Deceit (Gallows Hill #1)

33. Chapter Thirty Two

Chapter Thirty Two

Skyla

T he next day went by fairly uneventfully, despite the embarrassingly large wet spot on my panties. That dream with Liam was so realistic I could practically feel him.

Liam walked me to all my classes, and we had lunch together. Asher avoided my gaze entirely, which is better than being glared at everywhere I go. Aunt Steph and I chatted for a little while before Maggie and I went to the mall after my last lecture of the day. Still haven’t really told her about the whole me, Ronan and Liam thing. Is it so bad that I don’t want to? Not yet at least.

Liam texted me a few hours ago saying that he had to go meet up with Ronan in New York. I guess whatever he’s doing there he needs Asher and Liam’s help. I wish I could ask questions, but I’ve already caught on to the fact that if it has to do with the Brethren, I won’t be getting any answers.

I texted both Liam and Ronan and told them I missed them, that I couldn’t wait for them to be back. Which prompted Liam to create a group chat. It’s almost midnight and I’m ready to pass out, but I shoot off a text to the chat after Liam asked Ronan and I if we were stranded on a desert island, what are the three things we would bring. As soon as I hit send, I hear a soft thunk against my door.

Frowning, I stand up slowly, reaching around for any kind of weapon I can. Unplugging the bedside lamp, I grip it in my hand and raise it like a bat, slowly opening the door in anticipation of whatever is on the other side.

As soon as those grey eyes collide with my own, relief floods me and I lower my makeshift weapon as I blow out a breath. His eyes flick between the lamp and me before a small grin spreads across his face. Honest to god, a grin, and god, it’s glorious.

“What were you going to do with that, Siren? Club me to death?”

“If you were trying to hurt me, yes.”

His grin stays in place as he nods approvingly.

“You could have chosen worse weapons on the spot.”

“Thanks,” I huff.

He doesn’t say anything, continuing to stare up at me from his post against the wall.

“Are you going to camp out here every night?”

Vincent nods.

“He hasn’t bothered me at night, though,” I point out. “And I haven’t heard anything from him since that note.”

“Probably because he knows I’ve been watching you like a hawk. As soon as you drop your guard, he’ll be back. That’s a guarantee.”

“So, what? You’re just going to keep patrol outside my room and watch me until the end of time?”

“If that’s what it takes,” he answers immediately.

“Why?” I ask, with a shake of my head.

He pushes off the wall, crowding me against the door jamb, before resting one hand on the wall above me. I watch in fascination as his black hair hangs in his face slightly, and his hand reaches up to brush a piece of hair behind my ear.

“You’re a smart woman, Siren. You already know the answer to that.”

My heart is thumping wildly in my chest as this unnamed pull seems to hum between us while my eyes flick back and forth between his.

“Tell me anyways,” I practically whisper.

He leans forward, his face so close to mine it barely grazes against my cheek as his lips rest on the shell of my ear. I wait with bated breath for his words as I feel his lips move against my skin.

“No.”

It’s a defiant word, not sexy or swoony at all. Tell that to my body, though. Chills breakout across my skin, from my arms to my toes. Slowly, he pulls away, just enough to meet my eyes again as he turns his head to the side.

“Are you going to invite me in again?” he asks curiously.

“Will you say yes if I do?” I question.

His hand runs through my hair again, tangling through the strands before winding around them and making a fist. He pulls my head back just slightly, so that he can tower over me that much more.

“Ask and find out.”

Vincent’s lips are so close to mine, I’m practically dizzy. The power he exudes is overwhelming. I can barely keep myself upright as I get lost in his metallic gaze.

“Will you come in?”

That same grin returns, and it nearly takes my breath away being this close to it.

“Sure, Siren. Whatever you want.”

In the next moment, he releases his hold on my hair, taking a step back and gesturing for me to step inside. Blinking quickly, I nod to myself and step back in, tugging down my sleep shorts slightly as if that were going to hide the wet spot that has soaked through.

Vincent steps through the door before shutting it behind him, but he doesn’t move apart from that. I make my way over to my bed, pausing before speaking.

“If you’re going to be my acting guardian angel, I want you to at least get some sleep. Wherever you’re most comfortable,” I say, as I crawl back into bed.

He nods, slipping off his jacket, setting his gun on the table and kicking off his combat boots. Then he practically prowls over to me, slipping beneath my covers before gripping my hips and dragging me up and on top of him. I open my mouth to say something when he speaks.

“This. This is the most comfortable I’ve been in my entire life.”

Something in his words melts me and I find my body relaxing against his, though my eyes still remain on him.

“You can’t be comfortable sleeping in your jeans.”

“I’m harnessing every ounce of self-control I currently possess, Siren,” he says. “If I took them off, terrible things would happen.”

Frowning, I turn my head to the side.

“Like what?”

I watch as his eyes dilate, and his arms tighten around me.

“I’d tear through your precious virginity so fast, you wouldn’t get the chance to breathe the word no.”

Choking on my breath, I stare at him with wide eyes, unsure of how to respond.

“So, yeah. The jeans stay on,” he says simply, before pressing a kiss against my forehead. Something he clearly enjoys doing.

“I have a boyfriend,” I say softly, my mind still reeling that he would even say something like that.

“You have two last time I checked.”

“Yeah, I do. I…probably shouldn’t be lying in bed with you.”

“Probably not,” he agrees.

I stare at him, waiting for him to move but he just continues to watch me.

“Are you going to let me go?”

“No.”

“No?” I question.

“Yeah, no.”

“But I don’t think Liam and Ronan—”

“Aren’t here right now. They are off doing fuck knows what for the Brethren, while there is a predator out there harassing you. Their priorities are fucked.”

I push up from him as much as he allows while I glare daggers at him.

“Fuck you. They don’t even know about any of it.”

This seems to take him by surprise for a moment.

“You haven’t told them?”

I shake my head.

“But you told me.”

“Well, technically, I accused you.”

He nods. “But when you found out it wasn’t me…you still didn’t tell them? Why?”

I shrug. “I guess, I didn’t want them to worry over nothing. I’m hoping everything will just go away, then nothing there is to be concerned about, you know?”

“That’s stupid,” Vincent chastises with a shake of his head.

“If you’re going to continue to insult me and my boyfriends you can leave. Go obsess over someone else, and leave me the hell—”

His lips smash against mine before I can stop it, before I can register it. My words are cut off mid-sentence as his pillowy soft mouth silences my own. He doesn’t try to deepen the kiss, doesn’t even slip his tongue in. It’s as if he was using this merely as a tool to shut me up, but regardless of the minimal effort, my body is practically on fire from the touch alone.

When we break apart, I notice my chest isn’t the only one heaving. His eyes sear straight into my own, but he doesn’t say a word. Neither of us do. Instead, he pushes against my head, forcing it back down onto his chest before his arms wrap tightly around me and his fingers tangle into my hair until my eyelids slowly droop shut.