"Pierce?" I called in a small voice, entering his office. His sexy figure leaning over his desk spun around immediately, meeting me with his heady aquamarine gaze. He rushed forward without any hesitation, took me in his arms, and kissed me like he was starving for my lips.

"Oh, babydoll..." He crooned in my mouth, "I'm so glad to see you." Oh, thank goodness!

"I thought you were mad at me," I uttered in a subdued voice. Pierce frowned.

"Mad at you? Amber, sweetheart, why would I be mad at you?" He sat down on his chair, pulling me onto his lap and locking his arms around me. That heartened me... I stared at him in surprise.

"When I didn't hear from you—and you didn't look at me today... I thought..."

"Oh, Amber," Pierce cupped my cheek, stoking it with his thumb. "I wasn't mad at you, I just had a lot on my mind. My mom had a meltdown when she found out about my car and... if anything, I was worried about you."

"About me? Why?" I asked in confusion. He sighed.

"Russo might still go after you after what I did and it worries me. I don't care if he has it in for me, I don't want him to traumatize you again. That news article did enough damage, I don't want you to go through that again." Oh, silly me, getting bothered about nothing! My golden boy righted my world again.

"And there's one other thing." He paused, looking unsure. I looked inquiringly at him. "I got the footage from my dashcam, babydoll, and..."

"You found out it was Trey," I finished soberly for him, sensing his hesitation. He nodded and sighed again.

"It was a stupid move, really, my dashcam caught it all. He did a good deal of wrecking with a cricket bat." Cricket was Trey's second favorite sport, I knew. "If he wanted to sabotage me, he could've done it more subtly." I felt amused to see how Pierce took it—he practically pitied Trey for a poor job of covering up his tracks instead of getting riled up. I, on the other hand, felt like mutilating Trey.

"Worst part is, Russo didn't come forward and own up," Pierce continued. "Miss Mortimer's furious, she expected better from her students. Leaves me in a bit of a dilemma too, I'm not sure what to do." I frowned.

"Pierce, you have proof, why wouldn't you go to Principal Mortimer and show her who did it right away?" I asked in confusion. His response came with a tender gaze at me and a caress on my cheek.

"Because I know he was your friend once and I wasn't sure how you'd take it," he said quietly. My mouth fell open.

"Pierce, you can't be serious! What Trey did to your car was criminal! Plus, he tortured me too, I have no sympathy for him whatsoever, in fact, I wanna strangle him!" Pierce gave me an amused smile.

"I see..."

"I want him brought to justice for his, stick it to him real good!" I said with a glower, punching my palm with my fist. "He can't get away with this, you need to tell Principal Mortimer about him!" Pierce gave me a long gaze.

"If he retaliates and it harms you, babydoll... I don't want that kinda regret." Pierce didn't want his actions to hurt me... Noble, but foolish in this case. Trey needed to learn a damn good lesson and Pierce was the only one who could teach it to him.

"I already got him benched from the game tomorrow," Pierce continued pensively, "he trashed my car in return. That might just earn him a suspension. And that's a sentence he'd incur from Miss Mortimer without my input." A suspension would stain Trey's record forever... but he deserved it.

"Pierce, please. You can't let him off the hook," I pleaded. Pierce fondled my hair, delicately playing with it. It made my heart skip a beat or two but didn't distract me from the issue at hand. Pierce looked uneasy.

"Can I confess something to you, babydoll?" He asked meekly. Surprised by his sudden change of character, I nodded.

"I can relate to Russo a little bit." Ahh, not this again. His sentence shook me, but understanding immediately filled me. Because I knew a little about his past, I knew where this was going. But I let him go on.

"I've been in his shoes, Amber, and you know that," he said, "I'm guilty for the very same thing he did to you." I blinked in shock.

"What do you—"

"I once kissed your sister the way he kissed you, babydoll," he admitted contritely, "we were at a party and I lost control despite knowing she was with my cousin. Only difference was I knew she had feelings for me too back then so it didn't bother me to take what I wanted." Unlike Trey with me... I hadn't the slightest feelings for him.

"For a long time before that though, it was unrequited love for me," he continued, making me wonder why he wanted to confess all this to me. "I tried to make her love me the way I wanted and failed."

"And you think Trey's doing the same with me?" I asked quietly. "Pierce, you and Trey are nothing alike, trust me." I sighed, mentally bracing myself before going on.

"Look, this is hard for me to say but I have to say it," I said, holding his face in my hands. "Thea cared for you back then, I could see it. I guess she just cared for your cousin more. But from what she shared with me, I thought she was crazy to dump a guy like you." Pierce looked at me with love in his eyes as I continued.

"I thought you were the most amazing guy in the world, Pierce," I admitted softly, spilling my heart out. "And that was before I even got to know you. I couldn't understand how she could walk away from you. But now, I'm glad she did. Because it led you to me."

"Babydoll..."

"But you have to know, there's nothing going on between me and Trey, there never was, and there never will be. You remember when I broke my leg and you took me to the hospital?"

"Yeah?"

"That was the day Trey first confessed to me and ruined our friendship," I said, remembering that day with disgust. "I'd made my feelings about him clear but he wouldn't listen to me. And now he's out to torment me for it. Pierce, you're nothing like that." I paused for breath before going on.

"You once made it hard for Thea to choose, I get it. It's no choice at all for me. There's only one guy who snuck into my heart, only one guy I've ever loved, and I'm staring right at him." Pierce looked moved beyond words and leaned his forehead against mine.

"Babydoll, you don't know what it means for me to hear that," he said in a cracked voice full of emotion. "My past has been weighing on me for so long that when I knew I started to have feelings for you, I was dying to be honest with you about everything before taking the next step."

"When did you know you had feelings for me?" I asked in a whisper.

"Since the day you kissed me, babydoll," he replied with a smile, sending an electric shock through me. Holy smokes, Pierce had feelings for me since then?! Sure that wasn't too long ago but still. Wow.

"When this trouble with Russo started and I saw he had a thing for you too, I—I feared," Pierce said with obvious distress in his eyes. "I had just given my heart to you and was terrified of history repeating itself. What if I lost you too..."

"Shh, Pierce, that will never happen, I promise," I placed my finger on his lips. "You will never lose me, I'm not gonna break your heart like Thea did, I'm not her! You know that, right?" I searched his eyes for an honest answer to that. I saw them illuminate with the truth.

"I never thought you were, babydoll," he answered with convicting assurance, "to me, you're Amber, my perfect shade of gold." I swallowed the overwhelming emotion that suddenly flooded me. My lips were on his in a moment, dancing in a slow, titillating rhythm. He responded immediately, taking command as he reigned over me with his own. My hands explored him meanwhile, feeling his silky brown waves tumbling around his forehead before slipping around his neck and toying with his hair at the nape there. Pierce groaned.

"Amber, the things you do to me..." He rasped sensually. I giggled against his lips.

"Do I turn you on?" I asked playfully. He smirked.

"Like a gushing faucet," he replied, making me laugh. He resumed his tongue swirling inside my mouth, making me moan to each movement while his hands grazed my body through my shirt. He suddenly froze after a minute though, staring at me.

"Shit," he muttered in annoyance. I blinked.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

"We're halfway through the lunch hour and I didn't let my girlfriend eat!" Pierce said, looking vexed with himself. I laughed.

"Oh, Pierce, sweetie, food's not really important right now." Pierce clicked his tongue.

"Yes it is, I need to feed you so you'll have energy for our tutoring session this afternoon," he said, shifting me off his lap and getting up. "Wait here, I'll go get something from the cafeteria." I laughed as he rushed out in a hurry. Such a concerned boyfriend... boy was I lucky.

He brought back gyros from the cafeteria and we dined together in his office—he said Mr. Cauruthers was in the lounge today and would blow a top if he saw a student 'invade the forbidden grounds of the teachers' sanctuary' as Pierce put it. I had a hard time eating and not laughing.

Pierce also complimented my polished and glittered nails calling them 'cute' and appreciating how short they were—I often kept them short because they hampered me while playing video games or coding on my keyboard when long. Pierce said he liked them short, he couldn't stand girls with 'claws'. I was gonna keep them short for the rest of my life.

After a quick lunch, Pierce dropped me off in front of my class, accompanying me like a protective knight—guys didn't dare razz me with him by my side. Beware, the TA.

"You'll report Trey, won't you, Pierce?" I asked him privately in the hallway before he left. He caressed my cheek with the back of his hand.

"I will, don't you worry, babydoll. I'll don my cape and cowl and see that justice is done." I smiled in adoration at that. He really was my superhero. He almost pecked my lips before catching himself and remembering we were in public—many females' eyes were already watching us curiously. So far it only looked like the TA was playing favorites with one student. I giggled.

"I'll see you after school for our tutoring session, Mr. Hartman," I said, blowing him a furtive kiss. He made a sign of catching it and pressing it to his lips before walking off. I sighed contently inside. My golden boy was still, and always would be, a prince.

~

After school, Trey was promptly summoned to the principal's office. Cassie and Haruko discussed what it might mean for him, asking me for details. I had already told them that Pierce confirmed it was him.

"I'm not sure what will happen but he might be looking at a few days of suspension," I replied cautiously while we dressed for PE. Haruko scoffed.

"Hmph, he deserves worse! He should've been handed over to the cops and gotten a serious thrashing for what he did!"

"Wow, is it just me or has this been the longest week of our lives?" Cassie asked, looking stunned. "So much has happened in such a few days it feels like a whole semester passed us by!"

"Yeah, senior year is shaping up to be super dramatic," Haruko stated, "didn't think things would get this out of hand."

"I know what you mean, I'm just looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow," I said, yawning more from the emotional than physical exhaustion.

"Hey, your sister visiting for the weekend?" Haruko asked. I nodded distractedly.

"Yeah, she'll probably wanna hear all about my first week at school and—oh, crud!" I suddenly exclaimed in alarm, clutching my head.

"What, what?" My friends asked in unison.

"Thea doesn't know I'm dating Pierce yet!" I said, looking flabbergasted. Haruko exhaled.

"Is that all? Jeez, I thought it was something serious. You're gonna have to tell her sometime, Amb."

"Yeah, and she and Pierce were totally over a long time ago, you have nothing to worry about!" Cassie reassured me. I nodded unsurely. It still worried me though, how Thea would take it—finding out her sister was dating the guy she once loved...

When I was younger, Mom made me and Thea read all the classics in literature. Among them was a book called 'Little Women'. It was a book about four sisters, their lives growing up, and how they fell in love and found their soulmates... the second eldest, Jo, had a best friend who fell for her when they grew older (gee, the irony) but she turned him down like I did with Trey. But the guy ended up falling in love with Jo's younger sister, Amy. I felt a serious coincidence here. Jo didn't have any qualms with her younger sister when she returned home with her best friend who had become Amy's husband... I hoped Thea would feel the same way.

And it's not like Jo didn't find her own true love and live happily ever after...

"Hey, ho, looks like your not-so-secret admirer is here," Haruko said slyly, nudging me in the ribs and nodding her head toward the bleachers while we did laps around the field. I turned and saw Pierce sitting there with his knees apart, his elbows on them and his fingers intertwined between them. Holy smokes, he looked so freaking hot like that. He smiled when I met his eyes and I smiled back.

"Looks like Katie and Sandra are riddled with envy," Haruko said, diverting my attention to the cheerleading group a few feet from us. Cassie was diligently doing her routine but more than a few others were ogling Pierce where he sat, looking all moony and lagging behind.

"Good thing he only has eyes for you, nice work snapping the trap, Amb," Haruko winked at me. I gasped at her crude way of putting it.

"Haru!"

"What? He's yours, enjoy him!" She laughed. I laughed too, feeling happy. Pierce must be waiting to drive me home for our tutoring session.

After PE, Coach dismissed everyone and returned to school in a hurry, rubbing her nose—she always had allergies around this time of year. Pierce got up and walked over to me when she had left. Most of the girls on the field lingered behind to gawk at him. Ugh, get boyfriends of your own, women!

"Hey, Speedie," Pierce greeted me with a grin. I laughed.

"Another nickname for me? At this rate, I'll forget my own name."

"Then I'll just have to remind you," Pierce said huskily, closing the distance between us. "Amber, my perfect shade of gold." He cupped my cheeks in his palms and I leaned into his touch with a content hum.

"So, you all out of steam, or would you be up for a quick spin around the block?" Pierce asked me. I blinked.

"You wanna do a lap with me?"

"Sure, if you're up for it. Running was my favorite way to blow off steam."

"Yes, I'd love to!" I responded enthusiastically. "But people are watching—"

"I don't think so," Pierce said with a smirk, glancing over my shoulder. I turned around in time to see Haruko and Cassie shepherding everyone off the field back to school like two bodyguards—boy, they really were the best friends ever.

"Your friends bought us some privacy," Pierce laughed. "So shall we?" We took our positions, poised to sprint.

"On the count of three," Pierce said, "one, two..."

"Three!" I yelled mischievously, taking off before him. He yelled 'Hey!' and soon I could hear his pants behind me. In seconds he caught up to me and quickly managed to overtake me.

"Oh, come on!" I whined, straining to keep up. I was good, he was just way better on his longer legs. I got a shock when he suddenly halted to a stop a few feet in front of me with open arms. I couldn't stop my momentum in time but I had a feeling that's what he was going for—he caught me as I collided with him and we both tumbled down to the grass with me lying flat on his chest.

"Caught you," he chuckled, looked exhilarated. I laughed.

"You totally planned that!"

"I might've," he replied playfully. In a moment, he had flipped me around so that I was on the grass and he was lying on top of me. I gasped, my heart rate tripling and my body trembled with excitement. I'd never been in such an intimate position with Pierce before. I gazed up at him breathlessly in adulation.

"You do things to me when you look at me like that, babydoll," he uttered in his silky drawl. If I wasn't red-faced before, I am now. However, I must've turned totally scarlet in the next moment because he leaned down, leisurely laying his lips upon mine. Freaking fruit loops, Pierce didn't have any qualms about where he kissed me, he could do it anywhere! I lost myself for a few minutes in the symphony of his lips, simply enjoying them blend with mine while my chest heaved under his warm, pleasant weight on my body. After a thorough exploration of my mouth, he withdrew, looking intently at me.

"I reported Russo," he said softly, studying my face while his fingers idly stroked my hair. I smiled.

"I'm glad."

"He got suspended," Pierce went on, "for two weeks. Miss Mortimer decided it herself. He's also getting some extra anger management classes from the guidance counselor." Whoa. Okay, that was overdue.

"But what about your car, shouldn't he pay for the damages?" I asked anxiously. Pierce nodded.

"I offered not to bring any charge against him if he'd pay for the damages. He agreed—grudgingly, but he agreed. Miss Mortimer's satisfied too." I sighed in relief. Finally, I could breathe, Trey was dealt with.

"That take a load off your mind, babydoll?" Pierce asked. I nodded eagerly.

"Uh-huh! I'm glad everything's finally over."

"I don't think things are over but..." He ran a sultry hand down my body making me shiver, "at least I finally get to spend time with you in peace."

"So what do you intend to do with me, now that you have me all to yourself?" I asked him demurely. He smirked.

"Tutor you." I whined in my throat at that. He laughed.

"That's just half of it. The rest you'll have to find out afterward," he whispered huskily against my neck, tracing his lips there. Huuuhhhh. Pierce had further plans with me—he figuratively pounded Trey, cheered me up, and had the energy to tutor me after this. Made me fall for him even more if possible. My golden boy wasn't just a prince, he was an awe-inspiring dark knight.

💜

Woot, woot, the romance continues!🥳🥰 Ya like? Huh?😏 Huh?😏 Hope ya do coz things are about to get steamier in the next chapter!😍❤ And with Thea coming home, things will get exciting! So Trey's out for two weeks, enjoy it while it lasts...😬 we're far from over, so much more to come.😉