I sigh, but the tension in me doesn’t drain away at the feel of him against me. If anything, being held by Kash in my apartment living room only serves to remind me of this morning’s drama.
“Pepper?”
I bite my lip. “Can we talk?” I whisper. “In private.”
He lifts me off his lap and sets me on my feet. “Lead the way.”
I slip my hand into his, and we make our way back to my bedroom.
“This is a first,” he says, following me inside.
“What?” I ask, shutting the door and turning to face him.
“Using the door,” he says, and I realize he’s right, but my answering smile is too tense.
At my response, Kash’s brows furrow, and he steps close to wrap an arm around my waist. “Are you all right?” he asks, pressing a kiss to my temple.
“I’m drained,” I admit. “Lying to them is harder than I thought.”
“It gets easier,” he says, stepping back, and I frown. “What are you thinking?”
“That this is a reality I hadn’t really considered,” I admit. “A double life. One with you where I get to know everything and say everything, and one with them where I keep secrets and cover for you.” I sigh.
His eyes flash with pain, and he hesitates before saying, “You don’t have to do it, you know. You could change your mind.”
My gaze whips to his, searching. “Do you want me to change my mind?”
His hand strokes my cheek, and he leans in. “Not even a little bit.”
My shoulders sag in relief. “Good. Neither do I.”
He smiles. I smile back. Both of them strained.
“I want to tell them about Danielle,” I say.
He nods. “I know. But you’re keeping them safe. And her, too. She’s not ready for the world yet. When she is, we’ll help her return.” His voice is gentle, and his words—I know they’re true. But I hate the pit in my stomach where the guilt is eating at me already.
“Can I visit her?” I ask, biting my lip.
“Soon,” he promises.
Then, his closeness becomes something else. Desire rather than comfort. His mouth trails lightly down my cheek to my jawline.
I breathe him in and turn to meet his mouth with my own.
Kash answers immediately with a kiss that melts through any lingering stress I might have had. In an instant, my mind is deliciously refocused on nothing but the hot-as-hell werewolf kissing me.
My pulse speeds, and warmth begins to travel low, past my belly, until my thighs ache.
Kash's hands roam over my hips, under my shirt, and up my stomach until he's cupping my bare breasts. I whimper with the need to be even closer to him.
“Shit. Why aren't you wearing a bra?” He moans low in his throat, like the feel of my bare breasts is torturing him, and I smile against his lips. If this is my reward for leading a double life, it’s worth it.
He growls, lifting me and trapping me against my bedroom door. My legs wrap around his waist, and my hands curl into his hair as I kiss him with everything I have. Our tongues dance until my head swims, and I bite his lower lip.
“Fuck,” he says, ripping his mouth away from mine. I suck in a deep breath, panting as I try to catch my breath. I tend to forget about trivial things like breathing when Kash's lips are on mine.
He slides me down his body until my feet are once again firmly on the floor, and I shiver at the feel of his hard length pressed against my stomach. My fingers itch to trace the length of him.
“Don’t even think about it,” Kash groans, stepping back and trapping my arms against my sides before dropping his forehead to my own.
“I wasn’t going to do anything,” I lie.
His chuckle reverberates through my own body, making me tingle with warmth. He takes a deep breath and groans again before stepping back. “You smell amazing when you’re turned on,” he whispers roughly.
I grin at the hunger I hear in his voice, but he only shakes his head.
“I recognize that look in your eye,” he says.
“What look?” I ask, feigning innocence.
He picks me up and carries me to my bed. “Like I’m an ice cream cone on a hot summer day and you can’t wait to take a lick,” he says softly before tossing me on my bed.
I squeal as he pounces on top of me and kisses me.
“You know, if you’re not careful, I’m gonna start to wonder if you only want me for my body,” he says, rubbing said body against me.
“Secret’s out,” I say.
His nose trails down the side of my neck, breathing in my scent before placing a kiss where my pulse races. I whimper, and he smirks before kissing my nose and climbing out of bed.
He reaches for my hand. “As much as I would love to let you have your way with me, woman, I’ve gotta get back to my pack,” he says, pulling me from my bed. “Walk me to your door?” he asks, giving me his best puppy eyes.
I groan at the effort it takes to keep from leaping on him, and drag him from my room.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asks as we shuffle down the hallway.
“Ugh. I have classes all day until our coffee date. Why?” I glance up at his profile, studying his strong nose and chiseled jaw.
He turns to me once we reach the door. I can hear Talia banging around in the kitchen, and I grimace. Not sleeping after all. But Anna is gonna be pissed if she messes with her organization again.
Kash cups my face, drawing my attention back to him.
“I have errands to run,” he says running the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip.
I bite it, and his eyes darken. “But I’ll be there for coffee. And after that, you’re coming home with me. I want you where I can keep an eye on you.”
“I like the sound of that.” I run my tongue across my teeth and smirk.
“You’re going to be trouble. I can already tell,” he grinds out, making me laugh.
My laughter turns to a gasp as he hoists me up, pinning me to the front door. “If I’m not going to get you alone until tomorrow night, I better leave you something to remember me by. I wouldn’t want you to have to fall back on one of your book boyfriends.”
His lips crash against my own, and my body reacts of its own accord. My legs tighten around him, dragging him closer to me, and my hands tug at his soft strands of hair. He growls, taking control of my senses. My mind spins at the sensation of his rough hands on my waist and his wet tongue against my neck. The sting of his teeth as he nips my flesh sends me over the edge.
I’m a panting mess when the blinding white flash pulls my attention back to Kash. He smirks before wagging his brows.
“This one is practically indecent, Pepper,” he says, showing me the picture he’s just taken of us with my bright red phone. The same phone I hadn’t realized isn’t still in my pocket.
Oh well. At this rate, it’s probably smart to have a backup. Besides, I kinda like Kash having pictures of me.
In the photo, my hair is a tangled mess, lips swollen, cheeks flushed with desire. I smirk, disentangling myself from Kash and ripping open the front door. “You can keep that one for your spank bank.”
His laughter rumbles as I shove him out the door and into the hallway.
“See you tomorrow, Pepper. Dream of me.” His deep voice drifts back before the sound of his footsteps die away.
When he’s gone, I lean my forehead against the door, taking deep gulps of air.
“Damn, girl! You’ve got it bad.”
I jump, spinning around at the sound of Talia’s voice. “Sonofabitch,” I breathe. “Don’t sneak up on me! You almost gave me a heart attack!”
She laughs. “Easy killer. You’re the one being groped in the living room for all to see. I was just enjoying the show.”
I flip her off and stalk towards the couch. “Well, there’s nothing to see anymore, you perv. I’m just gonna check my Insta and get my reading done before class tomorrow.”
Talia ignores me, following
me and plopping down on the other end of the couch. “Mind if I join you?” She sets a plate on the table, snags a grape from it, and pops it into her mouth.
I glance at the fruit. “That depends,” I say, powering up my laptop. “Are you going to share?”
“Sure.” Talia laughs and pushes her plate closer to me. “How are things going on Instagram? Still being harassed?”
I frown as I take in my latest numbers. They’re still inching back up, but now my comments are flooded with even more degrading jabs about my sanity. I sigh, turning my screen around for Talia to see.
“You’ve still got some jerks on there, but it’s not horrible,” she says, scanning my feed. “Some people are standing up for you now. Listen to this one. Bibliobabe says ‘You guys are disgusting. I heard she was missing last night. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out one of you idiots were behind it.’ I mean, it sucks they’re talking about last night already, but at least you still have supporters.”
“Read her replies.”
Talia’s brow furrows as she looks back at the screen and reads the first reply aloud. “She’ll probably show up claiming she was abducted by werewolves and is now carrying a half-werewolf baby. Hashtag I smell a publicity stunt. Hashtag Rotten Romy.” Talia growls. “That guy clearly suffers from tiny penis syndrome.”
I snort. “There are a million more messages just like it, T.” I sigh and close my laptop, setting it back on the coffee table next to the plate of snacks.
“Well, what the hell are you going to do? I mean, those dicks are messing with your graduation.” She snatches a piece of cheese from the plate and looks back at me with brows raised in a “don’t take this shit lying down” kind of way.
I grab my own piece of cheese and nibble it.
“I’m not sure, yet,” I say honestly.
“What does Kash think about your claims?” she asks, and there’s something in her expression, a gleam that wasn’t there before. Like she knows more than she’s saying.
“He finds it amusing,” I say carefully.
“But not something you can keep up if you’re going to actually build a relationship with this guy, right?”
“Right,” I agree softly.
Talia studies me, twirling a grape between two fingers. “You really like him.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“You can’t exploit him then.” She shrugs as if that alone cuts through all the confusion.
And it does.
She’s right. I can’t keep making these claims about Kash to the public. Not if I’m going to be with him. But I also can’t afford to recant my story. It would undo what little progress I’d made toward fulfilling my project requirements for Higgins.
Talia stands, stretching before patting me on my shoulder. “If you need my help to make the bitches pay, just say the word.” I smile up at her in thanks, and she winks. “I’m gonna head to my room and get my own reading done. I’m glad you’re safe. Sorry for freaking out and causing you more problems, but next time, call a whore when you sneak off with some sexy man candy.”
I roll my eyes and flip her off.
“Love you, too,” she calls over her shoulder.
“Love you,” I call after her with a laugh.
I pull the blanket from the back of the couch and begin to plot. Professor Higgins said we needed to increase our following and give a presentation on how we accomplished it. I thought exposing werewolves was going to be my ticket to glory, but it’s more likely to be my downfall. The trolls of the internet have come out in full force, and I can’t even put them in their place anymore.
Kash ensured I’d keep the secret of werewolves’ existence the moment he uttered the word mate. Now, there’s no way I’d ever expose him or his pack. Which means I have absolutely zero ideas how in the hell I’m going to pull off the requirements of my final.
The apartment is quiet as I stuff myself with grapes and cheese. Graduation is a looming shadow in my fast-approaching future, and I’m determined to find a way around the mess I’ve made of my final project. A way that doesn’t involve betraying Kash. I glance at my phone as it dings with another notification. More slimy comments. More haters.
I sigh but then freeze at a new thought.
My lips curl into an evil grin as a plan formulates in my mind. A way to salvage all the progress and momentum I’ve already created on my channels. Hmm. They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, and I’m about to put that theory to the test. I just hope it doesn’t all blow up in my face.
Chapter 15
Professor Higgins’ voice drones on from the front of the lecture hall, but I can’t focus on his words. I’ve been distracted during the entire class. Now that I’ve decided on a course of action, I’m anxious to get his approval on my change of direction.
“Don’t forget I have office hours after this for any of you needing guidance on your final project. Now, get out of here. I’ll see you all next week.” Professor Higgins dismisses us all with a wave of his hand.
I pack up my things and hurry out of the lecture hall, determined to get to his office before anyone else. This is my last class of the day, and though I’m anxious to get his feedback on my final project, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was also anxious to get to Hallowed Grounds and Kash. Partly because I miss him and partly because I’m a little worried about leaving him alone with Talia.
I race across the building to the elevator banks that will take me to Professor Higgins’ office on the fourth floor. I keep my head down, hoping to avoid any more conversations with other students today. As I step onto the elevator, I lock eyes with a group of girls already inside and nod before pushing the number four. Their whispers start as soon as I turn my back.
“That’s her,” one of them says to the others. “The one who was fake abducted.”
“Who would even do that?” another replies.
“Probably just wants attention,” the first sniffs.
“Daddy issues,” a third agrees, not even trying to stifle her voice.
My hands ball into fists, but I refuse to turn around.
The elevator dings, and I rush out, breathing a small sigh of relief when I don’t see anyone already waiting. I pull out my phone and take up vigil outside Professor Higgins’ door.
I fire off a quick text to Talia, letting her know that I’m waiting to speak with my professor and will be there as soon as I can. She responds right away, saying she’ll order my regular for me, and I smile. She knows the way to my heart.
I scroll through my phone looking for Kash’s number to warn him I’ll be a little late, but his name is nowhere to be seen. He’d put his number in my phone yesterday, insisting I needed to be able to reach him. I frown and scroll through the Ks again. Nothing. Maybe he put it under another name? I scroll through my contacts and laugh when I find it.
Me: You think pretty highly of yourself don’t you?
MySexyAssMate: I have no idea what you’re talking about. Can’t stop thinking of me, I see.
Me: Specifically your sexy ass. Just letting you know I have a meeting with my professor, so I’m gonna be a little bit late.
MySexyAssMate: I knew you were thinking of my ass. See you soon, Pepper
I laugh and shake my head as I pull up my Instagram next, biting my lip as I check my notifications. As always, there is a mix of support and vitriol on the video I posted this morning, but my numbers are up. I’m surprised to see that I’ve actually more than gained back my following. It’s the first time since I started this mess that I’ve actually raised my numbers beyond my original follower count, and I can’t help but smile.
“Ms. Cartelli. How can I help you?”
Professor Higgins’ voice startles me, and I jump to my feet. “Um, hi, Professor. I actually was hoping to run something by you about my final project.” The nerves in my voice are noticeable even to my ears, and my cheeks heat.
Professor Higgins’ kind hazel eyes soften. “Yes, I suppose we would have som
e things to discuss. Come on in. Just give me a second to get settled. You beat me here, so I haven’t had time to get caught up yet,” he says, unlocking his door and ushering me in.
I stare around his office, taking everything in.
Professor Higgins is actually the “hot professor” around campus. He’s young–maybe in his early thirties—with jet black hair and a chiseled jaw. He’s always wearing t-shirts with horrible puns or old bands under his blazer like he can’t force himself to completely conform to the role of professor, but most of all, he’s just...cool.
The framed picture of him on his motorcycle hanging next to his doctorate just proves my point.
“So, if the rumors are to be believed, you’ve been creating quite a stir around campus,” he says, hanging his blazer on a hook by the door before crossing back to his desk and settling in his chair.
My mouth falls open, and I groan. Of course he’s heard the rumors. I cover my face with my hands and mumble, “Ugh. Kill me now.”
He chuckles. “Why don’t you just tell me your side of what happened.”
My face is red when I meet his eyes. They hold a hint of amusement, but they’re kind. He’s not judging me, so I launch into my story and explain, haltingly, as much as I can about how I got here–leaving out the part about werewolves being actually real–and what I want to do about it.
“Well, it seems like you have a solid plan in place, Ms Cartelli.”
“No, gross. Please call me Romy.”
He chuckles. “Very well, Romy. I do want to caution you, though. I think it’s admirable that you’re testing the no publicity is bad publicity angle, but you need to have a backup plan in place. Taking this angle will give you a little bit of a lesson in PR. If you let the situation spin too far out of hand, you won’t be able to recover. No matter how clever you are.”
He temples his fingers under his chin and tilts his head, taking me in. It’s odd to see him so serious, considering he’s currently wearing a t-shirt that says ‘social media made me do it’.
“I understand,” I tell him.
“Good. I would hate to fail you. This takes guts, and I admire that. Just make sure you have a contingency plan in case this doesn’t go the way you’re hoping it will. As we near the end of the year, gauge your following. Give yourself time to bail out and try a new strategy. Don’t be so devoted to making this work that you fail out of stubbornness. To be successful in social media, you have to be adaptable.”
The Girl Who Cried Werewolf Page 15