Typhon, p.9
Typhon, page 9
With her legs on either side of my lap, my hands encased her hips, and I held her firm. Her palms against my chest, she looked down at me and asked, “What are you doing?”
“Showing you why you should marry me,” I answered right before my hands left her hips to tangle in her silky black hair, then pulled her lips down on mine. Rylee let out a deep moan, and that’s when I slid my tongue in her mouth and tasted her for the first time.
Her hands fisted in my shirt as she began kissing me back, and that simmering, that buzzing, that electrical current sizzling just below my skin magnified like I knew it would.
And this was just a kiss, for fuck’s sake.
If I was losing my mind over one kiss, I couldn’t imagine what was going to happen to me once I slid inside her body.
And I was going to.
There was no doubt about it.
I was going to do whatever it took to get Rylee to marry me. The contract notwithstanding, I wanted Rylee to more than marry me. I wanted her to want me the way I wanted her. I wanted her to love me, too, if possible.
Minutes or hours later-I wasn’t sure-I finally broke off the kiss. Staring up at her lust-filled expression, I said, “That’s why you should marry me.”
Chapter 14
Rylee~
I had to be out of my mind.
That was the only explanation.
Mental defect was the only acceptable explanation as to why I was going to marry Stone Lexington. Or rather, why I was seriously considering it.
When Stone had left the apartment yesterday, it had been after an hour of making out on the couch. No second base. No third base. Definitely no home run.
He just kissed me.
And had kept on kissing me.
And when Stone had lifted me off his lap, laid me down on the couch, and had covered my body with his, it had taken every ounce of self-restraint I had not to beg him to hit a home run.
There was no denying the chemistry between us was off the charts, and my dry spell had really resented Stone taking things slow yesterday, but it had been for the best.
Hormones would have had me marrying Stone tomorrow, but common sense told me I should probably take the entire four weeks to get to know him better before saying our vows. Still, even with that, it was pure insanity to marry someone after only knowing them four weeks. This wasn’t a goddamn holiday Lifetime Network movie, and that’s probably why I’ve been sitting on the couch, staring at my laptop, getting absolutely no work done.
Because I’ve found myself in the middle of some strange alternate universe, where secret societies existed and the repercussions for betraying them were unimaginable.
The front door opening and closing snapped me out of my thoughts. When I turned my head, I saw Laney walking towards me. If she came home last night, it was after I’d gone to bed. I haven’t seen her since the night of the initiation.
“Why’d you lie to me?” she asked, getting straight to the point.
I set my laptop aside and stood up, the couch separating us. “I didn’t lie to you,” I replied, just like I had Friday night. “I’d never met Stone before that Monday when I ran into him.”
“And he was so enchanted with you that he decided to marry you?” she remarked snidely, and it was really throwing me for a loop. In all the years that we’ve been friends, I’ve never seen this jealous, hateful side of her. This hostility was all new to me.
I lifted my chin because, as ridiculous as it sounded, that’s exactly what happened, according to Stone. “You’ll have to ask him for those details, Laney,” I replied. “Only Stone knows why he did what he did.” Although I could tell her what he’d told me yesterday, it really wasn’t any of her business.
“But you agreed,” she replied, and it sounded like an accusation.
Staring at her, something felt off. Just like it had that day we’d been studying, and she had gotten weird and nasty. Did she have a thing for Stone? Was that it? Maybe I was wrong about her and August. Maybe they didn’t have anything going on between them, other than the contract. Could this really be a case of plain, old-fashion jealousy?
I narrowed my eyes, wondering. “Why are you so angry?” I asked her. “I didn’t lie about knowing Stone, Laney. But even if I had, it hardly seems like a reason to get this worked up over it.”
“You don’t think I have the right to get upset that you lied to me?”
“But I didn’t, Laney,” I repeated. “That’s what you’re refusing to understand. I didn’t know Stone before that Monday, and that’s the truth.”
“Fine,” she conceded, but she was snide about it. “But why marry him, Rylee?”
“What?”
“Why agree to marry him?” she asked. “Why not have just a normal Circe contract?”
My head reared back. “A normal Circe contract? Do you hear yourself?” I scoffed. “There’s nothing normal about any of this, Laney.” I shook my head in disbelief. “We’re talking secret societies, and blackmail, and destructive consequences. This shit is not normal.”
“If that’s how you feel, then why go through with it?”
“Are you serious?” I snapped.
“What?”
“You were there, Laney,” I reminded her. “You read his texts. As a matter of fact, you’re the one who had said it was a no-brainer to accept.”
“That’s before I knew Stone would be marrying you,” she cried out, confirming my suspicions. Laney had a thing for Stone. “How was I supposed to know you’d be getting in over your head?”
I was starting to get pissed, and Alexander’s remark about Hera’s jealousy streak started to bother me more than it should. I told myself I wasn’t jealous, but I also wasn’t going to spend the rest of the school year arguing with my roommate over a guy.
“You know, Laney, you’re standing there upset because you think I lied to you, but you don’t see me getting mad at you for keeping such a huge secret from me?” I pointed out. “When you told me all about The Order, I hadn’t gone off and gotten pissed because you hadn’t told me.”
“I was sworn to secrecy,” she defended. “I couldn’t say anything. Besides, it wasn’t any of your business.”
My back straightened at that. “And how, exactly, is my marriage to Stone any of your business?”
Her face took on an ugly shade of red. “I thought we were friends,” she flung back. “But I guess I was wrong.”
“We are friends,” I corrected her. “That shouldn’t change with my marriage to Stone.”
Laney shook her head. “You’re making a big mistake, Rylee.”
My hands landed on my hips, and I cocked my head. “And what do you propose I do, Laney? Break the contract and risk his wrath, along with the wrath of The Order?”
She had the audacity to shrug a shoulder as if the consequences weren’t a big deal. “Call Alexander and explain the situation,” she answered.
“Oh, really?” I replied. “And explain what, exactly? That my roommate is pissed that I’m marrying Stone Lexington, so…what? Please, tear up my contract?”
“What about August?’ she asked, and that confused me further.
“What about him?”
Her eyes widened a bit before darting away. “Nothing,” she mumbled, and I’d had enough.
I bent over and gathered my laptop and books, then headed towards my bedroom. I wasn’t going to play these games with her. I wasn’t going to engage in whatever drama she was trying to bring to the table. If she wanted to be mad at me for Stone, well, then that was on her.
Any other time, I wasn’t that girl. If one of my friends was interested in a guy, he was automatically off-limits as far as I was concerned. However, Laney has never mentioned anything about liking Stone Lexington. We’ve been friends for years, and she’s never once voiced her interest in him. Had she, I would have walked right back out that haunted house Friday night, and never looked back. Plus, I would have explained why if it had been necessary.
Laney had even had an opportunity to say something that night we’d all been studying when I had first mentioned Stone.
But. She. Hadn’t.
So, I wasn’t going to stand here and let her beat on me with her jealousy when I haven’t done anything wrong.
With all my stuff gathered in my arms, I looked at her. “Look, Laney. I’m not going to argue with you about something that doesn’t even really concern you,” I told her, and it was obvious she didn’t like hearing me stand up to her. She must have thought our friendship would make me choose peace over war. “If you have a problem with Stone wanting to marry me, then I suggest you take it up with him.”
Laney cocked a hip and crossed her arms underneath her breasts for emphasis. “Maybe I will,” she replied, a touch of challenge in her voice.
I had to take a deep breath. When it was all said and done, Laney was my roommate, and I still considered her a friend, even if she was behaving like a raging bitch.
Cradling my stuff in one arm, I grabbed my phone from the top of the pile and held it up. “Why don’t we call him now?” I suggested just like someone who knew they were already the winner. “We can put him on speaker and ask him why he’s marrying me.”
Laney’s arms dropped to her sides, and she aimed an evil look my way before storming out our front door. The slamming door made the pictures on the walls rattle, but I wasn’t too concerned about it. They had come with the apartment, so there wasn’t any sentimental attachment to them. In fact, the entire apartment had already come furnished, what with being located in a college town and all.
I shook my head and made my way towards my room. However, the entire time, I wondered how many furnished apartments were in this town and if they were as affordable as this one. Something told me I might just want to check out some listings, just in case.
Chapter 15
Stone~
My dick’s been hard for Rylee ever since I left her apartment Saturday, and it didn’t seem as if my condition was going to change any time soon. It had taken every ounce of willpower I’d had to leave her apartment Saturday, leaving me and her unsatisfied.
I couldn’t remember the last time I just made out with a girl, but that was probably because I had to have been thirteen or fourteen the last time I just made out with a girl. After losing my virginity at fourteen, there hadn’t been a whole lot of hand holding or the like. I’d already been told about The Order, so from then on out, I’d get laid, then call it a day.
Until Rylee.
I knew she still wasn’t completely onboard with marrying me, but I wasn’t too worried about it. I’d hold her to the contract if I had to. I just hoped that I didn’t have to. After that make out session on her couch, it was obvious that she was attracted to me, so I was hoping that would tip the scales in my favor.
Last night, after getting our tattoos, all of us initiates had met for a follow-up to Friday night. Fox had organized it, and we had all exchanged numbers, even August. He hadn’t mentioned my Hera contract with Rylee, but since the meeting had revolved mostly around expectations and Alexander’s surprise announcement that he was going to be on-hand the next few months, there’d been no need to mention the girls. I was still curious about why Saxton had chosen Kincaid, but I thought that question best asked privately. Plus, it wasn’t like I was expecting him to answer me, at any rate. Saxton Voss wasn’t one to follow the crowd. He’d been aptly dubbed Basilisk. Hell, we’d all been aptly dubbed.
Plus, just like I hadn’t asked him about Kincaid, no one had asked me about Rylee. Even after August had taken off and the rest of us had hung back for a while longer, no one had asked me why I was marrying Rylee, instead of just sponsoring her. However, even if they had asked, none of them would have believed the truth. Hell, Lennox could hardly believe it, and he knew me best out of everyone in the world. Though unbelievable, it was simple; it had been like being struck by lightning, and that changed a motherfucker.
And now, armed with her school schedule and everything else I knew about her, I was waiting for her in front of her Data Structures class. I needed to start acting like a boyfriend if I was going to get her to agree-willingly-to this marriage, so I figured I might as well start now.
I’d gotten a few head nods and a lot of stares as I leaned back against the building, but I’d gotten some gawking when I saw Rylee walking up and I pushed off the wall, then walked towards her, wrapping my left arm around her waist, and kissing the side of her face. “Hey, baby.”
She froze for a second, but quickly melted into my arms. “Hey,” she mumbled.
And because people were tripping over themselves in disbelief, I made a show of grabbing her left hand and kissing the huge rock perched on her ring finger. She’d been wearing it on Saturday when I had stopped by her apartment, and I figured that had to mean something. Plus, the more people who noticed it and knew who the guy was who put it there, well, the least likely she’d be to back out of the marriage. I had to employ whatever manipulative strategies I could here.
“Miss me?” I teased.
Rylee was trying to bury her face in my chest, and I did my best not to laugh. “What are you doing?” she hissed into my shirt.
“I’m just here to tell my fiancé good morning,” I automatically replied.
Her head jerked up, and her eyes were wide because I said that shit loud enough to be heard by anyone in the area. “Stone!” she whispered-yelled. “I thought we were taking this slow?”
Reaching down and lacing her fingers in mine, I dragged her behind me until we were on the east side of the building, away from prying eyes and opened ears.
I crowded her but left enough room in between us to cross my arms over my chest. “When did we decide that?” Her face turned a bright pink, and that’s when it dawned on me. I lowered my hands to cup that fucking glorious face of hers. “Rylee, just because I didn’t fuck you Saturday does not mean we’re taking this slow,” I told her.
Her eyes were dancing all over the place. “I just thought-”
I lifted her face towards mine, lowered my lips to hers, and kissed her slow and long. Rylee hands fisted in my shirt, and she kissed me back with the same sensual fervor. It felt like Saturday all over again, and kissing Rylee was like the best kind of torture. It felt like prolonged foreplay, and I knew I was always going to love kissing her like this.
When I finally broke from her lips, Rylee’s eyes were still closed, and she was panting seductively.
My dick was also hating me something awful.
“Rylee?”
She opened her eyes, and I loved that I put that look on her face. “Y…yeah?”
“Does that feel like we’re taking it slow?” I asked. “Because these kisses feel more meaningful to me than sex before you has ever felt.”
“Oh, God…” she whispered, and that’s when I realized Rylee needed words. Some girls needed actions, but Rylee needed both. Because she still couldn’t believe that I was interested in her for the long haul, she needed words, and she needed actions to back up those words.
I could do that.
Having never been much of a romantic, I knew I was going to have to work hard at it, but I was willing. Plus, after telling Lennox the truth about proposing to Rylee, I was sure he’d help me. He had a way about him with the fairer sex, and I knew I could count on him to tell me if I was ever neglecting Rylee.
Telling Lennox about Rylee last night had been a whole other thing. He had called me crazy for proposing to a girl I didn’t know. He had called her certifiable for saying yes. And without being able to tell him about The Order, it had taken a while to convince him that Rylee hadn’t said yes to my money, instead of yes to me. He had eventually conceded that she didn’t strike him as the type. He’d just been shocked that I had proposed and that she had said yes. I had to semi-lie to him and tell him that the proposal was more of a symbol of just how serious I was because I’ve never had a girlfriend before, and I didn’t think anyone would take us ‘just dating’ seriously enough. He had begrudgingly admitted to being able to see that point as valid. He could see jealousy from other girls and/or guys trying to sneak into our new relationship.
I leaned down, ready to kiss her again, when she quickly spoke up. “Stone, I have to get to class,” she reminded me. “I-”
I gave her a tight nod. “Okay,” I relented. “But not before you give me something.”
She adjusted her book bag over her shoulder. “What do you mean?”
“You’re wearing my ring, but I have a feeling you still think you can take it off at any given time,” I said. “Give me something that lets me know that you realize you can’t take it off, Rylee.”
Her shoulders sagged, and you could see the weight of what she’s agreed to settling in her body. “You’re not making this eas-”
“Something, Rylee,” I repeated.
She started chewing on her bottom lip and it was distracting as hell. However, before I could kiss her again, she said, “I’ll make you a deal.”
I straightened to my full height. “What kind of deal?”
“The deadline is…four weeks, right?” I nodded. “How about…you give me the entire four weeks to…wrap my mind around all this?”
“I’m not giving you four fucking weeks to convince yourself to back out of-”
“No,” she quickly interrupted. “That’s not what I mean, Stone.”
“Then what the fuck did you mean?” Waiting four weeks to marry Rylee wasn’t sitting well with me, and I wasn’t going to hide my irritation with the idea.
“Stone, I can’t just call my parents tomorrow and tell them I got married to a virtual stranger,” she argued. “Four weeks gives me time to mention you and get to know you better. Four weeks makes this feel a lot less crazy than it really is.”
I thought about how hard it had been to explain to Lennox about the engagement, and I had to admit she had a point where her family was concerned. “Four weeks and you marry me willingly?”
