Chapter 61 RAVENSCROFT v EVERHART.
LUCIEN’S POINT OF VIEW.
I watched as she paced through the benches in the field, her rehearsal script in hand, as she read some of her lines out. Her hair deeps slipping in her face, and every few seconds, she blows it away impatiently, like it’s a bother, like it’s the one causing her to stumble on her delivery.
“No! You’re not my father.” She yells, then groans, before dumping the thick script on the chair with a huff. “Ughh, this sounds ridiculous.” She groans, burying her face in her hands.
I walked over to her, dropping the ball on the chair before I dropped to my knees in front of her. “Correction: It sounds ridiculous when you’re reading it like it’s from the back of a cereal box.”
She lifts her head abruptly, her hair flips me in the face, before she fixes me with a hard stare. “And you think you’d do better?”
Sitting beside her, I throw my hand to rest on her shoulder, before fixing her with that smirk I know she loves. “Sunshine, I could make anything sound good, even if I were reading a damn instruction manual. It’s about how far, and how good you can sell a lie, baby.”
She narrows her eyes before ripping the script from the chair beside her. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who’s gonna stand before a crowd of possibly hundreds or thousands because this school is known for pulling crowds, and pretend your heart is shattering.”
“Who says I pretend when I look at you?” I grin, sharp and deliberate, before turning her so we’re eye level.
Her breath hitches, and her cheeks are coated with a shade of pink. I can see her chest heave with every moment I pull in, and the way she grips onto the hem of her skirt. “You’re so responsive, baby,” I smirk as she pulls away from me abruptly, her cheeks getting redder by each second, before she huffs and slams her script on the chair again.
“And you’re impossible.” She folds her arms and slouches like a child.
A cute child, though, because of the sight of her reddened cheeks, her golden blonde hair framing her face like she’s trying to hide behind it. It makes my heart flutter at the sight of it.
Smiling, I pull her to me. She doesn’t expect it, because her eyes widen slightly, before slamming her lips to mine.
“Hm.” She moans low, as my lips clash with hers. I kiss her like she’s a drug I can’t get enough of. Her hands grab onto my jacket, while mine grip onto her thighs. Nipping at her lower lip, she grants me access, opening her lips so my tongue can slide in.
My tongue collides with her warm one, eliciting a satisfied groan from me, and a whimper from her. Pulling away from her so she can catch her breath, I nip at the skin of her neck, kissing a trail down to her shoulder.
“Lucien.” She whimpers in my hold, clutching my jacket tighter. “We’re in public.”
Groaning, I pull away from her and whisper. “Later.”
She blushes at that, biting her lower lip. “Stop distracting me. I need to know this line before rehearsals tomorrow.”
“You wanna rehearse with me?” I asked, and she fixes me with a shy glare.
“I’m not gonna perform for you.” She snaps, reaching for the script, but I pull her towards me again.
“You’re the lead, baby. You own the stage, so come on, show me how you’ll make them see who’s boss again.”
She stares at me for a moment before she groans. “Ugh. Fine, but if you dare laugh, I swear, I’m going to kick you.”
I arch a brow, smirking at her as a dare. “Come on, baby.”
She inhales, squares her shoulders, then lets out in a raw, loud, but her voice cracks with confidence this time. “ No! You’re not my father!”
Before I could stop myself, a slow laugh rumbles in my chest, and I throw my head back with hysterics.
“You said you wouldn’t laugh.” She pouts before flopping on the seat beside me.
“I didn’t laugh to mock you, baby. I laughed because I realized you finally got that spark in you.” I said, pulling her to me. She smiled secretly, her lips twitched before she feigned a serious face.
“Let me go.”
“Come on, smile for daddy.” She blushes at that, before her lips stretch in that wide gummy smile I love.
“Good girl.”
“You’re impossible.” She blinks, still smiling, but this time, her cheeks are redder.
“Impossible is still better than plain.” She shoves me away, her hands hitting my chest, but her smile doesn’t leave her lips.
“Wait…who’s the male lead?” I asked, the voice of my subconscious nudging at me to ask.
“Ace.”
The moment her name leaves her lips, my smile withers on my lips, as a tight rage flares in my chest.
“What?” I grit my teeth, my jaw clenching hard at the thought of that slimy lizard being anywhere near my girl ever again.
“No.” I grit out through my teeth. She turns to me with a small smile.
“I don’t think that’s how it works, Lucien. I don’t have any power over the committee, even as the president of the debate and arts club. Ms Vale has all of that.”
Before I could say anything, the fucker strolls onto the field as if he owns it.
My fucking field.
“What the hell are you doing here?” He stares at me lazily before fixing Sloane with a stupid smile. The action alone has me wanting to bash his teeth in. My eye twitches as I rise to my feet.
“Smile at my girl again, and I swear, you’ll be picking your fucking teeth from the floor.”
He doesn’t flinch; he just puts his jacket onto the chair in front of me, like some fucking challenge. “I thought about trying out for the hockey team. Who’s in charge here?”
“I guess you’ll have to make an exception.” He says, and twirls the stick in his hand like my words mean shit to him. His eyes glinted with something too close to provocation as he said. “Unless you’re afraid.”
The fucking arena goes dead silent, because every damn player knows the weight behind those words.
Afraid? Me?
I put on my boots, step onto the ice, and skate closer to him. My blade slices the ice between us before stopping just short of his. “You don’t walk into my rink and throw cheap shots, Everhart. If you want in, you play by my rules. And tryouts were last week. Beat it, loser.”
His grin widens, and the action is sharp enough to piss me off even more than I already am. “I don’t play by anyone’s rules.”
I catch movement from the corner of my eye.
It is Sloane shifting in her seat; her hands gripped the edge of her script, as she bit her lip with a tense expression crossing her face. Glancing at her, she fixes me with an unsure look, like she’s telling me to let it go.
Ace notices too, because his eyes flick toward her, then back to me, and his smirk deepens. “Unless, of course, the lady’s the referee. What do you say, Sloane? Think your boyfriend can handle me?”
My eyes darken at the sound of her name from his lips, and before I know it, my arm swings, before colliding with his jaw. He stumbles with a hiss and a chuckle.
“You ever speak my girl’s name with those polluted lips of yours, and I’ll fucking break your bones.”
“We’re gonna play or what?” He asks, ignoring what I’d just said, so I smirk with a nod.
“Step the fuck up.”
He leans in, lowering his voice just enough that only I can hear it. “Careful, Ravenscroft. I play rough.”
My answering grin is sharp, feral. “So do I.”