Page 49 of Lamb

“And what happened to Miss Whittaker?” I asked, knowing I wouldn’t like the answer.

“Unfortunately, Miss Whittaker won’t be returning.”

Neither would Miss Benton, Miss James, or Miss Kent. Four tutors in twelve months. Five if you countedMr. Lambert. At least if this one didn’t return, I knew it wouldn’t be because my husband got bored with fucking him. Because that was exactly what had happened with the rest.Guess my bastard brother-in-law was their last resort. Mine too if I wanted to continue with my schooling.

I nodded once. “A shame.” The socialite’s way of saying:I know more than you think I know.

“It is,” Mr. Prescott hummed. His way of telling me to keep my mouth shut and not ask any more questions about whatI knew. Which was actually something we could agree on. I didn’t care to ask and he didn’t care to tell me. “Right, well, I’ll leave you to it. Adrian,Mary.” He dipped his chin and exited the room. His heavy steps trudging down the hall before dying off completely.

I waited a moment, keeping my voice low and my glare narrowed as I turned it on Adrian. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

He tucked his hands into his pockets, his stern expression melting into a grin. “Like the old man said, little lamb. I’m just here to teach you a thing or two.”

63

ADRIAN

“Lambert?” Marisela asked.

She didn’t have to say more. I saw the question in her eyes—rather the realization—and I couldn’t keep myself from touching her. Even though I knew I shouldn’t. That she shouldn’t let me. My hand moved towards her face, the pad of my thumb brushing against her bottom lip. Remembering what those lips tasted like. How they felt against my cock. How perfect they looked pursed together and covered in my cum…

A day, a month, a year… it didn’t matter. There was no forgetting this woman and the way she altered my brain chemistry. The way she altered me and the way I’d altered her in return. We didn’t fit together. In the same world, in the same room.

I didn’t care. I’d shave down all our edges until we’d click into place. Until she became that piece I’d beenmissing since the first time she looked down at me from her window.

“See that?” I lowered my mouth, close enough to breathe her air, without actually making contact. The anticipation was everything. At least for me it was. It just seemed to infuriate her. “I gave you my name long before you took my brother’s, little lamb,” I whispered. Quickly dropping my hand to my side. Stepping back and putting a few feet of distance between us.

It was all I could do to keep myself from doing something stupid. Something gratifying but so very stupid. It was ironic, how often those two crossed paths. How something could be wrong and feel so right.

Not to say anything about her being mine was wrong. It wasn’t. The timing was. I couldn’t rush it.

Marisela set her textbook on the coffee table and crossed her arms over her chest, the way she often did when she was trying to put her guard up around me. “Does Tate know about this?”

“It was his idea,” I admitted. Technically, it was mine. He’d just been too dumb to figure that part out.

“Of course it was,” she groaned, plopping down on the sofa. Her eyes rolling towards the ceiling before flicking towards me again. She paused a moment, then cocked her head to one side. “How’s the foot?”

“Significantly lighter. How’s that pretty little pussy?” I watched her smirk drop.

“You took something you had no right to take, Adrian.”

“Mr. Lambert,” I reminded her. “And so did you.”

“That was different.”

“The way I see it, it was very much the same.”

She was fuming now. Her brows knitted in the middle and her lip curled slightly at the top. “Mine is gone forever. Yours is sitting upstairs in a jewelry box.”

“Do you plan on returning it, Marisela?” I lifted a challenging brow.

She shook her head and hissed, “Never.”

“Do you regret it?” I continued to press.

“Not even a little bit.”

“Me either.” I shrugged. “See? Same.” She opened her mouth to reply and I raised a finger to stop her. “I suggest we use your time wisely. Unless you’d rather wait and see what other warm bodies your husband can dig up? But I can assure you their qualifications won’t be anywhere near as good as mine are.”

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