Chapter 7

Landon’s POV 

I was in the shower. Yet again. 

For the fourth fucking time today. And for a guy who usually only showered twice a day, that was saying something. 

I wasn't dirty. Hell, I'd barely stepped outside all day, moving mostly between the kitchen and the gym, trying to burn off the static buzzing under my skin. But every damn hour, I'd find myself under the scalding water again, cursing the steam, trying to convince my body to chill the fuck out.

​It didn't. 

I’d been on edge the whole damn day. Probably because my little Trouble finally said yes to my fucked up offer. And that flipped a switch in me I didn't even know existed. 

It wasn’t just lust anymore; it was something darker and hungrier. A possessive kind of need that felt like it was carving new lines into my brain, rewiring every thought until she was all that was left.

The more I tried to shake it, the worse it got. I'd been pacing like a damn animal all day, watching the clock tick down, waiting till I saw her again tonight. 

She didn’t even realize what she’d done to me; how one reckless yes had set this whole thing in motion. I already knew what she was: naïve, wild, a spark that thought she could be contained. 

Every minute she spent thinking about Leo, every time her eyes found him instead of me, it fed the storm clawing at my insides.

But tonight, that ended.

Tonight, she was mine to teach.

And the lessons wouldn't be about reading books or taking notes. They would be about control and surrender, about finding out exactly where her boundaries were drawn—and then convincing her to redraw them for me, and only for me.

The frigid water pounded against my back, but it did nothing to douse the fire in my veins. Every drop that hit my skin sizzled and steamed, a pathetic battle against the heat coiling deep in my gut.  

I imagined peeling away her clothes, that soft cotton yielding to reveal the curves underneath. Her legs would then wrap around my waist, her nails scoring my back, her body arching under mine as she took me in...

"Reaper?"

Shit. 

I’d completely forgotten that Tyler had come up to my room after training today. He’d been crashing at my place here at the clubhouse, claiming he was "bored" of living with his parents. The real reason was that he was still house hunting and wanted a nice condo away from the Clubhouse, and until then, he would be staying here with me.

Honestly, it still surprised me that his old man had even let him stay here. After what happened two decades ago, he’d never allowed Tyler to move out—not once. It was shocking enough that he’d allowed Kasey to. But then again, her campus was heavily secured, she always had her two friends by her side, and I had three men on my payroll watching her from a distance, protecting her without her ever knowing.

I turned off the water, and the sudden quiet rang in my ears. I grabbed a towel, scrubbing it over my face and hair, trying to wipe away the evidence of my fantasy.

The door cracked open and Tyler's head popped in without invitation. "Took you long enough. You fall asleep in there?"

"Something like that," I muttered, wrapping the towel around my waist.

He studied me for a second and then sighed deeply. "You good, man? You’ve been off all day. More than usual."

"I’m fine," I said.  I pushed past him into my room, the familiar space feeling suddenly like a cage.

He followed, leaning against the doorframe to my room while I pulled on a pair of black boxer briefs and well-worn jeans. The clubhouse hummed around us, the bass from the main room throbbing through the walls. A shriek of female laughter pierced the noise, followed by a lower, masculine rumble.

"Place is a zoo today," Tyler commented, taking a long pull of his beer. He nodded towards the hallway. "Prospects are celebrating and a couple of the girls are putting on a show near the pool table. You sure you don’t wanna… you know. Take the edge off?" His smirk was back. "Might help you focus."

I glanced down the hall. From this angle, I could see the edge of the commotion. A flash of bare skin, a swirl of long hair. Kendra was there, her bold eyes scanning the room for her next distraction. The sight of her turned my stomach.

My focus, my fucking problem, was a brunette with a devastatingly innocent smile who was currently miles away, probably thinking about my asshole brother.

"Not interested," I said quietly. 

Tyler’s smirk faded into something more genuine, more probing. "Seriously, Landon. What’s going on with you these days? It’s like you’re here, but you’re not. And I've been beating your ass in the ring every damn day." He paused, and a new, sharper note entered his voice. "This doesn’t have anything to do with my sister, does it?"

My blood went cold. I kept my back to him, pulling a clean grey henley over my head, using the movement to school my features into something neutral. Does he know? If he knew the plans I had for his little sister I'd be dead meat.

"Kasey? Why would it?"

"I heard you left with her during the Blood Oath Ceremony. After…" He trailed off, and I could feel his gaze on me. "After the shit with Leo."

I turned around, forcing a casual shrug. "She was upset. Crying her eyes out over that dickhead. I just gave her a ride back to the dorms. Did my duty as her big brother’s best friend and her future President." The words tasted bitter in my mouth. What a fucking joke.

Tyler watched me for a long moment, and for a heart-stopping second, I thought I saw a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. But it passed, replaced by a familiar, exasperated loyalty. "Yeah. Thanks for that by the way. I appreciate it. I just… I wish she’d get over him. It’s getting pathetic."

Pathetic. He had no idea what pathetic was. Pathetic was his best friend jerking off in a cold shower, picturing the one woman he could never have, all while spinning her a web of lies so he could get a taste.

That was fucking pathetic.

"She’ll figure it out," I said finally.

"Will she?" He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Seems like she’s just digging herself a deeper hole. Speaking of…" He frowned. "Leo’s been asking about her."

Every muscle in my body went rigid. I forced myself to breathe, to keep my hands from clenching into fists. "Asking what?"

"Just asking if she was okay." Tyler took another swig of beer. "Probably just feeling guilty after his little display. Or, more likely, the bombshell blew him off and he’s looking for a convenient ego boost."

The possessiveness that surged through me was so violent it was a physical ache. The thought of Leo seeking her out, of his hands on her, his mouth on hers… my vision tinged with red.

Over my dead fucking body.

I must have gone still, too still, because Tyler’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You alright? You look like you’re about to punch a wall."

I swallowed the rage, burying it deep behind a mask of cold indifference. "I’m fine. He’s an idiot. She’s better off without him."

"No shit," Tyler agreed easily, his concern melting away as quickly as it came. He was oblivious again, blessedly, tragically oblivious. He clapped me on the shoulder. "Anyway, don’t worry about it. I told him to fuck off. Come on, let’s get a real drink. You look like you need one."

He turned to leave, but I stayed rooted to the spot, his words echoing in my skull.

Leo’s been asking about her. What the fuck for? Was he finally stupid enough to think he could have her? He wouldn’t dare.

But what if he did? What if the idiot actually thought he could defy me?

I’d kill him. Because there are a lot of things I’ll let slide in this world, but another man’s hands on Kasey?

Not a fucking chance.

The game had just changed. I had to get to her first. I had to mark her, to brand the feel of my hands so deeply into her skin that when Leo finally came sniffing around, she wouldn’t even remember his name.

Tyler paused at the mouth of the hallway and glanced back at me. "You coming or what?" 

A deep, ragged sigh escaped me, a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Yeah," I said, finally, struggling to be heard over the din. "I’m coming."

He nodded once and disappeared down the hallway, assuming I was right behind him—headed to the Club, ready to deal with the same bullshit routine that came with the patch.

But he was wrong.

I wasn’t going back to the noise, the whores, or the goddamn grind tonight. I’d had enough of pretending to give a shit about deals, prospects, and politics. My head wasn’t there anymore. It hadn’t been for a while.

I was going to her.

I checked my digital watch. It was  5:00 p.m. My meeting with Kasey wasn’t until six, but every minute between now and then felt like a fucking lifetime.

I couldn’t wait any longer. 

I needed to see her.

I needed to remind myself she was real, breathing, still mine to reach for, even if I had no right to want her this much.