Chapter 144: "Sextling" Gavin Gavin didn’t know where the hell he was going. He hadn’t planned it, hadn’t even thought about it. He’d just driven. Past the quiet residential blocks, past the silence that pressed too close, and straight into the bustling part of the estate where the buildings rose taller, brighter, and louder. The kind of place that hummed with too many lights and too much noise.
The car engine cut off with a sharp twist of his wrist, plunging them into a quiet that felt too sudden, too raw. He sat there a second, staring at the steering wheel like it had betrayed him.
Then, without a word, he opened the door, stepped out, slamming the door behind him.
The passenger door cracked open almost immediately.
"Where are you going?" Suzy’s head poked out, her hair a mess, eyes wide and curious like she was asking something forbidden.
"Whatever I do," Gavin said flatly, "is none of your business."
He started walking.
Suzy opened her door and stepped out, the heels of her shoes clicking against the pavement. "Fine," she said, her voice filled with a familiar defiance. "Then I’ll just... follow you.
He stopped. Slowly turned. His stare could have frozen fire. "I wasn’t asking."
"And I wasn’t obeying." She slammed the car door like it was some great declaration of war.
The nerve of her.
"If you think I’m letting you storm off into... wherever, and leave me all alone here then you’re delusional."
He ran a hand down his face. "I didn’t invite you to join me!"
She marched closer anyway, her small figure ridiculous against his tall, imposing frame. Ridiculous, and yet somehow she stood there like she could match him inch for inch, just by sheer stubbornness.
"You know what I think?" she said suddenly.
"God, no. But I’m sure you’ll tell me."
"I think you do care. About me. Otherwise you would’ve dumped me back at Block A."
"Sure."
The word dripped with sarcasm, boredom rolling off his tone.
That made her frown.
"You even smiled at me," she pressed. "Why do you keep pretending like you don’t want me?"
He blinked. "Smile at you? When?"
"In the car. You laughed. With me."
He turned fully, fists balling at his sides. Anger simmered beneath his skin, crawling up his throat. He didn’t know what it was about her. This maddening, infuriating cousin of Hades that set him off like this. He was already strung raw from tonight’s madness, and now she was just... another problem.
A big one.
He was so angry he didn’t even know what to do with himself. Was this normal?
Should he just... squeeze her. God! He really was tempted to squeeze her in his arms. I mean... with his hands. Or her throat.
"I don’t know what kind of silliness is making you act this crazy with me," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "But I told you... I tolerate you because you’re Hades’s cousin. But the next time you fucking call me pretty again, I will get rough."
Her breath caught. For a heartbeat, she froze, then a flicker of defiance lit up in her eyes. "Too bad..." Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, but steady. "...because I do want you to get rough with me."
Silence.
Gavin stared at her. Blankly.
Now Suzy didn’t know how interesting it would be to see Gavin try to think.
Because he looked... confused. Completely thrown. Like her words were some puzzle piece that didn’t fit. Or like he couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t scared. That clueless look, half dangerous, half bewildered, was almost adorable.
She tilted her chin higher, refusing to flinch.
For a moment, Gavin didn’t breathe. Didn’t blink. Finally, he muttered, guttural and low, "You don’t know what the hell you’re asking for."
Every muscle was taut with the urge to physically remove this persistent, maddening obstacle.
"Go back to the car. Or walk home."
"I’m pretty sure I know what the hell I was asking for." Suzy continued, the mischief not leaving her eyes.
He moved in a blur, pure instinct. One second there was distance between them, the next her back slammed against the cold metal of the car door. The impact ripped the air from her lungs.
She hadn’t even realized they were still close to the car until she felt the impact. Or maybe they haven’t been exactly close but someone he made it happen.
His hand tangled in her hair, yanking her head back, exposing the wild thrum of her pulse. His other arm braced against the car, trapping her completely.
He eyed her. "You are so... tiny," he muttered, tugging harder, eyes raking down her pale throat. Her neck was pale. He could literally see her veins popping. This would be a vampire’s delight. "If I got rough with you, you’d die." he whispered.
And no, there was no lust in his eyes. No desire like books would write. He still looked completely annoyed in a way that told her that this guy was not kidding. But then, she was delusional. She didn’t care. She would grab unto whatever she got.
Her heart lurched. But instead of shrinking away, her eyes shone wider.
Suzy’s breath hitched, her chest rising and falling in panicked, shallow bursts. Her eyes, wide and black with pupil, were not just locked on his, they were drowning in them. The fear was real, a sharp tang in the air, but it was utterly consumed by a reckless, answering fire. "In what sense are you saying?" she whispered.
Gavin frowned, the intensity in his eyes wavering for a split second, replaced by confusion.
Again, she watched his face. It was almost as if she could see math formulas floating across his face as he tried to make sense of what she was saying.
Then his brows knitted together, incredulous. "Are you...," he asked, his voice laced with disgusted disbelief, "sextling with me right now?"
She blinked, genuine confusion wiping the defiance from her face. "Sex... what?"
The question was so utterly, bafflingly innocent that it broke his momentum. He froze, the lethal tension momentarily baffled.
He loosened his grip on her hair just enough to think. Milo. The thought came unbidden. Milo with all his unsolicited lectures had told them that sex texting was sexting. Sex talking is sextling.
"Sexling," he snapped. He pulled back from her slightly, a disgusted look on his face. "It’s... sex talking." He muttered, the word feeling ridiculous on his tongue.
There was a beat of silence. Then, Suzy’s eyes rounded. Her lips trembled once, then she burst.
A guffaw ripped out of her throat, so loud and unrestrained it startled even her. She doubled over, clutching her stomach with her free hand, tears springing to her eyes as laughter shook her.
"S-Sextling? Oh my god, Gavin... you can’t be serious!"
He just stared at her, frozen, scowl deepening as his jaw ticked. Internally, he cursed Milo. That bastard. Filling her head with unsolicited nonsense...
Why the hell had he even said it out loud?
Suzy straightened slowly, wiping tears from her eyes, her laughter leaving her flushed. She looked at him like he was the funniest thing alive.
"God, you’re so cute," she whispered, then, like it was the most natural thing in the world, tapped the tip of his nose with her finger.
His entire body bristled. He was THIS close to exploding, to setting her on fire with the flames he could feel licking at his insides.
But then—
"I told you that was her!"
Voices.
. "For real? That’s Suzy? What are you doing out her—"
Suzy froze. The laughter died instantly on her lips.
Oh, hell no.
Of course she had forgotten they were in public. Of course a parking lot would still have people drifting through. And worse... of all the people in the world, it had to be them.
These four annoying ladies.
Her stomach dropped.
Gavin was still standing far too close, his height and frame almost covering her frame. And that was exactly why the group of girls who had stopped mid-sentence now stared, wide-eyed. as if they’d stumbled on a scandal worth selling.
Everyone knew Gavin.
"What... is going on?" one of them demanded, gaze darting between Suzy and Gavin, sharp with recognition. She was one of the girls who had been in the restroom that day during the sports event. Yhe day Suzy had made a fool of herself.
Suzy’s stomach dropped, icy fear flooding her veins. If word of this... this... got out? Her family would have her head. They’d kill Gavin too, and not figuratively. Literally. They would end him.
Suzy’s body jolted like she’d been shot. Her palms went flat against Gavin’s chest and she shoved with all her might.
"Don’t... don’t stand so close!" she blurted, laughing too loudly, too high-pitched.
"God, you’re blocking the air! Do you want me to suffocate?!"
Her voice cracked with forced brightness, her chest still heaving from the panic clawing her ribs.
The girls exchanged dubious looks.
Gavin didn’t budge. He didn’t even twitch. He just stood there, carved stone, eyes lazy and cold.
One of the girls tilted her head. "Wait. Is Gavin... your bodyguard now?"
Suzy felt the floor tilt. A bodyguard? That sounded ridiculous. But... was it actually better than the truth?
Her throat went dry. Her family’s fury flashed in her mind like a blade. If anyone carried this story back home...
Her heart hammered.
Gavin’s head tilted slowly, eyes narrowing at the girl who’d asked. For a moment, Suzy thought he might actually snarl at her.
Instead, he leaned just close enough to Suzy’s ear for only her to hear:
"Good luck fixing this shit, bambi."