Midnight Secrets
Chapter 7

The next week was fairly uneventful, at least when it came to strange encounters. Ezra didn’t attempt approaching me again, and I hadn’t bumped into Cassius. Other than seeing him across campus a few times, I barely saw him. There were the odd out-of-pocket thoughts about Ezra that didn’t match my opinion of him. As time went on, the thoughts grew in frequency, but only when I was in class with him.

After a week of these thoughts, they eventually grew more bold and sexual. On Wednesday, a random thought about what it would be like to have him choke me flashed through my mind. The musing was so random and out of place—never once had I been curious about being choked; it wasn’t my thing—and as a result, I jerked, losing my pen in the process, and of course, it rolled out of my reach.

Maybe I was losing my mind.

I’d taken to sitting closer to the front so I was less tempted to peer back at Ezra, making it fairly obvious when I glanced back at him. It was hard to see his facial expression at this distance, but I had the impression he was silently laughing at me.

The end of class couldn’t come fast enough. When the professor ended class a few minutes early, I shot out of my seat, making sure my desk was empty. Even though I wanted to run, I kept my walk at a reasonable pace.

I naively assumed I was in clear with how I was only a couple of minutes away from my dorm building, but fucking Ezra proved me wrong. “I’ve never seen anyone throw a pen the way you did,” a melodic voice said from behind me, making me jump. I hadn’t heard anyone approach me, and I had been paying attention to my surroundings, or so I thought.

I pressed my lips together to hold back my swears when I spun around and found Ezra right behind me. My hand found my chest as I checked to make sure my heart hadn’t leaped right out of it with how hard it was pounding. Even with my deep breaths, my panic was slow to ease.

He stood only a couple of feet away, the all-encompassing scent of his cologne filling my senses. Did this guy reapply that shit before chasing me out of class? That was the only way this shit could be so strong, acting almost like it had a mind of its own as it invaded the air I was breathing, trying to pull me into its thrall.

Sheesh, I really was losing my mind. Cologne didn’t work like that.

“Hand spasm,” I said with a shrug since there was no way I was ever willing to admit to the real reason. It would make him think I was obsessed or worse; interested in him. Call me crazy, but I preferred my men to be less creepy.

“Mhm, right.” His expression said he didn’t believe me, but I didn’t care.

Even though nearly all my instincts were screaming at me to back away and get as far away as possible, I held my ground. I’d rather not risk offending the guy. You know, just in case he was the type to kill women who hurt his feelings.

My gaze scanned the nearby sidewalks, disappointed to replace them empty. Seriously? No one was headed this way? What complete bullshit. Of course, this would happen to me. This dude better not end up being a fucking serial killer.

“Do you want to get coffee with me?” My attention was pulled back to him, replaceing him even closer, and I couldn’t help but take a step back. Somehow, his scent was even more potent and scrambled my thoughts for several long moments.

“What?” Wow, what an intelligent response.

A slow smirk made an appearance, and I instinctually took another step back.

“You, me, coffee,” he said slowly, inclining his head in the direction of the coffee shop on campus.

That was one of the worst ideas I’d ever heard, and I wanted no part in it. Not only was I not in the mood for coffee at night, but the thought of spending more time with him had my body going cold.

It’s just coffee in a public building. What’s the harm? It would be nice to get to know him better. The thoughts wound through my mind, working against me and my instincts. They were in league with the minuscule urge to move closer to Ezra.

They weren’t alone. More thoughts began whispering in my mind, saying things along the same lines, and eventually, I found myself nodding. Despite not wanting to spend time with him or even be within the same vicinity as him, I numbly followed him down the sidewalks, away from my dorm and toward the coffee shop.

It wasn’t a comfortable silence between us, not by a long shot. I was so wired, that I doubted I should drink any coffee. The smallest of sounds had me ready to jump; even the wind had me nearly jumping out of my skin.

The full moon sat above us, adding more light, but it still wasn’t enough for my taste.

All of my focus was trained on him, watching him through my peripheral vision just in case he tried something. I made sure to keep as much distance between us as possible. However, it wasn’t far enough, in my opinion.

Relief washed over me when we finally reached the coffee shop and saw at least twenty other people inside. If I was going to be forced into spending time with him, I’d rather it be in a public place with witnesses around.

We still had yet to speak as we waited in line. What was the fucking point of going for coffee if we weren’t talking? I sure as fuck wasn’t going to be the one to break the silence, not when I hadn’t even wanted to be here in the first place.

It took everything in me not to shift around or squirm at being in his unsettling presence. In truth, I couldn’t put my finger on what was off about him. He’d been nothing but nice to me—excluding the weird way he acted on the first day. Maybe that was why I was so wary of him. Maybe that one interaction tainted him in my mind.

I peeked at him using my peripheral vision again, and thankfully, he was looking at the menu written on the black chalkboard, not me. Even though it was a valid reason, that wasn’t it. I may not know what it was about him, but I instinctively knew he wasn’t anyone I should ever trust.

When we got to the counter and ordered, he placed a twenty on the counter before I could even reach for my bag. I started to protest, but he shook his head, telling me it was on him since this was his idea.

Even the kind gesture made me wary and had alarms blaring in my head.

With our coffees in hand, Ezra guided me to a two-person table near the back corner of the room. I wanted to suggest we take a table near a group of others that was meant for six, but I held my tongue.

“You know, it’s a little rude of you to not have introduced yourself yet,” Ezra said in a conversational tone, wrapping his long fingers around the cup. He intently watched as I took a test sip to make sure it wasn’t too hot.

Seriously? What a dick. It may have been bad manners for me not to introduce myself, but who the hell pointed that out? Most people would take the hint that I didn’t want anything to do with them. Most people, but not him.

What’s the harm in being polite?

I swallowed down my sarcastic response and found myself saying, “Rhea.” I refused to offer up my last name.

“Rhea.” The way he drew out my name and said it with such familiarity had me shuddering. I shouldn’t have told him my name. This may sound crazy, but it almost felt like I’d inadvertently given him power over me. “And what is Rhea short for?”

Nope. No way would I tell him my name was Rheannon—thank you, Mom, for giving me such a mouthful of a name. It was a simple thing, but my entire body was screaming at me not to tell him. This time, my instincts drowned out the voices telling me to give in and answer his questions. I wanted him to know as little about me as possible. Was I being rude, ridiculous, and overly paranoid? Possibly.

“Wow, what an original question,” I said before I could stop myself. “What interesting question do you have next on your list? Will it be about my major? Maybe you’ll ask how old I am. Or possibly you’ll go for the most unoriginal question and ask if I have a boyfriend.”

There went me being careful not to piss him off.

He wasn’t upset by my outburst like I expected, just the opposite. As he smiled, it was like ice water was injected into my veins. It wasn’t cruel or anything of the sort, but there was something about it that didn’t sit right with me. No part of me wanted to amuse him. I didn’t want him interested in me in any way, period. My brash personality was supposed to make him uninterested.

“Do you?” When I frowned, he clarified, “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Yes.” Pushing away from the table, I grabbed my bag and coffee. “Thanks for the coffee, I guess.”

I wanted to say more, but I bit my tongue as I left the table.

“I’ll be seeing you around, Rhea.” His tone was amused, but somehow, the words sounded like a threat.

After telling Sel about the encounter, and she gave the appropriate responses—calling him a creep—I hopped in the shower. I couldn’t help but feel unclean, having been in his presence. My skin was pink by the time I was done scrubbing my entire body with my loofa and fruit-smelling body wash.

I was reaching to turn off the water when an unwanted scene played out in my mind. If it weren’t for my hand on the wall, I probably would’ve fallen over. As it stood, I ended up half slumped against the wall.

In the scene, I was standing in a shower, but this one was over twice as big and more luxurious. Multiple jets of water hit my body, but that wasn’t the most notable part. Ezra was there with me. He stood in front of me, just as naked as I was. His hazel eyes were heated as they trailed over my body, and he grabbed my hip, pulling me closer so our bodies were now pressed together. His jutting erection was pressed against my stomach while he dipped his head down and bit and sucked on my neck.

As he worked on my neck, his free hand trailed down my body until his fingers brushed my pussy. While he lightly teased me, he removed his other hand from my hip and cupped my breast, giving a firm squeeze—

A choked gasp escaped me as I wrenched myself out of that scene and nearly fell over. My pulse was pounding in my neck, and my breathing was ragged. To my horror, my pussy was throbbing with desire and need. But at the same time, my stomach twisted with disgust at what I just saw—what my mind cruelly inflicted upon me. Both of the sensations fought for purchase, and I vaguely wondered if I would throw up.

Where the fuck had that come from? I didn’t secretly desire Ezra. Just imagining him naked had my body growing cold and my stomach roiling, and yet, desire still coursed through my body, begging for release.

I will not masturbate after this. I will not masturbate after this. I chanted the words to myself over and over. It may be strange, but I couldn’t get over the idea that if I did, then he somehow won. A ridiculous thought; it wasn’t like he was the one forcing this scene on me.

The water had been turned on to hot, but I switched it over to cold to try and cool my heated body, but no luck.

I ended up swallowing my pride and began trailing my hands down my body, starting at my breasts and pinching my nipples the way I preferred. Images played out in my mind, but this time, instead of Ezra, it was Cassius. I hadn’t meant to picture him, but once I started, I couldn’t stop.

Unlike with Ezra, the sight wasn’t out of place or unwelcome.

The throbbing ache between my thighs intensified and had me squeezing my legs together. It was hard to tell in the shower, but I was pretty sure it was my arousal dripping down my inner thighs and not just water.

Where the mere thought of Ezra’s cock made me sick to my stomach, the thought of Cassius’—and seeing the full expanse of his naked body—had my mouth going dry. My pulse sped up as my right hand trailed down my body and brushed my clit while my other continued working on my breasts.

The images of Cassius continued as I rubbed my clit. I could hear his low, rumbling voice with perfect clarity, remembering how it sounded when he said my name. The way his gorgeous eyes lit up when he was amused. I could easily picture his perfectly sculpted face, zeroing in on his plush lips. A moan slipped free as I remembered the way the corner of his lips hitched up into that half-smirk of his.

Coiling tension built in my stomach as I plunged two fingers inside my pussy. I couldn’t help but wish they were his as I pumped my fingers in and out in quick thrusts, chasing the high of the orgasm quickly approaching. I tried to keep my moans quiet, even though I doubted Sel could hear me over the running water and the music coming from the speaker we had in the shower.

I curled my fingers, hitting my g-spot between every few thrusts, my pace picking up as the buzzing pleasure kept building and building. The final time I curled my fingers, I finally unraveled, and buzzing ecstasy filled every inch of my body. I clamped my free hand over my mouth as I rode out the release, stifling my screams.

My body shook with aftershocks from my intense orgasm as I slumped against the wall. Holy shit.