“Oh God. Yes, Cole.”
Moving my hand up, I slip it inside her hoodie and tank until I find her already peaked nipple and pinch hard. Her entire body quakes as her orgasm rips through her. She cries out my name, breaking the silent night that surrounds us.
Her breathing turns ragged and when she looks back down at me once her release has subsided, her eyes blown with desire.
“Fuck, you’re so beautiful.”
A shy smile pulls at her lips as her cheeks heat. “T-thank you.”
“Oh, Little Dove. You’re more than welcome.”
/> She chuckles, and the sound of her joy makes my chest ache in a way I’m not sure I’ve felt before.
“I didn’t mean that, you idiot. I meant thank you for telling me, for trusting me.”
“You too. Your story makes me want to hunt Tim down and hurt him a little less than I did when you left me guessing.” She tenses at my words. “I won’t,” I say. “Unless you want me to.”
“I don’t think I need to tell you that there’s a lot more to the story than what I told you. The place I come from, it’s… different. Dark. I never want to go back there.” Hadley shudders, and I wonder what the fuck has her so scared.
“It’s okay,” I say, squeezing her thigh in support. “You don’t need to tell me any more tonight.”
She moves from my lap and once again falls down beside me.
“I haven’t uttered a word about what happened in that place since the day I moved here. The only person who knows some of it is Miss Jones.”
“Not even Remi?” I ask. I’m shocked, because I thought they were closer than that.
“Nope. Never. I feel guilty about it, but talking about it all… it’s just too painful. The memories are bad enough. I need to pretend that I left all that behind when I was shipped out of Gravestone, that it doesn’t exist here in Sterling.”
“I should take you home,” I say after a few seconds of silence.
“Already?”
“It’s nearly midnight, Dove.”
“Oh.”
“Come on, let’s tidy this up. If you’re lucky, I might give you a goodnight kiss.”
“Oh yeah?” She looks up at me, a wide smile covering her face and her eyes softer than they have been all night.
Maybe opening up to Hadley and letting her into my dark heart won’t be so bad, after all.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Hadley
Cole gives me a ride back to the dorms and we make out in his car like regular teenagers. It’s nice... normal.
It’s also late, and if either of us get caught, we’ll be hauled in before Principal Vager in the morning.
“You should go,” I say, trying to break free from his kisses, but Cole grips my neck tighter, trailing his lips up and down my jaw.
“I’m not done with you yet.”
“Cole...” I gasp as he sucks the skin just beneath my ear. “Seriously, we need to—”
“Yeah.” He sighs. “You’re right.” Releasing me, he stares at me with blown pupils.