Jace answers for Mason, who shakes his head in disbelief. "Well, that's good to know." He steps closer to the car, eyeing it. "Shall we go out this weekend?" Jace nods and grins, and Mason mirrors his smile, glancing back at the car. "I should bring the fair maiden home." I roll my eyes. "Yes, you should; she got very little sleep," Jace replies, turning around. I look down, shaking my head while biting my lip. "She also skipped breakfast and lunch," Jace adds. I whip my head up and look at him through the mirror. Prick. He doesn't look at me, but I know he can feel my stare. Mason shakes his head and sighs tiredly. "I'm not surprised. Thank you for looking out for her." If only he knew. "And thanks for taking care of Connor, man." Mason says over the hood of the car. He throws the door open and Jace appears on the other side of me, the door safely closed between us. "And let me know when you want the car back. My car is collecting dust," Mason laughs happily. "Yup," Jace dis
"He's just so hot. I can't concentrate when he talks to me," Lina whispers next to me.I roll my eyes. I really wish they’d stop talking about my brother. Mason had walked past us a few minutes ago, sternly telling us to be quiet while we waited for our next class. Or as everyone else knows him, Mr. Jackson. No one knows he’s my brother, except a few teachers and my best friend, Hannah—who also happened to have a secret crush on him. She is cured, thankfully. Mason teaches Business English and is in a loving relationship with my other best friend, Esme."You think so? He's got nothing on Mr. Adkins. I’d eat him for breakfast," Charlotte chimes in.Okay. I’d rather hear about my brother than Mr. Adkins. And speak of the devil—here he comes.Mr. Adkins, the teacher who hates me the most. I honestly have no idea why. Sure, I’m failing his class, and maybe I don’t cower under his death glare, but other than that, I’m clueless. Still, I can’t stand his voice, and I’m sure the feeling is mu
He ignores my comment and turns his attention back to the class. Without explaining the answer, he carries on as if nothing happened. Another hour passes, and I rest my head on my hand, barely holding myself up, eyes fixed on Mr. Adkins as he talks.He might be an asshole, but at least he's a good-looking one. I wouldn’t call him hot, like my classmates do—his awful personality drops his attractiveness by about 80%. But that remaining 20%... His dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and sharp features are reminiscent of Peter Badenhop and Sahib Faber.He’s always in a black business attire, hiding his build but not the fact that he’s athletic. His muscles flex whenever he writes, and the stubble on his jaw is always perfectly trimmed.The worst part? He knows he’s attractive. That just makes him more unbearable.When the bell rings, the whole class stays seated. They always do with him. He gives an order, and everyone follows.He turns to face us, scanning the room with a sharp gaze. Lina sits
"Take your time; only twenty people are waiting," someone snaps from behind me. I immediately pull away from Hannah’s arms. Even she seems surprised by the interruption from Mr. Adkins. But then I notice we are standing against the door, and everybody is actually waiting for us. "Sorry, sir," I mumble, avoiding his gaze. Trying to be nice to him is going to be harder than I thought. I quickly move to the back of the class and sit down, pulling out my phone before Mr. Adkins calls for silence. -Nora: Hey, Con. Can you help me with math? Exams are coming up, and I'm failing. My phone buzzes almost instantly. -Connor: I'm failing math too. I can help you though. -Connor: This weekend? Fuck sake. Of course. With a sigh, I open my textbook and actually attempt to pay attention. The first thirty minutes go okay, but soon enough, the numbers on the board start blending together. I peek at Hannah’s notes, noticing numbers that aren't even on the board. I frown, completely lost. It
"Wait, you will be tutoring me?" I ask, eyes widening. "Is that a problem?" he replies, walking back to his desk. I hesitate for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts. It absolutely fucking is. "Uhh... no, of course not. When are we starting?" I ask after a brief pause. "That keen, are we?" I hear the humor in his tone, his back still turned to me as he gathers his things. "Keen as a bean," I mutter sarcastically. I had hoped someone else would be tutoring me. He turns around and gives me a piercing look, his eyes flicking to my stuff. "Well, bean, hurry up. You've got a book to read." Right. I hurry to the back of the class, gathering my things in a rush. The book is too big to fit in my bag, so I hold it against my chest and walk toward him. He's already waiting by the door. "So... when do we start, exactly?" I ask again for clarification. "I told you. Once you've read the entire book," he says nonchalantly. "The book is, like, 500 pages. That'll take me ages. By the tim
We live in a semi-big house with a nice garden, plenty of space for just Mason and me. There are four bedrooms, so we always have room for guests. Ramon, Mason’s best friend, practically lives here, so one of those rooms is basically his. Esme, Mason’s girlfriend, is over a lot too, although she sleeps in Mason’s bed, along with the occasional... unfortunate noises. Esme recently graduated from law school and works at a small firm nearby. She's still in her party phase and makes sure I get to experience some semblance of a "student life." She even tags along to parties thrown by my friends, keeping my brother's teacher status under wraps like a pro.“A Porsche Cayenne,” Mason says, interrupting my thoughts. “But apparently, he’s got another car too.”"Ah, right," I reply with a bored tone.A dickhead car.Mason turns on The Office as we dig into dinner. We laugh at the show, and by dessert, he’s already in teacher mode. “I need to grade some papers. Want to help?”“What’s in it for me
On Thursday, I made it through another half of the math book. The numbers were starting to blur together, and after a while, I wasn’t even sure what I was reading anymore, but I pushed on. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can start tutoring. When Friday arrives, the day of our trip to Mr. Adkins' other workplace, I almost consider skipping it. Do I really want to endure more of his torture? "What if I just told him I died or something?" I sigh to Hannah during our break. "Yeah, that’ll work. He’ll totally buy it," she smirks as she gathers her stuff. I still can't shake the memory of his hand gripping my arm and tightening when I dropped his book. The book now has a permanent crease as a reminder. Sure, he saved me from falling, but only after causing the near-disaster in the first place. And yes, he stood way too close to me... but maybe that was because I refused to give his stuff back. "Girls! Hurry up, or we’ll be late!" Lina shouts, heading over with Charlotte. I let out a
"I'm Richard, by the way," he says as he leads me into an office in the corner. "What's your name?" he asks, turning to me."Norali," I reply softly. He opens the door, and I'm immediately drawn to the wall filled with photos."Beautiful," I hear him murmur. The first few are typical group shots, people posing for the camera. As I walk past them, my eyes scanning for a particular person, I freeze. My eyes snap to him in the next picture. He's off to the side, holding a drink, surrounded by three women. He's not smiling, but they are. I've never seen him smile. "That was last month," Richard says. I move to the next photo. There he is again, more disheveled this time, his blazer gone, the top buttons of his shirt open. He looks much more drunk. A woman with black hair is laughing next to him, her hand resting on his knee. He’s not looking at the camera but off to the side, his grip tight on the back of a couch. What was he looking at? "You know... you're literally one of the most
Jace answers for Mason, who shakes his head in disbelief. "Well, that's good to know." He steps closer to the car, eyeing it. "Shall we go out this weekend?" Jace nods and grins, and Mason mirrors his smile, glancing back at the car. "I should bring the fair maiden home." I roll my eyes. "Yes, you should; she got very little sleep," Jace replies, turning around. I look down, shaking my head while biting my lip. "She also skipped breakfast and lunch," Jace adds. I whip my head up and look at him through the mirror. Prick. He doesn't look at me, but I know he can feel my stare. Mason shakes his head and sighs tiredly. "I'm not surprised. Thank you for looking out for her." If only he knew. "And thanks for taking care of Connor, man." Mason says over the hood of the car. He throws the door open and Jace appears on the other side of me, the door safely closed between us. "And let me know when you want the car back. My car is collecting dust," Mason laughs happily. "Yup," Jace dis
"I'll bring the blindfolds!" Brent exclaims, his excitement palpable. I roll my eyes and lean back against my seat. "My house, my rules!" I call out. "Yes, you said that last time, and then you had half a bottle of whiskey, and the rules magically disappeared." Ryker pats my head affectionately as he says it. My phone vibrates, and I realize I haven't touched it since waking up last night. I glance at Lina and Charlotte, then at Jace, who is intently looking down. Is he texting me? "Remember when you burned your math book?" Brent asks, laughing. I immediately cover my face with my hand. "No," I reply, my voice muffled. "Mr. Adkins, you should've seen them. The girls burned that book like it was doused in gasoline," Brent tells Jace, who raises an eyebrow at him. "The girls? I wasn’t part of that," Lina chimes in. "That's because you have a crush on him," Adam yells helpfully. Charlotte gasps. "That’s not true!" I pull out my phone. -Mr. Grumpy: No party. -Norali: Try to sto
He grabs my arm and yanks me back as soon as I step through the glass sliding doors. My coffee falls on impact, and the contents spill everywhere, including on my shoes. I look up at Connor, my expression sour. “Sorry about that,” he grumbles, regret evident in his voice. “Can I talk to you? Please?” “Sure,” I reply with a sigh. I glance over at Jace, who’s chatting with Grace in a corner. The moment our eyes meet, he tenses slightly at the sight of me talking to Connor. We walk to the side, where we can overlook the snowy mountains, resting our elbows on the wooden fence. The air is cold but fresh, and I take a deep breath. “We were pretty drunk last night,” Connor starts, scanning the mountains. “Yeah, we were,” I agree softly. “I'm... Fuck,” he sighs. “I’m so sorry about last night. I was fucked up. I didn’t think straight.” I turn my body toward him, leaning my hip against the fence. “Why are you apologizing?” Connor frowns and looks at me. “Because I should. We are… you k
We walk back into the resort after the excitement has died down, and I see our suitcases already stacked, waiting to be loaded. Time to head home. "I don’t want to leave," I whisper, a little sad. "Same," Hannah grins, nudging me. "This place is going to be special forever." "Ladies." That voice makes me freeze, instantly thinking of last night—the passion, the forbidden desire, our whispered names, and the feel of his skin against mine. Nothing compares. Jace steps closer, but keeps a respectable distance. I fight to keep my smile in check and look up at him. "Mr. Adkins," I say with a polite, professional tone, "I believe congratulations are in order." "Why, thank you," Jace replies in his usual teacher’s voice. "I didn’t expect that from you." Hannah rolls her eyes, but the expression quickly drops as Ryker approaches, joining our little group. "Hey, baby," he says, kissing her cheek. Her face goes bright pink. "Hi," she replies shyly. I stand there, silently observing, com
"And you call me a dirty slut?" I laugh loudly. Hannah grins but then looks worried. "I haven't seen Ryker yet... I don’t really know how he feels about it. Thank God you also wanted to skip breakfast because I couldn't deal with it that early." "But how did they... calm you down, exactly?" I ask, curiosity bubbling up. Gods. This ski trip just keeps getting crazier. "Well," Hannah begins, thinking back on last night, "Michael went down on me while Ryker was kissing me. And then... uhm..." Her cheeks turn pink again, and I nearly slap her in excitement. "Tell me!" I almost shout. "I gave Michael a blowjob while Ryker was... you know, fucking me," she whispers. "And then they both... well, pleased me. I think I came four times." My jaw drops even further, leaving me completely speechless. "I don't know what to say," I admit, honestly at a loss for words. "It was intense," she recalls with a satisfied sigh. "I bet it was," I snort. "Look at you, getting all this life experience
And nobody can ever know. Except for Hannah, of course. I can’t wait to tell her. I walk a bit like Bambi, my sore body protesting with each step, but I manage to make it down the hallway. A smile tugs at my lips, knowing exactly how Hannah is going to react. Suddenly Mitch is in my face. My smile dies instantly as his piercing blue eyes meet mine. He’s way too close, and before I can react, he grabs my arm with one hand and cups my cheek with the other. "What are you doing here, Nora? All alone?" His voice slithers through the air. "Just going for a walk," I lie, trying to hide my shock. Mitch knows I’m drunk. He sees my dilated pupils, senses my lack of control over my own body and mind. Without warning, he pulls me roughly, dragging me toward him like I weigh nothing. My body aches too much to fight back, and I wince as I collide with his chest. "You’re drunk," I manage to say, my voice shaky. He forces me to look up at him, his gaze lingering on my lips. His face inches clo
Jace thrusts into me again, and I gasp, trying to relax, but my muscles are too tense. The pressure is overwhelming. “I’m the only one who’ll ever enter your body,” he growls. Suddenly, he bites down just above my breast as he pushes further inside, and the sharp pain from his teeth dulls the ache between my legs. My body trembles as I try to adjust with him inside me. I’m in pain. I’m on fire. He’s dragging me into hell. He’s the devil himself, devouring me with his hands, teeth, and body. He’s marking me as his, forcing me to surrender with every torturous touch. And so I do. I stop fighting and let my body give in. I let my body drown in pain. The pain becomes part of me, and I push against him, craving more friction. When he pulls back and thrusts again, I meet him halfway, falling into a rhythm. I welcome it. I let my body become the devil with him. The pain is part of me, and I own it. My body is being pleased. These are bites of love, not hate. My brain automatically assu
And just like that, Jace closes the distance. His lips crash onto mine. His kiss is a wildfire—blazing, consuming, and leaving no room for air. I gasp into his mouth, but the sound is swallowed by the intensity of his kiss. His hands grip my waist, pulling me flush against him, and I can feel every inch of his taut body pressed to mine. My fingers automatically tangle in his hair, pulling him closer, needing more. His lips are relentless, moving over mine with such hunger, as if he’s been starved for this, for me. I moan softly into his mouth, and he responds with a low growl that vibrates through his chest. The sound alone makes my knees weak, but Jace’s strong arms are already holding me up, his hands roaming down my back, molding me against him. His lips leave mine only to trail fiery kisses along my jaw, down my neck, sending shivers across my skin. "You drive me fucking insane," he mutters against my throat, his breath hot against my sensitive skin. "I’ve wanted this... wanted
Jace releases me as soon as he notices Lina and Charlotte approaching, his expression hardening into a scowl. "Hannah, watch where your clumsy legs are going," he says, his voice stern but not harsh. "Hi, Mr. Adkins!" Lina slurs, clearly drunk. "You having fun?" "Not really," Jace replies flatly. I see Lina tilt her head, confused by his response. Charlotte bounces up beside her, her face dazed and unfocused. "I wouldn't consider this my definition of fun," he adds, a secret smirk to Hannah. "Gosh, maybe another whiskey will loosen you up, Mr. Adkins! Maybe you'll have fun then!" Charlotte suggests, half slurring her words. "You girls should head to bed. It's late," Jace orders, his tone shifting back to the strict teacher mode. "Ooooh, bed! Nora wants to go to bed!" Hannah squeals, suddenly wrapping her arms around me and pulling me toward the crowd. The dance floor has become packed, the air thick with sweat and excitement. Nearby, Ryker is dancing, jaw clenched as if he's chew