The crowded quad buzzed with the chatter of students and the rustle of autumn leaves underfoot, sunlight warming the stone paths of the elite university. Andrew Blackwood kept his head low, blending into the flow with a simple hoodie and backpack slung over one shoulder, his sharp eyes scanning the scene like always but softened by the role he played. No one here knew the ruthless edge beneath his calm face, the way he could command shadows back home. He moved toward the lecture hall, craving this ordinary rush of classes and faces, until a burst of laughter pulled his gaze.

Lily Voss stood at the center of her friends near the fountain, her long dark hair catching the light as she tossed it back with a playful smile. She wore a fitted sweater that hugged her slender frame and a short skirt that showed off smooth legs, the campus belle everyone whispered about for her grace and quick wit. Her friends chatted around her, but Lily's bright eyes flicked over the crowd and landed on him. Something electric sparked in that glance, a teasing warmth that made Andrew's pulse quicken despite his usual cool control. He slowed his steps, drawn closer as she laughed again, the sound light and inviting amid the scent of fresh coffee from nearby carts.

Their eyes met fully when he passed the group, and Lily tilted her head with a subtle grin that felt like it saw straight through his disguise. Andrew felt heat rise in his chest, an unexpected pull tightening low in his body as he imagined the curve of her lips under his. She turned slightly toward her friends but kept that look on him, her cheeks flushing just enough to hint at shared interest. The air thickened with unspoken tension, the distant hum of campus life fading as he wondered about the fire behind her teasing gaze, his own hidden strength stirring in response to her quiet challenge.

Andrew couldn't tear his eyes away as Lily broke from her circle of friends and strolled toward him with that same knowing half-smile, her short skirt swaying against her thighs and the soft fabric of her sweater clinging to the gentle swell of her breasts. The quad's noise dimmed further when she stopped close enough that he caught the faint scent of her vanilla perfume mixed with something warmer, like the heat rising from her skin. "You look like you're trying too hard to disappear," she said lightly, her voice carrying a teasing lilt that made his pulse hammer. Andrew opened his mouth to deflect, but the words tangled when she reached up and brushed a stray leaf from his hoodie, her fingers lingering a second too long against his chest. The contact sent a jolt straight through him, stirring an ache low in his gut that he hadn't expected in this ordinary setting.

Their conversation sparked into something sharper almost at once, a cute clash of wills as he grumbled about her boldness and she fired back with a playful jab about his brooding stare, their voices low and charged amid the passing students. "You don't own the path, you know," Lily retorted, eyes sparkling with challenge, yet her body leaned in closer, the brush of her arm against his sending sparks across his nerves. Andrew's attention locked fully onto her—the way her lips parted slightly when she laughed at his stubborn reply, the subtle flush creeping down her neck hinting at the same pull he felt. Before either could pull back, the tension snapped in an unexpected kiss; she rose on her toes and pressed her mouth to his, soft and insistent, her tongue flicking against his in a way that made his cock twitch with sudden, raw interest. The kiss deepened for a breathless moment, her breasts pressing lightly against him as heat flooded his veins, the campus fading into nothing but the wet slide of their lips and the electric thrum of arousal building between them.

When they parted, Andrew's unease flared as two other boys from the business track approached Lily with easy smiles, their gazes dipping appreciatively over her figure and one even reaching to touch her arm in greeting. A possessive knot tightened in his chest, his hidden ruthless side stirring at the sight even as he fought to stay in his student role, every instinct screaming to pull her away and claim that kiss again. Lily glanced back at him with a wink, her playful energy only heightening the subtle erotic charge still humming in the air between them.

Andrew's chest tightened at that wink, the possessive fire from moments ago mixing with something deeper as Lily turned away to greet the boys, her laughter floating back like a challenge. He couldn't shake the taste of her on his lips or the way her body had fit against his, breasts soft and warm through her sweater, her tongue's teasing flick igniting a hard throb between his legs that left him shifting uncomfortably in the quad's shade. Stepping forward without thinking, he caught her elbow gently

Clone of Veiled Passions: Heirs of Shadow