Furore (The Night Skulls MC #1)(14)

“I…I just want to say that…” His mouth twitched with a smile, which would have been beautiful if it wasn’t nervous. “Um…am I allowed to say you look lovely today?”

My lashes fluttered for a second, and then warmth touched my cheeks as his eyes—which I’d noticed for the first time were blue, by the way—wandered to my hair. I didn’t do the usual ponytail or bun and put my hair down today. “Oh.” I touched the back of my hair, averting my gaze. “Thank you…” I didn’t know what else to say. Was he flirting with me? I understood nothing in this department. Should I return the compliment? He was wearing his usual uniform, and he had a buzz cut covered by a cap. I didn’t even know his name, so I glanced up at the tag. “…Guard Murphy.”

“My name is David.”

Oh my God. He was flirting. Fuck. “Pleasure. My name is Jo.” Fuck.

He laughed quietly. “I know.”

“Of course you do.” I looked away, hoping a student would ask a question and give me an excuse to end this awkward conversation.

“Hey, I was…wondering if maybe you…wanna grab a cup of coffee sometime.”

No.

The answer popped in my head on autopilot, out of fear I should no longer have, and was about to jump out of my tongue if I hadn’t curbed it on time.

There was no reason for me to be rude. He was just a nice person asking me out. There was no reason for me to be afraid. The jealous, possessive, borderline psycho boyfriend—the only boyfriend—I had dumped my ass months ago without even bothering to break up with me. Even if I hadn’t been over him yet, even if I’d been spending my mornings thinking about him and my nights crying and longing for him, I shouldn’t have been rude to a guy who seemed to be interested in me or afraid of what Ty might have done if he’d known.

I was a single woman now. It was completely fine to receive such requests. It’d be absolutely fine if I chose to accept them, too. Ty, obviously, didn’t care anymore. He wouldn’t have left if he had.

“Um…I…” I forced a smile out, even though I wanted to cry, my cheeks burning now. How pathetic was I? A man was telling me I looked nice and was asking me out, and I was about to burst into tears because I couldn’t get over the boy that broke my heart. The one I should have never been with or wanted back. The one I still waited for his return like a sad, pitiful, stupid woman with no dignity or shame.

“Miss Meneceo, I have a question.”

My whole body shifted focus toward what was painstakingly the sexiest voice I’d ever heard and the man who owned it. Oh, so his tongue wasn’t cut off or no one hit him on the head that he forgot how to form words or anything that would stop him from returning a simple good morning to his teacher? “Yes, Laius.”

He’d finally looked at me, his eyes a heating menace. “Could you be kind enough to come check the spelling of this word for me?”

And look at those words. How so polite of Furore. Is he a gentleman now? “It’s not a spelling bee competition.” I didn’t know why I said that. Why I had to provoke him, when I should pacify him. In my defense, it was the only act I was used to. Do anything to keep people away. Be cold and distant. Intimidate. Irritate. The more I was afraid the worse it got. It was no secret I was afraid of Laius Lazzarini, for reasons more than one.

Inmates started the usual sneering whenever I came back at one of them. I gave them the stare. “Just write the paragraph. Same goes for all of you. I won’t deduct any marks for spelling mistakes.”

Furore narrowed his eyes at me, hard. “But for this word, the wrong spelling could lead to a different meaning. I want to make sure you understand me correctly with no confusion, Miss Meneceo.”

I swallowed at the tone of his voice, at the command in it, at the threat it held, at the seduction it carried whenever he drawled my name like that.

Glancing at Murphy, I gave him a tight nod to excuse me for the interruption. Then I took a deep breath and went over to Furore’s desk. “What word?”

He stared at my breasts when I bent to see his notebook, so blatantly sweat hit my armpits and waves of heat flooded my neck. I glared at him, even though he couldn’t see my eyes. I was sure my face conveyed the message. His jaw twisted and shook his head once as if he was the one who should be upset, as if he had the right to undress me with his eyes without a single complaint on my side. He pointed his pencil to a line he’d written. “Here.”

I took another deep breath, convincing myself to ignore his misconducts for now to go on with my plan and get what I needed. I rolled my eyes toward the notebook.

Stop talking to the guard. I don’t like it.

My brow shot high in my forehead, and fury—along with surprise— surged in me. “Excuse me?”

He gave me a menacing stare. A warning so I’d keep quiet and play his game without exposing him. I shouldn’t heed his warning. I should call for Murphy, who was eyeing us like a hawk, ready to pounce.

But I wouldn’t. Not yet.

“That’s a very inappropriate word to use,” I said. “The whole argument is.” Who was he to make such demand? Who was he whether to like when I spoke to the guard or not? And above all, why did he not like it? “Why are you inclined to make it?”

His jaws clenched, and his eyes returned to roam my body with something I recognized. Something that had once burned in similar eyes and scorched me with its intensity. Something that had drowned me in searing sin beyond absolution. Something dark that exceeded the limits of simple lust and trespassed to a dangerous territory one didn’t tread unless was ready to be altered by fire. Something I’d long missed and craved but would never have back. “When you read the whole thing, you’ll know.”