"It was a good weekend," Ryker says with an easy smile. "It was," Hannah agrees with a nod. "Yeah, especially when we got stopped. That was hilarious," Connor grins. Just then, Jace walks in with a cup of coffee, heading straight to his desk without saying a word. The class, realizing he isn't going to call them to order, continues chatting but at a lower volume. Ryker and Connor, with their backs to Jace, don’t even notice him walking in, or the way Jace's eyes harden when he sees them. When Jace locks eyes with me, his expression shifts from annoyance to contemplation. He sits down, sips his coffee, and just... stares. Connor remains focused on me, his elbows resting on my desk. Adam remains perched on Lina’s desk, chatting with her and Charlotte. "Yeah, what an idiot!" Ryker laughs. "Hey, Connor!" Brent suddenly shouts from across the room. "Is it true you got arrested for drunk driving this weekend?" Brent loves stirring the pot. "Nope. Nora jumped behind the wheel and swa
Mr. Adkins leaves us in silence for about half an hour before announcing a short break to get another coffee. "If anyone enters this classroom who doesn’t belong here, you have my permission to fight them," he says sternly, walking out. "Even a teacher?!" Brent yells after him, laughing. No response. The door remains open. Lina and Charlotte immediately make their way over to us, eyes on me. Lina sits on the table between us, while Charlotte plops herself on my lap, wrapping her arms around me. "Did you say yes?" she whispers in my ear. "I didn’t say anything," I reply. "Girl! What are you gonna do? Are you going on a date with him?" Lina asks excitedly. "She doesn’t know yet. Connor’s had half the school in his bed," Hannah cuts in, sounding more serious than I expected. "That’s true. Didn’t he hook up with Stacey a few weeks ago?" Charlotte adds. "Ugh, he’s just as bad as Miss Walker," I say thoughtfully, earning a grin from the three of them. Lina suddenly changes the subje
As class ends, I hurriedly gather my things, relieved that the day is finally over. I’m almost out the door when Hannah catches up to me, pulling me along quickly. “Norali,” Jace’s voice cuts through the classroom, sharp and commanding. Shit. Hannah immediately lets go and scurries away, leaving me behind. I turn to face him, exasperated. “Can we not do this tomorrow?” I plead as other students file past us. Jace shakes his head, his expression firm. “I’m at the office tomorrow. Unless you want to go there and do it. I’m sure there’s someone who’d be happy to see you.” His tone drips with sarcasm. Richard. Maybe being with Richard would be better than enduring Jace's scolding. I’m not sure I can handle sitting with him, discussing the one subject I loathe most in the universe. “Come here,” Jace orders, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glance around, realizing most of the students have already left. “What about Friday?” I try again, my last hope of escape. He rolls his eyes a
Jace forces me back onto the desk, and I half-sit on it, my legs opening to the space he demands. He positions himself between them, his body pressed against mine. My mind screams to fight, to push him away, but his grip is iron-clad, leaving no room for resistance. Every time I try to resist mentally, he seems to sense it, pushing me further into submission. His body acts as a barrier, and his words are like daggers. He's trying to control me. His hand suddenly falls on my waist and squeezes. It’s startling how intimate that simple touch feels—more so than the hold he has on my wrists or the way his body cages mine. He's touching me like he owns me. “Don’t lie to me,” he warns in a low, dangerous tone. “I can practically feel your arousal, little bean.” He leans in close, his lips brushing my ear as his grip tightens. I gasp, my breath quickening as his head rests beside mine. He pulls me closer, his chest pressing against me. "You want to know what I feel like inside you, don’
"Why are you so jumpy?" Mason asks as we reach the car. I stop, not getting in just yet. "Why did you tell Jace about Connor?" I blurt out. Mason lets out a deep sigh. "I trust Jace," he says simply. "What?! That’s not a good enough reason to share private information about someone else!" I snap back. "Li... I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. People know you and Connor kissed, right? They’re not blind," Mason argues. I sigh. "That’s not the point, though. Why even tell him? What does it matter to Jace?" I respond. Just then, the building door opens, and I spot Jace and Grace exiting, heading toward us. Grace is still showing off in that tight red dress, and I sigh, feeling a knot form in my chest. "Look, Li, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have talked about you to him, and I apologize. My lips are sealed from now on. I just thought, after everything with him and Dylan, I could trust him. Jace would make sure Connor didn’t get too close to you. He’s not the type to gossip, if that’
We race past buildings, people shouting at us as we zoom through stretches of nature. "Shortcut!" I shout, remembering the small road to our house that shaves off some distance. "Good call!" Mason responds, grinning as he yanks the wheel sharply. The Porsche continues straight, and suddenly we’re alone, speeding toward home. "Faster!" I urge, adrenaline pumping through me. As we round the last corner, our house comes into view, but so does Jace—his Porsche screeching into our street just ahead of us. Mason pushes the car harder, the engine groaning in protest, but Jace speeds up too, his high beams flashing, trying to blind us. Mason just laughs and jerks the wheel into our driveway, narrowly avoiding a sleek black Mercedes parked by the house. "Who the hell is that?" Mason mutters, braking hard as we come to a stop. I shake my head, equally puzzled. "No idea," I say, eyeing the unfamiliar car. "Go check. Might be a student," Mason suggests. "What if it’s a teacher? None of my fr
"Explain. Now!" Hannah yells as soon as she slams my bedroom door shut. Esme and Mason are downstairs, and as soon as we get the chance to slip away after dinner, Hannah practically shoves me up the stairs. “There’s nothing to explain,” I sigh, sitting down on my bed, but immediately getting up again when Humphrey starts scratching at the door. “Nothing to explain?!” Hannah exclaims, throwing her arms up. “The hottest teacher in school is in your house! And he talked to me! Like a normal human being!” “Shh!” I scold, but I can't help laughing as Hannah flops back onto the bed with an exaggerated sigh. “It’s nothing. Mason’s friends with him, much to my dismay,” I say, shaking my head. "But... How did he leave his laptop here? When was he here?" she asks, sitting up straight again. “He stayed here last weekend,” I admit, glancing at Jace’s book sitting on my desk. “WHAT?!” Hannah shrieks, making me jump. “He slept here?” Her eyes immediately dart to the ceiling. “Did he sleep...
"His mom asked me to stay for dinner. And she already knew my name, which was weird. But apparently, he's super close to his mom. Like, really close," I explain as I glance down at my phone when another message comes in."Great, so Connor's a mommy's boy? That's kind of disappointing," Hannah replies.-Mr. Grumpy: What gave it away?I grin, but Hannah's wide eyes lock onto me. "Can I read them?" she asks."No," I say quickly."What? You have nothing to hide, right? It’s just about your book, and you hate him," she teases, lying on her chest. "Or is it more?" She arches an eyebrow while petting Humphrey, who immediately demands attention with his paws."It’s not more," I insist, "but... you’re probably right that no one should see these texts."Hannah gasps dramatically. "Nora! You absolute slut!" she says, laughing so hard she almost chokes. I can't help but laugh with her—it feels good to talk about this with someone."But doesn’t he, like... sleep around? I heard he’s got quite the
I stare at him in disbelief as the class filters out. Hannah nudges me from behind, snorting loudly before the door clicks shut behind her. Silence settles between us. I remain standing in the middle of the room, gripping my bag tightly. He’s still seated at his desk, his gaze raking over me, but for once, his expression gives nothing away. “Come here,” he orders finally, his voice low, commanding. The one that demands obedience. I hesitate for two seconds before slowly walking toward him. My bag slides from my shoulder, landing on the desk beside his with a dull thud. His eyes scan me with deliberate slowness, like a predator devouring prey, before he rolls back in his chair. “Bend over my desk.” My stomach clenches. I glance at the door. Someone might— “Now.” I listen. Turning away from him, I lean forward, my palms pressing into the cold, hard wood of his desk. My short skirt barely covers my ass, which he now has full sight iff.. My grip tightens on the desk’s edge as my
“I don’t know yet, Sir,” I answer instead. His eyes narrow, clearly displeased with my response. “Come up here,” he orders. I plead mentally. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to stand in front of the class with everyone’s eyes on me. I want to stay in my seat, in my safe space. My eyes go wide, silently begging for mercy. “Did your ears stop working?” Jace asks, completely unfazed. I let out a deep sigh, forcing myself to stand. My jaw clenches as I make my way to the old-fashioned board, picking up a tiny piece of chalk. From the corner of my eye, I already see Jace moving closer. He stops beside me, too close, and reads out the long, mind-numbing problem. By the time he reaches the last word, I’ve already forgotten the second to last. He doesn’t repeat himself. He just watches me, waiting. The tension is suffocating, horrible. I'm about to choke. He knows exactly what he’s doing. “Remembered that?” he taunts, his voice low. Slowly, I turn to face him. His dark eyes gl
”Shut the fuck up.” I almost roll my eyes. Jace stands at the front of the room, looking grumpy and too hot for his own good. He tosses his laptop, phone, and keys onto his desk like they don’t mean a thing. They land on the battered math book. Battered because of me. I accidentally spilled my caramel coffee over it this morning—right after our fight about my internship. Which was great timing. It made us late and pissed Jace off even more than he already was. ”Why do you always swear at us?” Brent asks, his voice too loud. I barely hold in a snort. Not that it matters. I don’t make a sound, but Jace knows exactly what’s going on in my head. He doesn’t look at me, though. He doesn’t have to. He’s going to break first. My internship is still a sore point in our relationship. That got worse when I found out that Jace cancelled my internship at Blackwood. It got even worse when I cancelled my internship at his company. I called Blackwood, and they told me they still have a spot f
“And you're sure the threat is dealt with?” Mason asks, doubt lacing his voice. “Believe me, it's done,” Jace replies from beside me. “Mitch's body was found in his house after it burned down. His parents are the main suspects, and they conveniently disappeared. Case closed.” “I can't believe they tried to kill Nora,” Ryker murmurs, eyebrows raised. I glance at him. He's sitting next to Hannah, holding a glass of gin, sprawled out on his plush pink towel. He doesn’t look entirely out of place, but I can tell he’s a little freaked out by the presence of two teachers. The cave is empty. It's just us here, which is surprising given that summer break has just begun. The sun is dipping lower, casting a golden glow over the water. We arrived not long ago, carrying towels and still-warm food. “Well, we did sort of kill their son,” Esme points out helpfully. “After he tried to kill Li. Again,” Mason says, shaking his head in disbelief. “What can I say? I’m not easy to kill,” I joke, fei
His wife screams. It's deafening, piercing through the room even as my ears ring from the gunshots. The sound is too much, making everyone flinch. Jace doesn’t hesitate. He snatches the fallen gun from the floor, his movements swift and precise, and aims it at the woman. There’s no remorse on his face—only cold calculation. His only thought: protect the ones he loves. BAM The second shot shatters the air. I flinch involuntarily, but I can’t look away. He shoots her through the heart. Blood erupts from her chest, staining her blouse in an instant. Her body jerks against the wall, wide eyes filled with disbelief. The tears that had welled in her gaze remain frozen there as she collapses, lifeless. In one fluid motion, Jace disables the gun, removes the magazine, and tosses the pieces onto the floor. “Fuck,” Mason mutters, taking in the scene. Jace remains unfazed. He takes two steps toward me, his expression still void of warmth. With one arm, he hauls me upright, his sharp e
He laughs here, his eyes so friendly. Just a normal guy. A kind person—someone who seems nothing but sweet. Looks can be so deceiving. I stare at the missing poster of Mitch for too long. I know I do. I can feel two pairs of eyes burning into me. I don’t know what to say. They practically dragged me into a small office at the back of the building. No windows, only one door. There’s no way out of here for me. No one knows where I am. “You were his girlfriend.” I look at his mother. Her voice is soft and timid, yet there’s an accusing edge to it. “It wasn’t that serious yet,” I say, keeping my voice level and calm. “He said you were official. For quite a while,” she responds, her tone pointed. “We were only dating for a few days, I—” “A few days? Don’t lie. You were with our son for almost a year until he disappeared,” his father cuts in, his voice sharp. I turn my gaze to him. A stocky man with a square face and thick brows. He looks nothing like Mitch. Neither of them has t
I wake up to the warm pressure of a head between my legs. A slow, deliberate tongue glides over my clit, teasing, stroking, sending lazy waves of pleasure through my still-drowsy body. Jace’s hands grip my hips, holding me in place as he lounges against the bed like he has all the time in the world. “Jace,” I murmur, my voice husky with sleep, my mind still catching up to what I’m feeling. “Good morning, baby,” he replies, his words muffled against my skin. “You couldn’t stop yourself?” I ask, my breath hitching as his fingers slide up the inside of my thigh. “Just making sure we start our last day of the school year in the best way possible,” he says smoothly, slipping a finger inside me. A sharp gasp escapes my lips. My back arches as a rush of heat blooms deep in my core. And then, his lips wrap around my clit, sucking with just the right amount of pressure, pushing me straight into oblivion. It takes him less than two minutes to make me fall apart. Exactly twenty seconds in
Mason screams something back, his voice shocked and angry, and I grin under my blanket. My door creaks open, and the bed dips under a heavy weight sinking into the mattress beside me. “Jace?” I mumble into the darkness. “No,” he replies instantly, his voice playful. “I’m a dream.” “What are you doing here?” I ask, my body too relaxed to move. His hands glide over me with a gentleness that sends a shiver down my spine. I’m too comfortable to push him away. “Just fulfilling my teacherly duties,” Jace murmurs, pulling me closer. “Gotta make sure my favorite student is alright.” I suppress a smirk and let out an exaggerated huff. “You’re unbelievable.” “Believe me, baby,” he sighs, his hand tracing my back in slow, deliberate strokes. His lips brush against the curve of my neck, and my body sinks deeper into the mattress. As his hand presses into my skin with firm precision, my thoughts scatter under the expert touch. “You can’t ask a man to stay away from his woman, Norali,” he
A flash of Mitch’s face fills my mind—the machete swinging toward my head, the deafening crack of a gunshot ringing out. “No,” I mumble, the word barely audible. Jace sighs heavily and runs a hand through his damp hair, his frustration palpable. “Next time, it could be a burglar. Who knows what could happen?” TThere’s fear in his voice, and I know it’s even more potent now after he visited his parents’ grave. They were shot in their own home, after all. The weight of that memory lingers between us. I set my half-empty plate on the coffee table and take Jace’s empty one from his hands, placing it beside mine. Wrapping the blanket around us, I cuddle against him. He pulls me close instinctively, releasing a soft sigh as he feels the warmth of my body. “You can go home tomorrow,” Jace concedes at last, his voice low. “But only if Mason is there. Just for safety.” I nod against his chest, accepting the compromise for now. “As for my internship—” “I can’t let you go somewhere else,