Chapter 97
Lucy’s POV
I woke up to the sound of peace. Beside Kaiden. Just like I’d dreamed of during those restless, aching weeks when all I wanted was this–his warmth, his breath steady beside mine, and the quiet promise of everything finally feeling okay.
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For once, my heart wasn’t pounding with the thrill of doing something forbidden. There was no rush of guilt or fear. Just the quiet, soothing fragrance of him–woodsy and warm, with the faintest hint of his cologne still clinging to the sheets. It made me feel like I could finally breathe. Really breathe. Like I wasn’t strapped to an oxygen mask while dragging a cylinder of chaos behind me.
My cheek was resting against his bare chest, rising and falling gently. Meanwhile, his arm was draped loosely around my waist, his hand resting just under the curve of my back like it belonged there. Like I belonged there.
His perfect long lashes fluttered softly as my fingers gently touched his tempting lips. I tilted my head up slightly and smiled at the sight of him. His hair was a mess of dark waves and I couldn’t help but thread my fingers through. I toyed with a strand, then combed it back gently, watching how the light kissed the curve of his cheekbone.
He hummed at my touch, the sound vibrating softly in his chest beneath my ear.
“Are you… seriously playing with my hair?” he murmured, voice thick with sleep, his lips curling as one eye cracked open lazily.
“Mm–hmm,” I replied, my fingers still twirling his hair. “It’s soft. Like a spoiled cat.”
One of his eyes cracked open, then the other. A slow, lazy grin stretched across his lips as he shifted slightly, his voice coated in amusement. “Careful, Introvert. Spoiled cats bite.”
I laughed, letting my fingers trail down the side of his neck, tracing the faint stubble with the pad of my thumb. “Do they also purr when you scratch behind their ears?”
Kaiden rolled onto his side, facing me fully now, his body sliding against mine with deliberate, delicious slowness. “They purr,” he said, with a devilish spark in his half–lidded gaze, his hand moving to cup the back of my thigh and pull me closer, “but they also know how to make you beg.”
My breath hitched, my heartbeat fluttering in my chest like a trapped bird. “Is that a threat or a promise?” I whispered, brushing my lips close to his.
“Depends,” he whispered back, a slow smirk spreading across his face as his nose grazed mine, “how fast can you beg.”
I bit my lip, grinning like an idiot, my cheeks warm. His fingers were already teasing my belly button, rough yet gentle against my skin, sending tiny sparks along my spine.
“Kaiden,” I murmured, half a warning, half a plea, my breath brushing against his skin.
He kissed the corner of my mouth, then my jaw, then down to my neck, where he lingered with a smirk. His thumb brushed the bare skin of my thigh, sending shivers racing up my spine. “You say my name like that again,” he murmured against my pulse point, “and I swear I’ll forget what time it is.”
“Time?” I blinked, mind foggy with the feel of him.
Crap.
I pulled back from his arms–regretfully–and reached over to grab my phone from the bedside table. The screen lit up, and my eyes widened, blood draining from my face.
“Holy–Kaiden! We are gonna be late for school!” I yelped, clutching the phone like it might explode.
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LL–US inu, 24 Apr
Chapter 97
He blinked at me, still lazily sprawled on the bed with one arm slung over his head, completely unfazed. “And?”
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I’ve already missed a lot of classes,” I said, scrambling upright, the sheets tangling around my legs as panic bubbled up. “I can’t afford to miss any. I want perfect As.”
Kaiden groaned, then hooked an arm around my waist and effortlessly tugged me back down onto the mattress. “Relax,” he drawled, nuzzling into the crook of my neck, his voice rumbling against my collarbone. “No one dares to deduct my girlfriend’s grade for sleeping with me. In fact, if you want, I can tell them to give some extra points.”
“Kaiden!” I gasped, swatting his shoulder, cheeks flaring with heat.
He only laughed, deep and unrepentant, flipping me over with a sudden movement and pinning me beneath him. His grin was wicked, full of mischief and yesterday’s heat. “What? It wasn’t a joke. Last night indeed deserved some extra point.”
“Stop distracting me!” I said, trying to wriggle free, but my voice wavered as memories of the last night began swirling through my mind–warm and wild, like a storm we had summoned. I couldn’t help but vividly recall how I had let out a scream as my orgasm crashed over me, how my body trembled as I rode out the blissful waves, how Kaiden’s voice had broken into a groan as his own release followed moments later, and how we’d collapsed into each other, tangled in sheets and silence, our breaths ragging as we struggled to catch them.
“Never,” he whispered, pulling me back from my memories as his lips brushed against mine like a promise before claiming them again in a slow, searing kiss. He then pulled back slightly, breath warm against my cheek. “But I have a solution for not being late.”
“And what’s that?” I asked, my brows lifting as I tried to keep my heart from doing somersaults.
“How about we help each other bathe?” he smirked, eyes dark with amusement, his tone both charming and deliciously suggestive.
“Very funny.” I rolled my eyes, pushing him gently, my bare palm pressing against the firmness of his chest, where I could feel his steady heartbeat beneath my fingertips.
“Really. I’m not joking,” he said, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Let’s bathe together and help each other.”
“You know what will happen if we bathe together?” I replied, narrowing my eyes and giving him a look that was more fire than innocence.
“What?” he asked, gaze locked on mine, his breath catching just slightly–hooked by the lure in my voice.
I leaned in slowly, the tip of my nose brushing his before I brought my lips to his ear. My breath fanned over his skin, teasing the soft edge of his earlobe. Then, just as his body went still with anticipation, I shouted, “We won’t just be late, but miss the whole day!”
He flinched and jerked back, hands flying to his ear. “Damn, Introvert,” he winced dramatically, “you just burst my eardrums.”
I threw my head back; laughing freely, warmth bubbling in my chest. “Serves you right.”
He looked at me, eyes glinting with something devilish. Then, slowly, a wicked smile spread across his face. “Oh, yeah?” he murmured, shifting his weight closer with a glint of mischief. “Then this serves you right as well.”
Before I could react, his hands were at my sides, fingers dancing over my skin.
“Kaiden, no–oh, my God!” I shrieked between helpless fits of laughter as he began tickling me. My limbs flailed, my catching in bursts as I gasped and twisted under his touch. “Please—no, stop it. Kaiden!”
“Nope,” he chuckled, his voice breathless from laughter too. “You brought this on yourself.”
We both laughed–loud, breathless, and free–and for the first time in what felt like forever, my room echoed with the
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Chapter 97
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sound of joy instead of pain. The walls, once soaked in quiet despair and muffled sobs, now basked in the warmth of our shared laughter. It was as if the silence that had clung to every corner, every pillow, every night, had finally been chased away by something real. Something healing. The kind of laughter that stitched my invisible wounds from the inside out.
To be continued…
