Chapter 2

The next day dragged on like hell because I could barely concentrate on anything except the fact that Killian had told me to wait for him at the school gate at ten tonight and I had no idea what he was planning or why he wanted to see me again after everything that had happened between us.

I kept touching the kiss mark on my neck that he had left and even though I had tried to cover it with makeup and a scarf, I could still feel the ghost of his teeth against my skin and it made my whole body feel hot and restless in a way that I knew was completely wrong but couldn’t seem to stop.

Sarah, my roommate had noticed something was off with me at breakfast because she kept asking if I was feeling alright and whether I had gotten enough sleep, but I just smiled and told her I was fine even though my hands were shaking so badly that I could barely hold my coffee cup without spilling it everywhere.

She went on to ask what had happened to me last night at the club because apparently I had just disappeared without telling her anything and she was worried that something bad had happened, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth about Killian.

How could I possibly explain that my stepbrother had found me there and dragged me to a private room and kissed me like he wanted to consume me whole?

I told her that I hadn’t been feeling well and had taken a taxi home early, which was technically true even if it left out all the important and terrifying parts of what had actually happened.

She told me to rest up and that we would talk later, but I knew that eventually she would start asking more questions and I would have to come up with better lies to cover up the truth.

School that day was completely unbearable. I sat through all my classes without absorbing a single word that any of my professors said and I could feel other students staring at me like they could somehow sense that something was different about me now.

During lunch, I sat alone in the cafeteria pushing food around on my plate without actually eating anything because my stomach was tied up in knots and I felt like I might throw up if I tried to swallow anything solid.

A few guys from my history class came over and tried to make conversation with me and one of them even asked if I wanted to go see a movie with him this weekend, but I just shook my head and told them I was busy even though the thought of going on a date with anyone who wasn’t Killian felt completely wrong and impossible now.

The hours crawled by with agonizing slowness and I kept checking my phone every few minutes to see what time it was and whether Killian had sent me any messages, but there was nothing from him and the silence made me feel even more anxious and uncertain about what was going to happen tonight.

When my last class finally ended, I practically ran out of the building and headed straight back to my dorm room where I locked the door behind me and stood in front of my closet trying to decide what to wear.

I didn’t know where Killian was planning to take me or what he expected from me, but I knew that whatever I chose would probably be wrong in his eyes because he had made it very clear last night that he thought my black dress was too revealing and provocative.

I ended up choosing a white blouse and jeans which seemed safe and modest, but then I worried that maybe he would think I looked too plain and boring so I changed into a dark blue dress that came down to my knees and had long sleeves that covered my arms.

I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time trying to figure out if this was the right choice, but eventually I just gave up because I knew that no matter what I wore Killian would probably find something to criticize about it.

I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and put on some light makeup to try to hide the dark circles under my eyes from not sleeping well, then I grabbed my jacket and my phone and headed out into the cool evening air.

The campus was mostly empty at this time of night as most students were either in their dorms or at parties or the library studying, and the streetlights cast long shadows across the pathways as I made my way toward the main gate.

My heart was pounding so hard that I could hear it in my ears and my palms were sweating even though the temperature had dropped considerably since the afternoon.

I kept telling myself that I should just turn around and go back to my room and text Killian to tell him that I couldn’t make it, but my feet kept moving forward like they had a mind of their own and I knew deep down that I was going to meet him no matter how scared I was of what might happen.

When I reached the gate at exactly ten o’clock I saw his black sports car parked across the street with the engine running and the headlights off, and my stomach did a nervous flip, knowing fully well that once I got in that car there would be no turning back from whatever he had planned for tonight.

I hesitated for just a moment before crossing the street and approaching the passenger side door, and as soon as I got close enough the door unlocked with a soft click and I pulled it open and slid into the seat beside him.

Killian was wearing all black tonight including a leather jacket that made him look even more dangerous and intimidating than usual, and when I glanced over at him I could see that his jaw was clenched tight and his hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles had turned white.

He didn’t say anything to me at first and just put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb, and we drove in complete silence for several minutes while I sat there trying not to fidget or show him how nervous I was feeling.

“Where are we going?” I finally asked when I couldn’t stand the silence anymore, and my voice came out sounding edgy in the darkness of the car.