Page 119 of The Bleak Beginning

His body presses against mine, his face dangerously close, inches from my own. The heat from his skin makes my pulse spike, but it’s not fear that’s making my heart race. The adrenaline from my defiance on stage still surges through me, leaving me breathless.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?” His eyes search mine, intense and burning. His silver mask long gone. “What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t,” I admit, my voice shaky. I can’t seem to catch my breath with him this close. “And I’m still not.”

The warnings in my head are drowned out by the overwhelming rush in my veins—the high of the moment, therecklessness, the defiance. And before I can stop myself, I’m pulling him in, crashing my lips against his.

For a split second, everything else disappears. His warmth, his taste, it all consumes me. It doesn’t matter that he’s a Legacy, that I know I shouldn’t trust him. Right now, I don’t care about the consequences. The only thing I care about is the electric, reckless rush coursing through me as our lips collide in a dangerous, thrilling dance.

Sylvester responds immediately, his hands gripping my waist as he deepens the kiss. It’s fierce and hungry, matching the intensity of the moment. The kiss is fierce, urgent, a clash of lips and tongues that mirrors the tumultuous emotions swirling within me.

His hand finds my thigh, my dress bunching up between us as we continue our heated embrace. My fingers tangle in his hair, pulling him closer. The rational part of my mind screams at me to stop, but I silence it, losing myself in the intoxicating sensations.

His hand slides higher up my thigh, sending shivers through my body when he finds my silk panties and snakes a finger underneath them as his thumb finds that perfect spot.

I gasp against his lips, the sensation of his touch electrifying, the rush of it overwhelming. Every nerve in my body hums with energy, the wild surge of adrenaline from my actions still coursing through me. His fingers move faster, igniting a fire within me that both exhilarates and consumes me. My body arches as his finger enters me, delving deeper into my core with each thrust.

My mind goes blank as I let him take charge, driving me to the edge with each calculated movement. I gasp, moaning uncontrollably against his lips, as my body trembles with a mixture of pleasure and thrill, finding my release.

As the waves of pleasure recede, reality crashes back in. I pull away from the kiss, panting, my mind reeling from what just happened. Sylvester’s eyes are dark with desire, but there’s something more—an uncertainty that wasn’t there before.

“Come back to my room with me?” he murmurs, his breath hot against my skin. “Stay the night.”

I hesitate, my thoughts a whirlwind. The rational part of me screams no—this is stupid and thoughtless. But the wild, reckless part of me that took the stage earlier is still alive, craving more of that rush.

“No,” I breathe. “I can’t.”

Sylvester’s gaze falters, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. But he nods, accepting my refusal.

“I understand,” he says, his tone hardening, as though the heat between us evaporated with my words. He runs a hand through his tousled hair, the once seductive gleam in his eyes now clouded with something else—something more distant.

I smooth down my dress, trying to find my balance again. My body still hums with the energy of before, the aftershocks of it lingering in my veins. “I should go.”

I turn to leave, but before I can take a step, his hand brushes my wrist, gentle but insistent. “Wait,” he says, his voice soft, almost pleading. “Let me walk you back to your room.”

“I can manage,” I reply, my voice firm, unwilling to let the moment stretch longer than it should.

I pull away from his grasp. We’re not friends. He’s a Legacy, born into power, privilege, and politics. I’m just trying to get through Altair, graduate, and get out. Nothing more.

“Goodnight, Sylvester.”

I leave him standing there, my bare feet tapping softly along the stone pathway. The sound echoes, each step a reminder of the distance I’m creating between us. I can feel his gaze on me,but I don’t look back. This was nothing more than a fleeting moment, a reckless surge of energy. That’s all it was.

Chapter 25

Alex

I’m lying in bed when there’s a gentle knock at my door. I’m already awake; the sound of raindrops against my window followed by a loud thunderclap had stirred me from sleep just minutes ago.

As I rise from my bed, I make my way to the door and notice a flyer stuck to the outside, much like the one I saw in the mailroom the other day. The page is decorated in gold and black, with directions for where all of the parents will gather to meet their children this weekend.

I consider tossing it in the garbage. After all, I didn’t expect anyone to show up for me on parents’ weekend.

But something stops me. Maybe it’s the lingering remnants of the masquerade, or the eerie atmosphere created by the storm outside. I find myself folding the flyer and slipping it into my pocket after I finish getting dressed for the day.

I open my umbrella and descend the steps of my dorm, making my way across campus toward the listed location. My main focus is to stay dry as I trudge through the rain, hugging my jacket tighter around me. It’s not until I arrive at the designated meeting spot outside the old natatorium that I realize how deserted campus feels. It’s strange that we’re supposed to meet here, but I don’t question it and simply shrug my shoulders as I step inside.

The familiar scent of chlorine and damp air hits me as I enter the natatorium. The cavernous space echoes with the soft patter of rain on the roof and the occasional rumble of distant thunder.

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