My lashes fluttered, and it was a chore to keep my eyes open, but I managed to keep my stare connected with his. My gaze flicked to his shoulder that was moving ever so slightly, and I realized he was touching himself too.
We were surrounded by a class full of students, and yet, it didn’t matter.
I pressed harder between my legs and moved my hand, the material rubbing me in just the right way. It wouldn’t take long for me to lose myself completely, not while he was staring at me. My imagination was running away with me, envisioning what he was doing under his desk. Had he unzipped his pants and pulled his cock out, or was his hand down his pants as he rubbed himself up and down?
My breath caught and then left my mouth on a loud gasp, but I had no idea if anyone noticed, not when I couldn’t look away from the stare Cade had locked me in. He’d let me go several times, but in the silence surrounding us, he wasn’t prepared to do it this time.
I moved my hand faster, feeling like I was on the edge of a cliff, teetering and trying to keep myself upright, but I didn’t want that. I wanted to fall. I wanted to experience the high only this could give me, but it was hard. It was hard to keep control and not shout out his name, especially when the burn started low in my stomach.
I dipped my head back and licked my lips, all the while not looking away, and then finally it hit me. Keeping my moan inside was a harder task than I’d thought it would be, but biting down on my lip as hard as I could kept it at bay.
“After the Mycenaean age ended in about 1100BC, Greece entered a Dark Age. It is known as a dark age because nobody knows much about what happened—all written language and art disappeared,” Josh’s voice pushed through my haze.
My body vibrated, still not fully down from the high as Cade’s mouth parted, his body stilling, and I knew what he’d done too.
We’d not crossed the line I’d drawn, but we’d smudged it a little, and I couldn’t bring myself to care one bit.
Chapter Five
ARIA
I pumped my arms harder, trying to even my breaths out as I prepared for the last lap. Since Cade had added a Friday practice to our schedules, he’d upped the amount of running we did, and it had helped me more than I ever thought possible.
My times were better, but more importantly, I wasn’t nearly dead after each practice. I still had energy left. I still had more gas in the tank, which meant I was building up my stamina.
I could see Reagan a half a lap ahead of me, which meant I was technically overtaking her by half a lap. She’d started a lap before me, and I never beat her times, but if I nailed this last one, I would for the first time.
Tightening my core, I put more speed into my legs and went for it. Everything tunneled, and all I could see was the lines on the track and the finish line in sight. No noises appeared, nothing cut through to me, and it was bliss. A bliss I hadn’t felt for what felt like months. It was quiet, with no thoughts racing through my head.
My quads burned, my chest heaved, but I kept going until I crossed the finish line Cade was standing next to with Reagan, who had just finished. I slowed down, a
nd everything came pounding back. The cheers ringing out, the smell of freshly cut grass in the air, and most importantly, my thoughts. They slung at me like an arrow at a target, and I stumbled from the impact.
I’d not been able to stop thinking about what I’d done in class yesterday. I’d leaped out of my chair and practically ran out of the school afterward, and I hadn’t seen Cade until our PE class before track practice. But now we were nearing the end of practice, and I knew I’d have to look at him again.
I wasn’t embarrassed by what I’d done, in fact, I craved to do it again, which was the problem. I couldn’t allow myself to fall into the same space as before with Cade, not after what had happened. It felt like an impossible task, though.
“Hell yeah! You better run, girl!” Hope shouted, and I spun around, spotting her running down the bleachers. She didn’t stop until she was on the track and wrapping her arms around me. “How did I not know you could run like that?”
My cheeks burned from her attention, and I shrugged. “You know I like to run.”
“Not like that!” She raised her brows and widened her eyes. “What are you? Usain Bolt?”
“He’s not a long-distance runner—”
She rolled her eyes and waved her hand in my face. “I know that, duh.”
I grinned at her and shook my head. “What are you even doing here?”
She turned, and I followed her lead, spotting Reagan and Cade as they strolled toward us. “I wanted to see the two of you together in practice.”
My eyes widened and I grabbed her arm. “He can’t know you know, Hope,” I whispered. I hadn’t told her anything else since the day under the bleachers. She’d tried to get me to tell her stories and get information out of me about what he was like, but I kept my lips zipped. The less she knew about everything, the better.
“That was your best time yet, Aria.” Cade grinned down at me, his face beaming with pride. “The extra work is paying off.”
“It is,” I answered, and Hope pushed her elbow into my side. I ignored her and kept my attention on him. “I better go cool down.” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder and started to back away. He didn’t say anything, simply watched me with his intense eyes. Why the hell was he so goddamn alluring?
“Aria?” Hope called, and I whipped my head around to face her. “You’re gonna fall over.” She tilted her head to something on the field, and I laughed then spun around. My face burned with embarrassment, and I had no doubt it was bright red. “Oh. My. God.” Hope linked her arm with mine. “Did you see the way he was staring at you?” She sighed and placed her hand on her chest. “He looked like he wanted to eat you up.”