Chapter 3: Shaking in the Dark

 I pulled the woolen blanket all the way up over my face, staring straight at the glowing green numbers shining on my small bedside alarm clock.

11:30 PM.

"Just sleep," I whispered out loud to myself in the dark. "Just stay right here in bed. He is just messing with your head."

By 11:45 PM, I was walking across the dark campus quad, the freezing night wind cutting straight through my oversized sweater. My sneakers squeaked against the damp pavement as I neared the old campus gym. The building looked completely dead, a massive shadow standing tall against the starry night sky. I reached the side entrance, my fingers trembling as I gripped the cold metal handle of the basement door. I pulled on it, expecting it to be tightly locked, expecting to go right back to my room and prove to myself that this whole thing was just a sick joke.

The door swung open inward with a low, groaning sound.

The air inside the stairwell was thick and stale, smelling faintly of old rubber, sweat, and dust. I walked down the concrete steps in total darkness, my hand scraping along the cold brick wall until I finally reached the bottom. A single dim light bulb flickered at the end of the narrow hallway, casting long shadows across the rows of grey lockers.

Leo was sitting right there, perched on the edge of an old wooden equipment table. He did not have his jacket on. He was just leaning back, tossing a small roll of white athletic tape up into the air and catching it again, completely relaxed.

"You're five minutes late, Ivy," he said, not even looking up as he caught the tape one last time in his palm.

"Why are you doing this, Leo?" My voice cracked, echoing loudly in the empty basement space. I took a step forward, trying hard to sound firm, but my hands were shaking so badly I had to shove them deep into my pockets. "Why did you put that note in my textbook?"

"You showed up, didn't you?" He tossed the tape aside. It hit the wooden floor with a dull sound. He slid off the table, his boots making a sharp noise against the concrete.

"I came here to tell you to stop," I said, my chest heaving as he started walking toward me. "I love Liya. She’s my best friend. I love her too much to do this, to let you play whatever sick game you’re playing with me."

"Who said anything about a game?" Leo did not stop walking. He closed the distance between us in three long strides.

"Don't," I gasped, stepping back, but my shoulder blades slammed straight into the cold brick wall behind me.

Before I could dodge past him, Leo placed his palms flat against the bricks on either side of my head, trapping me completely. His chest was inches from mine, the intense heat radiating off his body cutting right through the freezing air of the basement. He looked down at me, his eyes incredibly dark, totally devoid of the sarcastic smirk he usually wore around campus.

"You talk too much, Ivy," he murmured, his voice a low rumble that vibrated right through my skin.

"Leo, please—"

He did not give me a chance to finish. He leaned down, his grip shifting from the wall to my waist. His large hands slid right under the hem of my oversized sweater, his warm palms shockingly hot against my bare skin. I let out a sharp gasp, my entire body jumping at the sudden, electric contact. His thumbs pressed firmly into my hips, pulling me flat against his chest with a raw possessiveness that left me completely breathless.

"Are you still going to tell me you want to leave?" he whispered against my lips.

"We can't," I choked out, but my hands were already moving on their own. I buried my fingers into the soft fabric of his shirt, gripping his broad shoulders just to keep myself from collapsing onto the floor. I was tearing apart inside, drowning in a wave of intense guilt toward Liya, but the pure electricity running through my veins was too much to fight.

Leo did not answer with words. He leaned in and bit my lower lip, just hard enough to make me gasp. The moment my lips parted, he caught my mouth in a deep, crushing kiss that completely erased the rest of the world. The familiar scent of tobacco and winter air filled my senses. His hands traveled up my back, his warm fingers pressing into my skin, mapping every single line of my body in the dark.

I gripped his shoulders tighter, pulling him closer as my knees went completely weak. Every touch felt like a sharp reminder of exactly how helpless I was against him, how easily he could shatter my control without even trying. He held me so tightly against the bricks that I could feel the rapid, heavy thudding of his own heart against my chest.

He dragged his mouth away from my lips, his breath hot and ragged as he trailed kisses down my jawline. I tilted my head back against the cold wall, my eyes closing as a low sigh escaped my throat.

"Leo..." I breathed, my fingers tangling in the short hair at the back of his neck.

He did not stop. He pressed his lips to the sensitive skin right below my ear, his teeth grazing my flesh. Then, he bit down, hard and deliberate, right on the side of my neck.

A sharp gasp left my throat, half pain, half pure shock. I could feel the intense rush of blood to the spot as he held his mouth there, sucking firmly against the skin until the sting turned into a deep, throbbing ache.

He slowly pulled back, his hands remaining steady under my sweater, holding me pinned against the wall. A slow, sharp smile spread across his lips as he looked down at the dark, distinct mark blooming brightly against my pale skin.

He leaned back down, his lips brushing the ruined skin of my neck as he whispered into my ear.

"Let's see you hide that from my sister tomorrow.”