Fury (New Adult Romance) - #1.5 Fierce Series (40 page)
Read Fury (New Adult Romance) - #1.5 Fierce Series Online
Authors: Clarissa Wild
“So you were only in the frat house to get your brother out?” she
says.
“That’s what I told you, isn’t it?” I say, my voice soft and soothing,
trying not to sound harsh.
“And the drugs, the dealing, the fighting, it was all for this?”
I lick my lips, because they feel dry all of a sudden. “I needed to
gain their trust to climb up higher in the ranks. It was the only way I could
find out who was running the entire thing.”
“Wow …” She sighs and blinks a couple of times.
She’s shivering in my arms, goose bumps riddling her skin. I rub her
warm. I wonder what she’s thinking, if she’s angry at me, or afraid. I wish I
could take her anxiety away, but I know that’s impossible. I’ll just stay here
and hold her, and tell her everything I can so she can get a complete picture.
And maybe then she can decide for herself if she wants to stay with me or not.
I’d like that, though.
“Please don’t be mad at me for not telling you sooner.” My fingers
tighten around her, and my other hand reaches for hers. “I don’t want to lose
you.”
She silent for a few seconds. “I’m not mad. I just can’t believe
that’s what was really happening.”
That’s a relief. “I couldn’t tell you, because I knew it would
jeopardize your safety. I could never risk that.”
“You didn’t jeopardize my safety; I did.” She laughs, and it’s so
cute I just want to squeeze her and hold her until the week is over. “Going to
Brody was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Yeah, that was pretty stupid,” I say, laughing with her.
She gasps, leans back, and punches me in the shoulder. It’s still
painful from the fight, so I wince. Still, I can tell she’s hitting way better
than before when we were training in the grass outside. She’s really learned
how to pack a punch. “Good punch.”
“Nah. Not as good as yours,” she muses, smirking and wriggling her
nose. I love it when she does that.
“I can teach you. Just like old times.” I cheekily raise an eyebrow.
“I can take you anytime.”
She chuckles. “God, you and your sexual innuendos.” Yep, that’s me.
“I just got a thing for you, can’t help it.” I get closer and press
my lips onto her pale skin. “Tell me you’ll forgive me. I need you.”
She blushes, rubbing her lips together like she’s still worried
about something. “I just need to know one thing. Was I part of your little
operation?”
“No, of course not.”
“Seeing as I was Brody’s friend.”
Why would she think that I’d use her for that? That’s just cruel.
“No. That wasn’t why I wanted to spend time with you.”
“Then why?” She gazes up at me, the look in her eyes confused.
Is she still that uncertain about why I want to hang out with her?
Why I like her? She’s everything I want to be: smart, loving, kind, headstrong,
and fiery. I like that in a girl. I like that she’s independent, and I want her
to be the girl that’s not with me just for the muscles and sex. I think she
could be the one who could like me for who I am, and I admire that about her.
That she looks beyond my shell and sees inside my soul. She mends the wreckage
that is me.
My fingers drift toward her face, and I caress her cheek and jaw
with the tips of my fingers. “I’m such a screw-up. I’ve always been a screw-up.
I wanted to free Jessie and sold my soul to the devil to do it. And then I met
you. You’re like an angel, the complete opposite of me. You caught my attention
the moment you walked into our campus, with your untamed hair, and pretty
little eyes you hide behind those cute glasses.”
I look down and lick my lips the moment I notice she’s got her
fingers entangled with mine. “Remember when I asked you if you thought I was
trying to change you?” I gaze back into her mesmerizing eyes.
She nods, her lip quivering. I guess she still needs me to tell her
that I want her, and I won’t deny her that desire. “I wanted you to change
me
,”
I say. “To help me keep my promise to my brother. To keep me from failing at
school. To keep me on the right track. To make me a better person. Because you
can do all those things, and you did.”
She’s all I ever needed, and all I’ll ever want. Someone who
understands me.
I squeeze her hand and she laces her fingers even further through
mine. I can’t help but feel happy when she touches me. It’s a kind of
unmistakable connection between us that sparks all kinds of mushy feelings
inside me. And I’m normally not the mushy type of person. Nope. She’s
definitely turned me into one.
“I think you’re the only one who sees me for who I really am. Who
knows what it’s like to be the underdog. You’re the only good thing that has
ever happened to me. And I was so, so goddamn afraid I was gonna lose you over
all this shit.” I take a deep breath. It’s hard to admit I care so much about
someone. It’s scary, because I don’t know what her reaction will be, and I’d
rather not face it if it’s something I don’t like. However, now there’s no
going back.
She’s silently swaying her feet back and forth, listening to what I
have to say.
“And when you told me you loved me … I … I just …” I sigh, trying to
put it into words. I’ve had so much trouble coming to this point. Loving
someone has always been difficult for me, because I don’t know whether they
feel the same and if they’ll stay. I like to be prepared for the worst. It’s my
way of protecting myself.
Every time someone came into my life, they’d be gone in no time.
There’s no one who’s actually said that word to me, and it terrifies the shit
out of me. Especially because I feel terrible about what I’ve been doing with
Alpha Psi.
“I thought I didn’t deserve it,” I continue. “Something this good
doesn’t happen for fuck-ups like me. I was always afraid of getting too
involved with girls, so I kept them at arm’s length. I didn’t want to feel the
responsibility that came with a relationship. It meant having even more to take
care of. But then I never really had a girl like you before.”
I look at her, and when I see her pretty face smiling at me, I smile
back. “You’re different.”
She’s not like them. Not like any other person I’ve ever met.
“Different how?” she asks, her nose twitching cutely again.
“Good,” I say with a wink. “Very good.” I lean my forehead against
hers, trying to show her without words what I feel for her. Words were never
really my strongest part. All brawn no brain is what they’d call it, I think. It
doesn’t matter. She likes me for who I am. That’s all I need.
I’m taking a leap of faith here, but I want to show her what she
means to me. I’d gladly take the risk with her. “And you know what? I think I
love you,” I say with a confident smile.
For a moment she just gazes at me, and then she bursts out into
laughter.
“What’s so funny?” I ask. “You think it’s funny?”
She doesn’t stop laughing. Well, am I that amusing? I tell her I
love her, and this is how she responds?
I grab her wrists and pin her down to the bed. “Am I funny, huh?”
“I’m sorry,” she says, sweeping away a tear. “I can’t help it.”
“Is me loving you funny?” I say, jerking up her shirt while tickling
her. She squirms underneath me, giggling continuously.
“No, no, it’s not funny at all,” she squeals. “Stop!”
“Beg me,” I murmur with a deep voice.
“Please!” she says.
I love it when she begs.
I stare into her eyes, thinking about all the things we’ve been
through. There are moments I can only vaguely remember of holding her, hugging
her tight, wanting to plant my lips on hers. And when it finally happened … God
… I’ll never forget that. Then there’s another memory I just can’t seem to
forget. It’s lodged into my brain, which is unusual for me. I’ll always
remember that girl who was blown over with leaves, who lost her bracelet, and
I’ll always remember talking to her for the first time. And for some
inexplicable reason, my strainer brain suddenly pops a name to the front of my
mind. Autumn.
It’s what I’ve always thought, but could never put into words. The
fall. The leaves. Her. So I named her Leafy instead.
But now I finally remember her name.
I grin and place my hands on her shoulders. “I like it when you say
please,” I say, wetting my lips. She slaps me on the arm. Bet she doesn’t see
the surprise I have coming for her. “See, you can’t resist my charm, Autumn.”
Her brows furrow. “What? You’ve never called me by my name.”
I smirk. “Guess there’s a first time for everything. I still prefer
Leafy, though.” I brush a strand of hair from her face and caress her cheek
with the tips of my fingers.
‘Me too,” she says after a while.
I’m glad. I’ll probably forget her name again. My brain is a mystery
even to me. I gave up trying to understand it long ago. But she … she’ll never
give up on me. That’s what I love most about her. She’ll be here, no matter
what I do. She’ll stick around.
I love her so much, I want to kiss her forever. So I cup her chin
and press my lips down on hers and show her how much I love her. In this one
deep kiss, our passion ignites. Of course, I can’t help myself after that first
kiss. I keep coming back for more, diving back in to taste her again, and
again, and again, each time quicker and dirtier, my tongue joining in the fun.
I can never get enough of her.
“You’re my Leafy now, and I’m never letting you go. Ever,” I say.
I lock her hand with mine, kissing her fervently. My breath and hers
meld together in an endless flurry of kisses. I won’t stop. I can’t stop. I’ll
never stop loving my Leafy.
She is my fall, my rise, the branches that catch me when I need her
support. She’s shown me there’s so much more to life, and that I have something
to fight for. The fury that raged inside me has been replaced with hope. Hope
for a future with my Leafy. I love her to death.
Literally.
Fighting is in my blood. It’s what I’m good at. I’d be crazy if I
didn’t fight for her. I’ll always be the victor, I’ll make sure of that.
Unless of course, she wanted to fight me … Then I’d let her win.
… Maybe.
###
Autumn and Hunter’s story continues in book 2,
coming soon!
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About the author
Clarissa Wild is the Amazon Bestselling Romance author of FIERCE, a
top 200 and top 15 New Adult Romance novel. She is also a writer of erotic
romance such as the Blissful Series, The Billionaire's Bet series, the Doing It
Series and the Enflamed Series. She is an avid reader and writer of sexy
stories about hot men and feisty women. Her other loves include her furry cat
friend and learning about different cultures. In her free time she enjoys
watching all sorts of movies, reading tons of books and cooking her favorite
meals.