Catching His Eye (Kingwood Prep #1)

By Kit Kyndall

Kingwood Prep is home to dark deeds, dark secrets, and all the things that happen in the shadows.
Liv remained invisible for most of her academic career and expects it to be the same at Kingwood Prep, a one-year post-high school program for those who are bound for the Ivy League schools but need a little extra academic help. When she stands up for someone, she catches the eye of Cutter Kingwood. He lives by his own rules and expects others to follow them too. He’s decided Liv will be his new toy, and though she tries to fight it, she starts to enjoy his attention. He awakens unacknowledged desires inside her, but if she starts to crave Cutter, it will break her heart. She can’t deny their desire, but can she resist what might ultimately consume her?

This contemporary new adult series is intended for mature teens and adult readers 18+ due to some controversial topics and content. It can be classified as dark romance. Each book will feature a new set of characters, but Kingwood Prep is always the backdrop.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amourisa Press
• Release date: May 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005269340

Kit Kyndall

Kit Kyndall is the pen name bestselling author Kit Tunstall uses when writing contemporary erotic romances. If you would like to receive notifications of new releases or access bonus chapters for your favorite books, please join Kit's Mailing List (http://www.kittunstall.com/newsletter). You’ll also receive six books just for joining. If you prefer to receive notifications for just one, or a few, of Kit’s pen names, you’ll have the option to select which lists to subscribe to at signup.

Book preview

Kit Tunstall, writing as Kit Kyndall, reserves all rights to CATCHING HIS EYE. Any resemblance to people or places is a coincidence. Please respect the copyright by not sharing this work. Permission of the author or publisher is required to copy any part of this work. All characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.

© Kit Tunstall, 2022

Cover Image: Deposit Photos

Cover Design: Amourisa Press

Blurb

Kingwood Prep is home to dark deeds, dark secrets, and all the things that happen in the shadows.

Liv remained invisible for most of her academic career and expects it to be the same at Kingwood Prep, a one-year post-high school program for those who are bound for the Ivy League schools but need a little extra academic help. When she stands up for someone, she catches the eye of Cutter Kingwood. He lives by his own rules and expects others to follow them too. He’s decided Liv will be his new toy, and though she tries to fight it, she starts to enjoy his attention. He awakens unacknowledged desires inside her, but if she starts to crave Cutter, it will break her heart. She can’t deny their desire, but can she resist what might ultimately consume her?

This contemporary new adult series is intended for mature teens and adult readers 18+ due to some controversial topics and content. It can be classified as dark romance. Each book will feature a new set of characters, but Kingwood Prep is always the backdrop.

Table of Contents

Copyright Page

Disclaimer

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Epilogue

About Kit

Further Reading: The Island

Also By Kit Kyndall

Chapter One

LIV TOOK HER USUAL shortcut through the outdoor assembly area and courtyard. Normally, she had it mostly to herself as she hustled past, which saved her almost a full block on the trek home. She could tell right away that something was different today, with the sound of crying alerting her before she rounded the bleachers and came to a stop, frozen in shock for a moment. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Haden Levitz and Devon Kane stood on either side of Mary-Alice, who had her back pressed to the side rail of the configuration of stone benches that formed the area. There was nothing so gauche as stadium seating or folding bleachers allowed at Kingwood Prep, but this was an outdoor amphitheater, not a sporting arena.

She was the one crying, and the reason was immediately obvious. The two jocks had her pinned and were squeezing her breasts. Please stop. I don’t like this game.

Mary-Alice’s plaintive words, delivered in her simple childlike voice, cut through Liv, and she stepped forward. As she did so, she saw Cutter Kingwood sitting on a bench. He was engrossed with his phone, and while he wasn’t actively participating in harassing the young woman with Down Syndrome, he wasn’t stopping his minions either.

She glared at him, ignoring her fear as she turned to face Devon and Haden. Let go of her right now. She kept her voice firm, daring them to ignore her.

As one, the two pricks looked at her before exchanging a glance that was full of amusement. If we don’t? asked Haden.

I’ll call nine-one-one. She clenched her hand around her phone in her pocket, using her finger to unlock the screen in case she needed to carry through with the threat.

Devon and Haden exchanged another glance, and the body language shifted slightly. It was enough to give her the confidence to dart forward and grab Mary-Alice’s arm, tugging her away. Run, Mary-Alice.

The girl was still upset, and she must have been confused. Likely, she didn’t understand everything the boys had done to her, but now wasn’t the time to try to get an accounting from her or figure out if they’d done more than grope her.

Mary-Alice stood there for another second before Liv prodded her forward, and the two of them started running. She dared hope they were going to let them go, but hands cupped her arms, dragging her back. Get an adult, Mary-Alice. She knew that was what the girl’s parents had taught her from a young age.

Mary-Alice lived a few houses down from her, so she knew her. When they were younger, they’d played together, and though Liv had long since intellectually outpaced the girl, she was still kind to her and concerned about her. That was the only thing that had given her the courage to stand up to the two jocks.

She struggled to escape as they dragged her back, shoving her against the fence instead of the benches where they’d pinned Mary-Alice. She glared at both of them as Devon and Haden each kept a hand on her shoulders to pin her against the wire. Let go of me. You can’t do this.

Sure we can. You invited us to, said Haden with a malicious chuckle.

She glared at him. I did not. Get your hands off me.

When you interfered and got Mary-Alice to run away, you offered to take her place. As he said that, Devon lifted his hand and tugged at her buttons. The Kingwood Preparatory uniform shirt wouldn’t yield to his clumsy fumbling, so he ripped the fabric instead.

She gasped, struggling to bring her arms up high enough to cover her chest. This is assault. You’re committing a crime right now. Unlike Mary-Alice, I can tell on you without any confusion about what you’re doing.

Devon leaned closer, lowering his voice in a menacing manner. Are you threatening us?

Promising, she spat vehemently. Let me go now, and this could just be over. If you don’t stop right this minute, I’m going directly to the police once you let me go.

Yeah, I can pretty much guarantee that won’t lead anywhere. Cutter spoke for the first time, standing up from the bleachers to walk their way. At the same time, he slid his phone into his letterman jacket, clearly a memento from Kingwood Academy, where they had all graduated from earlier in the year.

His gray-green eyes were piercing, and she felt like he was stabbing into her soul. She’d been afraid of Haden and Devon, but Cutter brought her fears to a whole new level.

Part of her wanted to believe he was coming to rescue her, but she knew that was unlikely. Like most of the girls at Kingwood Prep, she responded physically to his proximity, because he was so handsome. With a tight, toned body, and strong features, all framed by thick dirty blond hair, he was certainly attractive. She didn’t know him personally, and she didn’t hang in his social circles, but she’d also heard he was a bit on the dark side.

Cruel and rough, if she correctly recalled the conversation she’d overheard in the girls’ bathroom a few weeks ago, when one of the cheerleaders was telling another in a different stall about how Cutter had left bruises on her skin while fucking her at a party over the weekend.

She met his gaze, and now she trembled. She spent most of her time at Kingwood Prep invisible, or feeling that way, just as she had during all her academic career. She had completed elementary and high school with many of the students currently attending the one-year post-high school intensive program to prepare for Ivy League schools, but she doubted many of them even knew her name.

As much as she envied the popular students and their easy social lives, as his gaze fastened on her, she wished she’d remained invisible, at least to Cutter.

Out of the way. As he spoke, Cutter moved in between Devon and Haden, who still had her pinned to the fence. They stepped back, looking put out as he took the space they’d occupied.

There was a notable difference though. They’d stood on either side of her, but he stood directly in front of her. He put a hand casually on the plastic sign hanging over the fence, using his body to hold her in place. You just had to interfere.

She glared at him. I wasn’t interfering. I was helping Mary-Alice. You know what they were doing is sick and wrong. She’s mentally impaired, so it’s like your nasty friends were molesting a child.

She doesn’t have the tits of a child, said Haden with a snicker.

They’re huge, said Devon. He sounded disappointed when he added, Our substitute is no match for that. She hardly has anything, Cutter.

Cutter lifted a hand to part her shirt, and she smacked it with one of hers. He grabbed her hand and pinned it above her head before seizing the other one and holding both her wrists in one of his hands. She squirmed and tried to escape, but he ignored her ineffectual protests as he parted her shirt.

She wore a plain white bra underneath, since the shirt was thin enough to reveal darker lingerie. The only thing even remotely sexy about it was that it had a front clasp instead of a back clasp, which allowed Cutter to easily manipulate it with one hand. Seconds later, the bra fell away, and her breasts sprang forward. They were definitely small, especially compared to Mary-Alice, who had been endowed with a voluptuous woman’s body while cursed with a child’s mind, but she was still embarrassed to have them visible.

Haden and Devon were making crude comments, but she wasn’t really worried about them. It was obvious he was in control of the situation, and he was the one she had to fear.

Cutter lifted a hand and squeezed one of her breasts much harder than necessary. When she whimpered in pain, he grinned as though the sound delighted him. He rubbed his thumb across her nipple before plucking it between his thumb and forefinger. Once again, he was rougher than he had to be. Stop it.

"I don’t think so. Unlike Devon and