The Bound Angel (Sacrilege Rising: Book 1)

Chapter Twenty Two

Mike realized Anders had added a required reading to the week’s homework. Annoyed, he wandered back into the stacks.

A few minutes later, already bored just trying to remember the title of ‘Essential Macroeconomic Variables,’ he passed by the desk with the pretty redhead. Except now it was empty. He sighed. Maybe she just went home.

He eventually found the book and began looking for the way back like a cave diver searching for a glimmer of daylight. He rounded another corner, passed two packed shelves, and came out the other side to see crimson hair sitting at his table.

A flicker of indecision crossed his mind. Maybe he should leave. There was no legitimate reason for this girl to be sitting at his table when there were two empty ones right there. But he had real studying to do, and he still wasn’t sure Liliana was telling the truth. And it wasn’t like this girl was sitting next to his stuff, she was at the other end of the table. The fact that she was cute had nothing to do with it. Nothing at all. Resigned, he sat down and began flipping through pages.

Nothing happened. He kept sneaking glances at the redhead to see if she’d noticed him, but she was focused on her own books. The longer the silence stretched, the more it settled his nerves. ‘Essential Macroeconomic Variables,’ wasn’t as bad as he expected. It wasn’t exciting, or anything close to it, but he wasn’t falling asleep either.

He made it through the section on the impact the pandemic had on the supply chain without missing a beat. Inflation made him stumble a little, but he powered through. But just as he was rounding the corner on unemployment, a voice whispered, “Hey,” and interrupted his train of thought.

Mike had lost count of how many times his concentration had been disrupted by a hushed voice lately, but he looked up anyway. Their eyes met. Hers were bright and clear and blue, and made him think of Lana. Or, rather, Liliana. But they didn’t have the same supernatural glow. Still pretty, but just blue. Framed by styled hair the color of wine and set against smooth, pale features, they still sparkled.

Now that she had his attention, she asked, “Is that for Anders’ class?”

Mike nodded. “You have him too?”

“Yeah. Tuesdays and Thursdays.” No wonder he hadn’t seen her before. “Does any of this make sense to you?”

He tried to be as noncommittal as possible. “Some,” he said, and turned his focus back to the book.

A few seconds passed without further conversation. Then there was a rustling nearby. That could only mean one thing, and his foot started to tap. Too anxious to look up, he kept his head down and tried to ignore it. After the rustling came a sliding sort of sound, like a textbook moving across a table. Upside-down textbook pages appeared in the upper edge of his vision, and Mike tried to sink into his chair.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” she whispered, directly across from him now.

She really was pretty. There was a striking appeal to her vibrant, contrasting tones. He asked, “What’s up?”

She leaned forward and pitched her voice lower still. The front of her shirt drooped, and Mike willed his eyes to stay on her face. “It says here,” the redhead began, glancing down at a textbook the mirror image of his own while he fought to keep his attention from drifting to her shirt. Or to the lacy bra within. “That the key macroeconomic indicators are inflation, unemployment… oh.”

Mike looked up. Her eyes were on his. She’d caught him staring at her chest, and now he froze. At any other time, he would have fumbled and tried to play it off. Now, after the attention from Heart-Tattoo, the walk with Liliana, and the lunch with Sasha and Becky, he just couldn’t bring himself to care anymore.

The knowing look on her face was gasoline poured on smoldering embers. Instead of making an excuse, he confidently stared back and thought of how nice her tits would feel hugging his cock. Her eyes fluttered under his attention, and she took a steadying breath. “The, um, the question on the homework asks about the, ah, mortgage crisis.” She paused to bite her bottom lip. “And I, well, do you know-”

“Is anyone sitting here?” A new voice came from close by, just over Mike’s shoulder.

Annoyed at the interruption, he turned to see a cute blonde gesturing to the chair next to his, and a confused thought skittered across his mind. There were two empty tables right there. And even at his table, there were eight empty seats not next to his. But the thought passed.

He said, “All yours.”

The blonde was wearing a pink polo, a knee-length white skirt, white sneakers, and a matching white visor. It looked like she’d just finished a round of golf, except Mike didn’t know of any courses in the city where sexy, rich-looking white girls would feel comfortable. A new scent wafted over him when she sat. It was fresh and clean, like she’d just showered. She moved her hair over her other shoulder, and his eyes drifted to her bare neck, and then lower. The top button of her polo was undone, but three more were buttoned. He wondered whether her shower had room for two.

The redhead cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to her. She asked, “Do you mind if I swing around to compare notes?” Without waiting for an answer, she scooted around the table until their chairs were touching. When she sat, she leaned forward until she was close enough that her breath tickled his neck. The front of her shirt fell away again, and his eyes quickly returned to her chest. The lacy bra was hugging soft, pale breasts, and her smooth skin pebbled under his gaze.

“Thanks for letting me sit with you,” the blonde said from his other side. “I study better when there are people around.”

When Mike finally tore his eyes away from the redhead’s cleavage, the next button of the blonde’s polo was undone, and she was looking back at him. But not at his eyes. Instead, at his hands, his arms, then up to his shoulders, lingering on his mouth. When their gazes finally met, she bit her lip and blushed.

“No problem,” he answered. “I get it. Two is better than one.”

Schoolwork was entirely forgotten.

“Or three,” the redhead added as her hand covered his own.

He turned back to his right. She was close. Close enough for her crimson hair to shimmer in the light. Close enough to see the moisture on her soft, parted lips. Close enough for her breasts to encase his shoulder when she leaned in. With her blue eyes riveted to his, the moment stretched, and something passed between them.

Just as he made the decision to kiss her, the blonde said from his left, “Oh my gosh, is it cold in here?” She took his free hand and placed it on her bare leg just above the knee, startling him out of the moment. When he looked over, her cheeks were flushed and another button on her polo was undone. That left just one more.

“Sorry,” she chuckled. “I didn’t mean to surprise you, that just feels so nice.” She certainly didn’t feel cold. Her soft skin was blazing under his palm. She leaned forward like the redhead, drawing his attention to the way her polo was tenuously holding her in by a single button.

The redhead began massaging his right hand, rubbing little circles into the muscle. Mike looked back to his right. All pretense of a casual encounter was gone. Her blue eyes smoldered with open lust. She kissed him then, pulling his arm around her back and snuggling closer. His hand slipped under her shirt to hold the bare skin at her waist.

The moment their lips met, he heard a soft whimper from his left. The blonde slid his other hand up and under her skirt while he kissed the redhead. He found her panties and explored the damp heat between her legs, searching for the spot that would make her moan.

But he couldn’t ignore the kiss. The redhead encouraged his lips to part and slipped her tongue into his mouth. At the same time, he pulled her closer, forcing her breasts to press against his chest.

“Ohmygod,” The blonde gasped.

He broke the kiss and turned to his left while his right hand explored under the redhead’s shirt. He must have found the spot, because the blonde’s eyes were closed in surprised rapture. She reached for the sides of his face and pulled him in for her own searing kiss. It was wet and desperate from the beginning, while their tongues brushed and he fingered her under the skirt.

“Excuse me!” a grizzly voice snarled just as the redhead placed her hand in his lap.

The voice shattered the moment like a hammer to a mirror, breaking the trio from their haze. It belonged to the grandmotherly librarian from behind the desk. She was looming over their table and glaring at him. “This is entirely inappropriate. I must ask you to leave. Now.”

“Right,” Mike answered, coming back to his senses. “Sorry about that. Won’t happen again.”

“It most certainly will not.” The librarian pointed to the door.

He stood to leave, and the redhead’s hand fell away from his lap. But she immediately began stroking the back of his leg. The blonde brazenly squeezed his ass, though it was carefully hidden from the disgruntled librarian.

“I just need to check this book out,” Mike breathed, trying to keep himself under control.

“Fine,” the grandmotherly woman huffed. “Lydia will assist you.” She gestured to the mousy girl with glasses behind the checkout desk on the other side of the room.

Mike began packing his bag, uncomfortably aware of his new friends’ shameless groping and his raging erection. He held the backpack in front of his waist, pretending to struggle with the zipper, hiding the tent in his pants from the other students looking to see what the commotion was all about. He could feel eyes piercing him from every direction as he made his way to the counter.

“Just this one, please,” he mumbled to the cute librarian, handing her the heavy copy of ‘Essential Macroeconomic Variables.’ Now that he was in front of a desk and hidden from onlookers, he slung the backpack over his shoulder. As soon as he did, the brunette’s gaze casually drifted to his groin. Unfortunately, from this angle the table didn’t come up quite high enough to hide his situation.

Her eyes glazed over. After a moment, they began wandering up his torso, lingering here and there for long beats. He felt like a slab of beef hanging in a freezer. When they met his own, she raised one eyebrow and smirked.

That look fanned the flames that had been momentarily doused. Mike confidently met her stare with his own. She was short. Petite. Pretty. He imagined carrying her over his shoulder and tossing her naked body into bed. The glasses completed the look. He pictured her looking up at him through splattered lenses.

She stared at him with that knowing smirk while methodically scanning the book and hitting a few keys, before handing it back to him. When Mike tried to take it, she held on and said, “If you ever need any help with…” her eyes flicked down to the tent in his pants, “that, call me.” A small piece of paper slipped into his hand. On it was a phone number, circled with a heart. The grandmotherly woman cleared her throat and the cute librarian let go.

“Um, thanks,” Mike said as he shook his head to clear it. He paused in the doorway to look back one more time. The blonde and redhead were sitting shoulder to shoulder, watching him hungrily. Their hands were hidden beneath the table, but their squirming bodies told him all he needed to know.

The cute librarian caught his eye. When she saw him looking back, she stuck her tongue against the inside of her cheek until it bulged. Then she winked.

While he stood there, dumbstruck, the swinging door hit him on the hip. It was literally the kick in the ass Mike needed to get moving.