Chapter 39 Chapter 39
Amber
My legs were still shaking and my knees trembling when I reached the changing room Chen had thrust me in.
My gaze fell on the mirror and I froze upon noticing my reflection. I hadn’t paid attention to how I looked earlier but I had never expected to look like I had been…well making out.
I inched closer to examine myself, to look at the swollen lips and wait…was that a bite mark on my neck?
I brushed my fingers against it, and shuddered at the memory of his mouth leaving a trail of kisses down my neck and throat.
And there was not just one, but multiple small bite marks. I groaned, pulling off the tight clothes and allowing my skin to breathe for just a second before putting on my regular clothes.
I also grabbed a black scarf lying around and tied it around my neck for good measure to ensure nobody would see the marks.
And then I finally recalled something I hadn’t even thought about all this while.
Damian had rescued me by loudly mentioning a fresh face and Chen.
Was he one of them? I hope not.
But then how did he even know about Chen or what went on in this godforsaken place?
Now that I was away from him, my brain decided to finally think logically.
I also tried to recall bits of the conversation I had overheard, trying to remember the words and reciting them so that I wont forget them- shipment, eastern route, thursday, cleanup….
The words didn’t make any sense to me.
Sighing and smoothing down my dress and hair to the best of my ability, I finally stepped out and noticed Damian leaning against a tree on the other side of the road.
Ensuring my scarf was in place, I headed over to him.
“Let’s go” I said tersely.
Damian straightened and began walking as if we had not just kissed each other like it was our last dying breath.
We continued walking in silence for a while and he walked in through the back gate with me while I kept my eyes peeled for security guards. Thankfully, there were none and we were back onto the academy grounds and outside my room in no time.
Damian turned around without a word, no doubt to return to his but I stopped him.
“Wait.”
He looked at me, hands in his pockets with casual indifference.
“It would be good if we keep it between ourselves.”
His eyebrows knit. “Keep what in between ourselves?”
“The…the thing that happened in the pub.”
I could swear a corner of his mouth curled upward.
"Is that what we're calling it?"
"Yes." I said loudly and then repeated in a low voice, fearing waking up Ellie or the entire dorm with our loud chat.
“Yes, it was nothing.”
"Interesting." He nodded his head, and I took an automatic step back. "Because from where I was sitting, it felt like a lot more than nothing."
"Well, it wasn't," I insisted, even as my body screamed ‘liar’ at me.
He took a step toward me and I took another step back.
"Are you sure about that?" His voice dropped lower. "Because I'm pretty sure you were grind…"
"Stop," I cut him off, panic rising. "Just…stop talking."
"Why? Afraid of what I'm going to say?"
And just like that my temper flared again.
"Afraid I'm going to kill you if you keep talking nonsense." I hissed at him.
That smirk deepened as he let out a short laugh, the sound was dark and rich and did absolutely nothing to help the situation between my thighs.
I had to take the situation back in control.
“If you don’t kill me soon, I am going to kill you.” I mouthed much to his amusement.
He scoffed before I heard him call out, "Try not to think about me too much tonight!"
“How did you know I was there or that Clarke was going to? How do you know Chen? What did you hear Clarke say before I showed up? Do you know which shipment they were talking about? And who was the woman they kept referring to?”
I bombarded him with questions as he stifled a yawn, stretching his arm for good measure.
"It's late. Go sleep and for the last time, I am telling you to keep your focus on your studies, Red," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "Or I will make you do something else I'll regret."
That last line of his had no business hurting me so much. Clearly, he meant he regretted kissing me as well as pretending to make out with me just to keep Clarke disinterested in us.
“Like the fact you didn’t believe me when I came running to you to inform you about Clarke?”
I fired off, folding my hands on my chest.
For once, he didn’t have a comeback and I continued, emboldened by my sudden ability to shut him up.
“Had you believed me, we could have devised a better plan to keep an eye on Clarke. I gave you intel that made you go to the pub tonight, don’t you dare lie.”
I glared at him…or tried to.
“Can we just pretend to be strangers…if friends doesn’t work for you because you clearly don’t want to work with me.”
I kept on rambling but only noticed a few seconds later that he hadn’t thrown any witty comeback, any sarcastic reply to shut me out.
I stopped talking abruptly and noticed he wasn’t even holding my gaze anymore.
Because his gaze had long left my eyes and had slid down to my neck. I felt for my scarf and looked down to see it had fallen down near my feet.
“Is that…” he began and his eyes flared at the realization that he had left bite marks on my neck and chest…hickeys that normally was a sign of intense lovemaking between a couple.
Only we weren't one.
Maybe the lighting back at the pub was dim enough for him to not notice it earlier. But now he did and I saw him fumble for words for the first time.
I quickly bent down to grab the scarf but by that time I straightened up he had already turned around and left without a backward glance.