Drown in You, page 20
I don’t remember ever showing it to him.
He stiffens for a second before admitting, “Your phone.”
Just admit it, Luke. Admit you’re Ten. Why are you still hiding it from me? You know I love you—both versions. The masked man and the stepbrother.
I do. I love him. As terrifying as it is to admit to myself. When I’ll be able to admit it to him out loud, to risk my heart, I have no idea.
But I’m too exhausted to argue with him about the secret he may or may not be keeping from me right now. All I want to do is go somewhere quiet with him and forget any of this ever happened.
Finn kneels and collects the belongings Marcus dropped on the ground, handing my bag and the smashed camera back to me.
“Thanks,” I manage, but I can’t bring myself to smile at him. This camera meant more to me than I thought. I didn’t realize how much until it was destroyed.
Luke must spot the obvious distress on my face. “We’ll get you another.”
Stupid tears spring to my eyes, and I have to turn away so the other Devils don’t see me cry over a fucking camera. “It’s okay.”
“We’ll see you back at the house?” Knox asks Luke.
Luke gives a single nod before his hand shifts to my lower back and he guides me to his car. The three Devils climb back into the other and take off. Luke grabs my bag and tosses it on the passenger seat before taking the camera from me and examining it.
He smiles as he pulls out a small piece. “The film is still intact. You might not be able to take any more photos, but you can get the ones you already took developed.”
I throw my arms around him again, relief washing over me.
Luke presses me against the door before returning the hug. This one is tight and warm. The kind of hug I never want to end. “I don’t want you walking around campus by yourself anymore. If you need to get somewhere, you call me for a ride.”
“You’re too busy to drive me everywhere. You have class and practice and—”
“I’m never too busy for you. I’ll make it work.” His tone is as soft and soothing as the arms wrapped around me. “If I really can’t be there, I’ll send one of the Devils.”
I roll my eyes. “Right. Because it’s not like they’ve kidnapped me before or anything.”
“They won’t try anything with you now. They know.”
“Know what?”
“That you’re off-limits.” His gray eyes bore into me, and my heart stutters.
“Marcus knows about us, Luke.”
His brows pull down low over his eyes as his spine goes rigid. “That’s not possible.”
“He asked how I enjoy getting railed by my stepbrother, so yeah, apparently it is.” I bite my trembling lip. “He said he’s going to make sure everyone knows.”
Luke pulls me close again. “He has no proof. He was just saying that to scare you. I don’t know how the fuck that asshole found out, but no one else will, okay?”
I nod, even though I’m not totally convinced he’s right. If Marcus found out, surely anyone else can. Someone on campus probably fed him the information.
Luke opens my door, and when he slides in behind the steering wheel, he turns the car on. “If you’re ever on campus alone and you can’t get ahold of me, you need to call campus security to escort you. That’s what they’re here for.”
Before I can open my mouth to reluctantly agree with his order, the radio blares.
To my horror, my phone connects to the Bluetooth speaker, blasting the audiobook I was listening to on my walk to the library.
I squeeze her supple tits—
“Oh my god!” I spin the dial on the radio, turning the volume all the way down as my heart hammers in my throat.
“Fuck that.” With a sly grin, Luke turns the dial back up to even louder than it was.
I pull her soft nipple between my lips.
My face is on fire. “Luke, don’t—”
“Take your clothes off.”
“What?” I squawk.
“You heard me.” He nods to the backseat. “Climb back there and take your clothes off. We’re acting out these audiobooks you love to come listening to.”
I beam. Exactly the distraction I need right now. Except—“We literally just discussed someone finding out about us. We need to be more discreet.”
He gestures around the deserted parking lot. “You see anyone else around here?”
He’s right. We’re completely alone. So I do as he says, climbing in the backseat as he joins me.
Once he’s in front of me, he cradles my cheeks delicately, making my heart squeeze. “I thought I almost lost you, Sienna. You know how much that would’ve ripped me apart?”
I nearly start crying all over again. I slide my hands over his, gliding a thumb up and down over his soft skin. “You didn’t. You won’t.”
His eyes fall shut just before he brings my mouth to his, tasting and cherishing me with a new reverence. Seeing me cornered by Marcus shook him more than I realized.
If this is what he needs too, to get as close to me as he possibly can, I’ll happily give it to him.
He yanks my shirt above my head, desperation leaking from every pore as he undresses me as quickly as he can, the audiobook still narrating the steamy scene.
She gasps when I suck her nipple into my mouth as hard as I can, my hand slipping between her legs so I can feel how wet she gets for me when I go at her rough.
As if the audiobook is commanding him, Luke sucks on my nipples so hard, I’m sure they’ll be covered in hickeys tomorrow. I gasp, clawing at his soft hair and arching into him.
Luke’s hand lands between my legs, his finger gliding up the slickness waiting for him there. I hiss, the sultry words from the narrator and the warmth of Luke on top of me already making me ache. Maybe each time will always be the best time as long as it’s with him.
His mouth comes down on mine and he plunges a finger inside me. I whimper against his lips and his tongue slips in to devour me, his finger pumping gently to stretch me and prepare me for everything he has planned.
I flip her onto her back, diving right into her pussy with my tongue.
“I’ve wanted to do this to you since that night I walked in on you listening to that audiobook with your vibrator.”
My words come out breathless. “I wish you’d done it sooner.”
“Careful what you wish for. I’ll make up for lost time.” He shoves me along the backseat until my head smacks against the door and his tongue dives into my pussy, just as the audiobook narrator instructed.
Oh my god. I cling to his hair, thighs clenching around his head as he eats me like a man starved. The wet, squishy sounds of his tongue parting me and licking up my arousal are obscene, and my tits shake as he pushes his head against me harder.
Pleasure zips up through my clit as he grinds his tongue against it. “Holy fuck!” I gasp. “That’s amazing. Don’t stop.”
My heart thunders and then explodes when his tongue rubbing against my clit finally drives me over the edge. My pussy pulses and he slams a finger inside me to feel my orgasm. His groan nearly drowns out my moans, my pleasure nearly as tangible to him as his own.
When I finally start to come down from the crest of pleasure, the audiobook narrator’s voice fills my ears again.
I don’t give her a chance to recover before I’m flipping her on her stomach and sliding inside her, wanting to feel her pussy throbbing through the throes of her orgasm.
Luke flips me onto my stomach and wrenches my thighs apart. He nudges his tip at my entrance, and I brace myself, still panting from the orgasm.
He pushes my face into the leather seat and slams into me. I cry out, legs involuntarily trying to close but unable to with him in between them.
Luke plants both hands on my back, keeping me pinned beneath him as he pounds me into the leather. I cry out, the stretch intense and borderline painful as his thrusts turn relentless.
But this animalistic side of him and the friction against my clit drives pleasure through me again.
Her screams grow hoarse when I thrust into her again and again. She’s so beautiful when she’s getting fucked.
Luke leans down to purr in my ear, “I love fucking you, Sienna.”
“Good,” I breathe. “Don’t ever stop.”
“I won’t.” His vow is low and sincere.
He straightens, his thrusts growing harder and faster. Punishing. I scream into the leather, grasping for anything to clutch onto as the pleasure barrels through me and the orgasm crests.
“Fuck, Sienna!” Luke’s groan is sharp, and he slams into me one last time as my pussy pulses around his cock, spilling every last drop into me.
I wait until we’ve both stopped panting and he unsticks himself from me, slowly pulling out, before I sink to my knees on the floor.
His head tilts to the side, confusion adorable on him. “What are you—”
I grab his still-hard cock and stroke down his length. His breath catches. “You’ve made my fantasies a reality,” I purr. “Now I want to do the same for yours.”
“Sienna.” My name comes out strangled.
He’s done so much for me since we met. Everything he possibly could. It’s long past time that I return the favor, that I show him just how much I’m willing to do for him too.
“You already made my biggest fantasy a reality.” His hand threads in my hair when I wrap my lips around his tip, and he groans. “When I saw you in that hotel, and you smiled at me.”
I squeeze my eyes shut before his words can make me cry again. No matter how much it terrifies me to be in love with him, I can’t deny anymore that I am.
I swirl my tongue around his tip while continuing to stroke down. With my other hand, I cup his balls. “What are your other fantasies?”
A wolfish grin spreads as he peers down at me. When he bites his bottom lip, I nearly combust. “It’s gonna be a long night, sweetheart.”
I haven’t gotten any texts from Marcus or seen his red Cadillac since the Devils chased him off campus. I can finally breathe again.
Luke located a tracker on my car, which explains how Marcus found me. He smashed it, so even if I drive somewhere alone, Marcus won’t be able to follow me again. Maybe I’ll finally be safe.
Violet invites me to another Sigma Chi party, and this time, I don’t hesitate to slip into my favorite dress. One I know will make Luke drool.
We find Wes, Damien, and Knox first. Violet immediately goes to Wes’s side, and he tips her chin up for a kiss. My chest squeezes. I wish Luke and I could do that. But we can’t take our relationship public anytime soon. I’ll deal with the scrutiny and weird looks after we graduate, but for now, we have to keep our secret from everyone.
“Where’s Finn?” I shout over the music.
Damien nods to the corner, where Finn is nursing a drink and watching two girls grind on each other in front of him. Somehow, his features don’t indicate any sign of interest, despite his gaze not drifting elsewhere.
To my friends, I call, “I’ll be right back.”
Finn hardly glances at me when I stop inches from his side. Luke really did warn them to keep their hands off.
“How did you trace that number for Luke?”
He takes another gulp before returning his gaze to the girls. His mouth remains shut. What’s up with this guy? He may be gorgeous, but the whole silent, mysterious type doesn’t exactly work for me. My type is an obsessed, golden retriever man with an alpha side.
“Can you trace a number for me?” I hold out my phone to show him Ten’s number.
He gives a single nod, pulling out his phone to snap a photo of the number.
“Thanks.”
Finn doesn’t say a word, attention already focused on tracking the number. My chest squeezes with hope. If he can somehow link the number back to Luke or Deb, I’ll know for sure who Ten really is.
When I rejoin my friends, two hours tick by while we dance our asses off and grab refills without Luke showing up.
I should’ve confided in him earlier about Marcus. I’m certain Marcus showing up on campus and cornering me really fucked with his head. He’s already lost his dad and Chloe. If the Devils hadn’t shown up on time, he could’ve lost me too.
“I need a break!” I shout before finding a vacant spot on a couch and collapsing onto it.
No texts from Luke promising he’ll be here or ordering me to wear what he wants. I fire off a text to him. When it’s ignored, I send another.
Sienna
Are you coming to the Sigma Chi party?
Where are you?
No response. Maybe he passed out at the Devils’ house. More likely, he’s probably working out in the gym.
Still, dread prickles up the back of my neck. I’m not used to Luke ignoring me, and it’s starting to remind me entirely too much of Ten. He can’t pull the same shit on me twice.
Violet pushes her way through the crowd to me. Behind her, Juliet is dancing with some random guy with brown hair and green eyes who looks entirely too much like Trey Lamont.
Next to me, Violet plops onto the couch. “What’s wrong?”
I plaster on a fake smile. “Nothing.”
Violet narrows her eyes at me, but the kindness never leaves her face. “You’re drop-dead gorgeous at the best party of the semester and you look like somebody kicked your puppy. I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong.”
There’s so much I want to tell her. Marcus knowing about me and Luke, my fear that he’ll somehow expose our relationship, the secret identity Luke might be hiding, and worst of all, whether I’m actually making Luke’s life better or worse.
Behind us, a low voice booms, “Where the hell is Luke?”
Wes towers over the couch, Finn a silent shadow at his side.
“I don’t know.” Violet’s gaze darts around the party. “I haven’t seen him.”
Finn sits on the arm of the couch beside me and shows me his phone screen displaying a texting app.
“What’s this?”
He points to my phone. The number I asked him to find.
“You think he’s texting me from an app?”
Finn nods, stuffing his phone back in his pocket.
“So what does that mean? Is he texting from California?” My pulse echoes in my ears. If Ten really is in California, then I’ve been wrong about Luke for weeks.
I’m not sure which outcome will be more disappointing—the masked man being a total stranger or being my stepbrother.
Finn shrugs, finally opening his mouth to speak. “Could be anywhere.”
Ten could’ve been texting me from anywhere in the world. Maybe he’s never lived in California at all.
I stand from the couch. I know the man beneath the mask. His laugh, his voice, his face, his name. The way his jaw clenches when he’s pissed, the way he groans when he comes, the way his gray eyes instantly find mine in a crowded room.
Not Ten. Luke.
This whole time, Luke has been the masked man. He’s lied to me, hidden his identity, and ghosted me . . . for what?
I need to know why.
“We need to find Luke.”
Chapter 23
Luke
I’m finally starting to understand Mike’s gambling addiction. Pretty sure whatever hit he got from it is the same I get when I’m in the gym or on the ice.
I’m hurting Sienna. Her dad caused her the worst pain of her life by abandoning her, and now I’m doing the same. I’ve been the friend she’s relied on for years, her rock, and I abandoned her just like he did, knowing exactly the kind of pain it would cause. All because I can’t take the agony of losing her.
Seeing her with Marcus was a gut punch. The possibility of losing her hit me like a train. I won’t get that lucky again, and I won’t risk losing her. Even if it hurts now, she’ll forget about Ten eventually. I’m the one she can’t live without.
The double doors to the gym swing open. Knox, Damien, and Juliet are all stumbling drunk. Even Violet is giggly-drunk and Finn’s typical sure, steady gait is colored by the occasional misstep.
Wes and Sienna are the only two completely sober. As hockey captain, Wes is strict about avoiding alcohol during the season. And Sienna was no doubt sitting at the party worrying about me. That’s why they’re all here.
The gym is almost entirely vacant except for me and the metallic clatter of my weights. Sweat pours down my face as I drop the dumbbells. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Wes snipes back.
“You’re working too hard, Luke.” Violet jumps in because she knows I won’t pick a fight with her. “You need to go to a party once in a while and have some fun. Rest.”
I ignore them, gaze burning right through Sienna as if the words left her lips. Without shifting my gaze from her, I tell the rest of them, “Get your drunk asses home. I need to talk to my stepsister.”
Violet gives Sienna a sympathetic smile and Juliet mouths, Good luck, but none of them object as Wes guides them all out.
Sienna gulps as I stand and saunter toward her slowly. Sweat drips down from my temple and neck, soaking through my shirt.
“I’m worried about you.” Her voice is shaky. “You’re going to get hurt if you keep pushing yourself like this, and you’ve already been hurt enough.”
I close the space between us and reach for her, caressing her soft cheek. God, I’ll never stop being grateful for how much she cares about me. Almost as much as I care about her.
“You need to stop destroying your body like you’re punishing it. There’s nothing wrong with you. Nothing that’s ever happened to your dad or Chloe or Violet or me has been your fault.” Her hand caresses my cheek, sending chills down my spine and bringing me warm comfort all at once. “You saved me. You’re so good, Luke. Way better than you believe.”
My lips crash against hers. Sienna is way better than I deserve.
