looks like a total badass with his leather jacket and denim jeans. I wonder if he drove here on a motorcycle. Wouldn’t surprise me.

  “How did you get here?” I ask, realizing how stupid that question sounds as soon as it comes out of my mouth. I follow it up with another question before he can answer. “I mean, what are you doing here?”

  “This is…” Luke’s eyes dart between Emerson and me, and it’s almost like he’s reading us, trying to see if he can trust us. “This is my wife, Grace,” he finally says as if he’s decided that we’re worthy of the knowledge. The woman at his side pops out and gives us both a warm smile. Eyes the color of chocolate meet mine.

  “Wife?” I try not to sound overly judgmental but married? The first thought popping into my mind is, does she know? She must know what he does, right? I can’t imagine she would marry him without knowing, which makes me wonder if she knows of the work he did for me?

  Fuck this is weird.

  “Yes, we’re married. We’ve known each other a long time, grew up together actually. Anyway, we’re here to register Grace for classes. She’s going to start coming here next semester.”

  “Oh, cool,” I manage to get out. My hitman’s wife will just be attending classes with me and Emerson, that’s totally not weird or anything.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Emerson says, surprising the hell out of me when she offers her hand to Grace. They shake hands and smile at each other, making this whole thing ten times weirder.

  “Okay, ah… we actually need to go, we wanted to drop by the Dean’s office before they close.”

  “Sure, great seeing you guys. I’m sure we’ll run into each other again,” Luke says, making it sound like he guarantees that we will meet again.

  We part ways and I can’t help but laugh. “This is insane.”

  “I actually like them,” Emerson says, shrugging her shoulders. “Maybe we can do a double date or something?”

  “You realize how crazy that sounds, right?” Shaking my head, I open one of the large double doors. “Let’s just get in and out of here before they close.”

  The desk at the front is already empty, but the lights are still on, and obviously the door is still unlocked since we’re inside, so someone must still be here. Pulling my phone out to check the time, I find that it’s only a few minutes after five. I bet Sebastian is working late tonight, so he probably won’t even care that we’re dropping by. Sliding my phone back into my jeans, I start toward the long hall that heads down to the dean’s office.

  Still holding Emerson’s hand, I knock on the door with my free hand. As soon as I do, I notice weird noises coming from inside the office. What the hell? It sounds like someone is choking. Confused, I look at Emerson, finding the same confusion on her face.

  “Sounds like something is wrong,” she whispers, and I agree.

  Without knocking again, I grab the doorknob, twist and push the door open. The door swings open and we step in at the same time. Then we both freeze. Actually not just us, the other two people in the room do too. I try to look away but I can’t.

  Sebastian is sitting on the leather couch with his pants down to his ankles and his dick out. A petite blonde that I know for sure I’ve seen around campus, which means that she is a student, kneeling in front of him. Her gaze swings to us, her eyes widening like they are about to pop out of her head.

  Her lips are swollen, and saliva is dribbling down her chin.

  Fuck. We just walked in on the Dean getting a blowjob.

  The End

  67

  Sebastian

  Sitting at the large desk in my brand-new office, I sign the last stack of papers for the day. It’s still weird to write my name on the line above Dean of North Woods University, but I’m slowly getting used to it. It’s not like I never thought I would make it here. I just didn’t think it would happen so fast.

  Thanks to the old dean’s sudden early retirement, my career got fast-tracked exponentially. Not that I’m complaining at all. This is a great job, my dream job, to be honest.

  My stomach growls just as I sign the last dotted line, reminding me that lunch was a long time ago and that I stayed late yet another day to get shit done. Shoving the papers in an envelope, I move to get up, grabbing my jacket from the chair behind me when a soft knock on the door fills the room.

  “Come in,” I call as I slip into my coat. It’s probably just a student needing assistance with something. The door opens, and I look up to see a woman hovering in the doorway.

  My heart stops beating in my chest. All the air leaves my lungs, and every thought evades my mind. All I can do is stare at the small woman standing in my office.

  Shoulder-length blonde hair, a heart-shaped face with a small button nose in the middle, two large blue eyes the color of the summer sky, and pink pillowy full lips just begging to be kissed. Her skin is the same pale shade of ivory I remember, everything about her is just like I remember… my Amy.

  “I wasn’t sure if you would even remember me, but the look on your face tells me you do.” Her voice fills the room, and like a needle popping a balloon, I deflate. It’s the voice that does it because it’s not Amy’s voice, it’s not her soft sing-song voice I hear and how could it be… Amy is dead.

  “I’m sorry, I…” I trail off, still staring at the woman like an idiot. I know it’s not Amy, deep down I do, but the woman before me looks so much like her, and then it hits me like a pile of bricks falling from a tall building.

  She just said that she wasn’t sure I’d remember her. Which means I do know her, and if I know her, and she looks like Amy…

  “Lily?” Her name slowly falls from my lips.

  A smile spreads across her beautiful face, and again I’m rendered speechless. The similarities are too much. My heart aches just looking at her, and it’s a stark reminder of everything I’ve lost. Of everything that I’ll never be able to get back. Still, I can’t stop myself from looking at her. My eyes are glued to her face, taking in every breathtaking inch of her.

  “I just wanted to come, say hi,” she explains sadness seeping into her eyes. “I’m a new student here. I just moved into the dorms.” She takes a step forward, closer to me, and I can’t handle it. Glancing away from her face, I drink in her body.

  The last time I saw her, she was only a child. Amy’s little sister, with pigtails in her hair and barbie dolls in her small hands. She was mourning the loss of her big sister, of her parents, while I was mourning the loss of my world.

  She’s not a child anymore. She is all woman now, her hips swaying from side to side as she steps closer. I swallow hard as she gets close enough for me to catch a whiff of her. Coconuts and jasmine; exotic and forbidden. I force myself to look back up and into her eyes. She might be all grown up now
, but in my eyes, she’ll always be Amy’s little sister.

  “You’re a student here?” I ask, trying to keep my voice even.

  “Yes, starting classes next week,” she beams at me.

  “Wow, that’s crazy… I mean... You’re all grown up, going to college… here. That’s great,” I say, stumbling over my own words trying to catch my footing before I stick my foot in my mouth and say something stupid.

  “Yeah, I can’t really believe it myself. But I’m glad it’s happening, I’m glad to finally be out on my own. I didn’t think it would happen, but I ended up getting a scholarship. The dorms are really nice, by the way, and I like my roommate.”

  “That’s amazing. I’m glad you like it here. North Woods is a great school… and the new dean is amazing, so I’ve heard.” At my joke, she starts giggling softly, the sound vibrating through me, and I don’t understand what it does to me. It stirs something inside me, something I haven’t felt in so long that I don’t remember what it is. Shoving that feeling down, I try to compose myself, standing up a little straighter.

  “I’ve heard the same.” She smiles. “Congrats, by the way, on your promotion.”

  “Thank you, and congrats on your scholarship.” For a moment we just stare at each other, neither of us saying a word. This odd feeling overcomes me that she is taking me in, the same way, I’m taking her in, with a sense of reminiscence.

  “Well, I better get going. Got to prepare for classes and stuff,” Lily says, breaking the awkward silence.

  “Yes, good luck, and let me know if you need anything,” I offer, but some part of me regrets doing so. I already know that I need to stay away from Lily. I should try to avoid her at all costs. Too many feelings are stirred looking at her. Feelings I swore to bury and never dig up again. She’s trouble waiting to happen, and I’m not about to find myself in that kind of situation, least of all, with my dead girlfriend’s baby sister.