The Unlikely Resident of Room 313

Chapter 32

Out of everything I'd ever been through, this was the first moment that things felt absolutely right. The moment Roy's mouth met mine, the world dropped away, and my body exploded in sensation. I'd never tasted anything so sweet before. The space between my legs—where he now pressed himself against me with as much fervor as I pressed against him—was still too vast. A weight lifted inside of me. The kind that could carry a person away if they weren't careful. The more our mouths moved against each other, the higher I went, and the less I cared about how much it would hurt when I crashed back to reality.

"Roy..." I breathed, his movement setting every nerve in my body ablaze. "This..."

He bumped my knees apart further, and I couldn't think straight. Somewhere between the hiss of the shower and the small gasps that escaped my lips, I heard commotion outside. There was a groan of metal, and then a click as an invisible barrier pressed the door shut, refusing entry to whoever was on the other side. A hazy, logical part of my brain said we should stop. Another part—something more feral and incendiary—said screw it. Why did it matter? What was the worst that could happen?

"No, you don't," Roy murmured when I made a move to pull away, knowing that the logical part of my mind was regaining control.

"I—" Another whirlwind kiss to cut me off.

I acknowledged the strangeness of this. Kissing a ghost, liking the way it made me feel. Sensing the thought, Roy's hands moved to knead fire into my hips, and my brain temporarily short-circuited. "This is still not the weirdest thing to happen to either of us, sweetheart." He kissed a tender spot beneath my jaw. "Don't think about it, Asteria. Just let me make you feel good."

Oh, I had no problem doing that.

"I want you to remember what this feels like," he murmured into my neck. The desire for his mouth on my throat intensified, and he smirked against my skin, hearing or feeling or knowing the request with his wicked ways, obliging. "And remember this." A kiss on my throat. "And this, and this, and this." Lower and lower, his mouth hungrily explored the planes of my neck until he softly bit down on the soft juncture of my neck and shoulder, eliciting a sound I didn't know I was capable of making.

"Roy."

Every kiss wound me tighter, and I desperately grabbed at any part of him to stay above water. He was warm and whole under my fingers. I couldn't get enough. The link between our minds magnified the heat that courses through me, and I all but screamed when his lips found mine again.

"You need to get cleaned up," he murmured against my mouth.

I wanted to tell him I didn't need anything outside of him right now. But through the delicious haze, my joints creaked, and I sighed. "You're... right."

"I like it when you say that," he rasped, and then teased my bottom lip with his tongue, seemingly unable to stop despite himself. When he wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me off the counter, my heart jumped, and I pouted at him. Grinning like the devil he was, Roy said, "You'll feel so much better, sweetheart."

I narrowed my eyes. I could think of many things that would make me feel even better. When my feet touched the floor, the spell began to dissipate, and slowly, the heat receded, replaced by a cold chill from my muddy clothes. I hated the Dark Man even more than before. Why did he have to take me into a cemetery? Why not a good old-fashioned basement? The library? Somewhere perfectly mud-free? There were so many possibilities on a campus the size of Oracle. I could have so many more delicious moments with Roy.

"Thank you," I said, staggering towards the shower stalls, my shower caddy and towel magically waiting by the best and largest shower, the water already running and steaming the mirrors. Glancing over my shoulder, I smirked and pulled my shirt over my head.