Page 6 of Call It What You Want
“Please, Jackson,” she says, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “I can’t stay here. I can’t.”
Well, sheisstaying here. That’s not up for debate. But, hey, I’m curious. “Why not?”
Her mouth clamps shut, and she looks up at me, blinking, like she’s considering whether or not to tell me. Now, I’mreallycurious.
While I’m waiting for her to confess whatever the fuck it is, I tug her shirt open, which sends her buttons flying. The Isca uniform includes a black bow-tie that she must’ve removed before she reached the parking lot. With the shirt now gaping open, her white, lacy bra is exposed—two pink nipples pressed against the transparent fabric.
Mmm, yes.
“Tell me,” I say, reaching up to cup her breast through her bra. Her nipple is already hard, and suddenly, I can barely fucking breathe.
She draws in a sharp breath, like she’s being cut with a knife, but she’s smart enough not to resist me. “My, um…” Another sharp breath. “...my dad. I can’t leave him. His health isn’t good.”
“You have an older sister,” I point out. She’s much older, by ten years. Olivia. “She can handle him.”
“She has enough to deal with.”
I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean, but I don’t care enough to ask. My sole focus is on Ava. Everyone else will just have to fuck right off until I can get shit handled. But before I can do that, I need her compliance…
Roughly, I push her shirt over her shoulders and down her arms, pulling it free, and letting the fabric fall to the floor. Then Islide her bra straps down her arms, but before I can strip it away completely, she brings her hands up and holds it in place.
I arch a brow. “Lower your hands.”
She hesitates for several seconds before finally letting her hands drop to her sides.
“Good girl,” I praise, pulling her bra down to expose her full, creamy breasts. They’re larger than I remember, heavier, and even more enticing, if that’s even fucking possible.
Leaning in, I run my tongue down the column of her throat. She tastes exactly how I remember—like sweet cream. The flavor is uniquely hers, and it’s seared into my fucking brain. My cock twitches. “Now, tell me the real reason you’re so desperate to leave,” I say against her skin.
“Because I hate you,” she says firmly, but there’s a hitch in her voice, like she’s trying hard to suppress her body’s response to me. But I know her better than she thinks. “Isn’t that a good enough reason?”
I chuckle against her warm skin. “You’ll come around. You girls always do.”
Ava is more stubborn than most girls I’ve been with. But in my twenty-one years on this planet, I’ve discovered one universal truth: a skilled tongue can twist fury into surrender before they even realize it’s happening.
She stiffens. “You girls?” she repeats with a thread of snark in her tone. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it almost sounded like jealousy.
I press my palms against the wall behind her, caging her in, my tongue skating across her soft skin. “You’re deflecting.”
“Answer my question first. I deserve to know why you’ve ripped me away from my life, from the people I love…” Her throat flicks under my tongue. “Why am Ireallyhere, Jackson?”
She’s afraid. I can hear it in her voice. And she should be. I’m not the hero in her story. I’m not good. I’m not safe. I’m the knife you pray doesn’t find your throat.
“Because we have unfinished business,” I say, pressing my hips against hers. The truth runs so much deeper, but revealing it would only drag us both into hell. So that’s all she’s getting from me.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I ignore it. Whatever it is can wait—until it buzzes again. And again. With a curse, I fish my phone out of my pocket. It’s Andre, head of our security team.
There’s someone here for you. She says her name is Ember.
Fuck. Ember.
What the fuck does she want?
If she’s standing on my doorstep, then it can’t be good.
I slide a hand into my back pocket, pull out a syringe, pop the cap with my thumb, and sink the needle into Ava’s arm—quick, ruthless—before she even knows what’s happening.
“Sorry, Doe-Eyes,” I murmur as she gasps. “We’ll have to finish this later.”
