Westmore Obsession

Chapter Eight

His finger slipped inside me, and I bit down a groan.

I wanted to tell him to stop. I wanted to pull away. But I couldn’t. This was my first time experiencing something like this, it felt so good, but it ached just a little bit. I wanted him to stop, yet at the same time, I needed more.

“I like how needy you are for me,” Cole rasped against my ear. “When you’re dancing with another guy, I hope you remember this. Remember who made you feel this way.”

His words pushed me right over the edge. Before I could process it, I was erupting all over his fingers. My legs shook violently, my hands clutching at his shirt, terrified that if I let go, I’d collapse onto the floor.

Then it was over. It ended quickly, too quickly. He pulled his fingers out of me slowly, and without breaking eye contact, he licked them clean.

“You taste delicious,” he said, a dark smirk curving his lips. “It’s a pity I can’t feast on you today.”

Before I could move, he leaned down and unceremoniously slid my panties off my legs. Why couldn’t I stop him? What was wrong with me? I swallowed hard, my face burning with embarrassment, but the core of me was still tingling with electric heat.

Cole brought the lace up to his nose and inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. When he opened them, the grey was so dark it looked almost black. He casually slipped my panties into his pocket, pressed a heavy kiss to the side of my neck, unlocked the door, and stepped out, leaving me standing alone in the dark, wondering what the f**k had just happened.

Ten Years Ago

I watched from the hallway, half hidden behind the thick mahogany door.

Ethan was sprawled across the living room rug, completely invested in whatever racing game the three of them were playing. It was always the same trio, Ethan, Cole, and Alex.

Alex had just won. A triumphant grin spread across his face as he threw both hands into the air. “Told you,” he laughed.

Cole groaned dramatically, tossing his controller onto the rug. “This game is rigged.”

I bit back a giggle.

I was supposed to be taking my afternoon nap. Mum insisted on naps every Saturday, but she wasn’t home today, and the nanny had the day off. Naturally, I’d used my freedom to sneak upstairs and spy on Ethan and his friends.

I knew I should leave before Ethan noticed me. He’d probably scoop me up, tickle me until I couldn’t breathe, and carry me back to bed like a baby. I was eight now, far too grown for that. I pouted at the thought.

I peeked through the crack in the door one last time... and met Cole’s eyes.

The sour look on his face softened

instantly into the sweetest smile. My tiny heart fluttered in my chest.

I froze, waiting for him to tell Ethan that his little sister was spying instead of sleeping.

He never did. He simply looked back at the television screen, pretending he hadn’t seen me at all.

That became our first secret. And the exact moment my hopeless little crush began.

Present

Morning sunlight stabbed painfully through the blinds.

I groaned, pulling the duvet over my face before remembering I wasn’t alone. Katy was asleep beside me, curled toward the wall with one arm tucked beneath her cheek.

Right. The party.

After everything that had happened with Cole, I hadn’t been able to stay another second. I’d practically begged Katy to leave with me. Together, we’d spent fifteen minutes searching the packed house before finding Maya drunk out of her mind and dancing with a group of freshmen. We’d dragged her out and shoved her into an Uber.

Now my head felt like it was splitting in two. I stumbled to my nightstand, swallowed two painkillers dry, and winced as they scraped down my throat.

By noon, our dorm had transformed into a total recovery den. The curtains were drawn, with snacks scattered everywhere. Maya, despite looking seconds away from death, was somehow talking at full volume while eating cold leftover pizza, while Katy sat cross legged on her bed, quietly sipping iced tea.

“Can we talk about Marcus?” Maya laughed before immediately clutching her forehead. “Ow.Never mind. Laughing hurts.”

I opened a bag of chips. “What about him?”

“He got launched across the dance floor!” she wheezed. “Cole looked ready to catch a murder charge.”

My stomach flipped. I shrugged as casually as I could. “He overreacted. He’s just weirdly protective because of Ethan.”

Katy looked unconvinced. “Lily.” Her voice was gentle, but her sharp eyes held mine. “He dragged you into a room and locked the door. You came back looking terrified... You don’t have to tell us everything, but please don’t pretend it was nothing.”

Silence settled heavy between us.

I sighed, setting the chip bag down.

“There’s history.”

Both girls waited, leaning in.

“When we were kids, I had the biggest crush on Cole. He knew about it and never let me forget it,” I laughed humorlessly. “Now that I’m here, he still treats me like I’m some annoying little secret from his past that he gets to boss around.”

It wasn’t a lie. It just wasn’t the whole truth.

Katy nodded slowly. “Well, he needs to back off.”

Maya pointed a pizza crust at me. “And next time he pulls anything, we’re telling Ethan.”

If only it were that simple.

The rest of Sunday blurred into reality TV, junk food, and Maya providing unsolicited commentary on everyone from the party. By bedtime, the anxiety in my chest had dulled into something quieter, almost manageable.

Monday Morning

Monday arrived with a brutal reality check.

The autumn air was crisp as Maya, Katy, and I crossed the humanities courtyard toward our nine o’clock lecture, hot coffees warming our hands. The campus looked almost peaceful.

Almost.

Maya’s phone suddenly buzzed violently. She glanced down, and stopped dead in her tracks.

“Oh my God…”

Katy frowned. “What?”

Maya slowly turned her screen toward us.

WESTMORE ANONYMOUS

A grainy photograph filled the screen. It had been taken from the upstairs landing of the Hockey House. Cole’s broad back was unmistakable. One arm was wrapped tightly around a girl in an emerald green dress as he dragged her down the hallway toward the back rooms.

My dress.

My heart stopped. The girl’s face was hidden, but anyone who’d been at the party would recognize the color immediately.

Captain Montclaire disappeared into a locked room with a freshman during’s Saturday’s party. Anyone know who the girl in the green dress is? 👀

“Oh, that’s messy,” Maya muttered.

Katy immediately looked at me. “Lily…”

Before I could answer, another notification chimed. Westmore Anonymous had posted again.

My hands trembled as Maya refreshed the page. A second photo loaded, this one taken at the front entrance as we walked into the party.

Emerald green dress. Gold hoops. High ponytail. Cherry gloss.

There was no denying it. The caption had already been updated:

Mystery solved. Meet Captain Montclaire’s little secret.

My blood ran ice cold.

Around us, phones began buzzing one after another across the quad. Students slowed as they walked through the courtyard, whispering behind their hands.

A group of girls looked up from their screens directly at me.

Someone laughed. Someone else whispered, “That’s her.”

I couldn’t breathe.

My own phone vibrated violently in my clammy palm.

Ethan: My dorm. Right now.

The coffee slipped from my fingers. It hit the pavement with a loud crack, hot liquid spilling across the concrete as every pair of eyes in the courtyard turned toward me.