I walk closer to him until our knees touch, and he blinks up at me when I slip my arms around his neck and straddle his lap. His hands land on my hips and his fingers clutch me tight.
“Little masochist,” he murmurs. For the first time, that sounds more like a term of endearment instead of a taunt to remind me of what a fool I am.
“No more talking.”
Lowering my head, I press my lips against his in a gentle kiss. My intention is to keep things light and slow. To seduce and explore, but it’s been so long, and my body ignites at our first contact. His hands grip me harder and then stroke up my back to hold my head so he can devour my mouth with his.
All thought leaves my head as we fall back onto the bed together, and I give myself over to the sensations that he pulls from my body that I’ve been missing for so long.
The next morning, I sneak back to my own cottage, being careful to be as quiet as possible. I slip in through the glass sliding door and tiptoe toward my bedroom.
“Is this like a walk of shame? Or more like a trudge?”
I flinch and gasp, a strange panic shooting through my belly. Turning, I find Loni standing in the doorway of her bedroom, her arms crossed and lips quivering in a smile.
“Oh, hey,” I say, offering a smile that I hope is casual and not startled. “I, uh, just went for a walk on the beach. Early riser, you know.”
“You’re still wearing your clothes from last night.”
Fuck. “I’m … poor.”
Loni snorts. “Please, Mallory. This is spring break. And while I’ll never touch Archie Andrews again with a ten-foot-fucking-pole, you’re entitled to get some Hot Draco D.”
I scrunch my nose. “You’re kind of raunchy, Baby Juggernaut.”
She shrugs. “What can I say? I grew up around fighters. Now, you and I have some shit we need to figure out.”
I grimace. “We do?”
Moving towards me, she grabs my wrist and drags me toward my room. Pushing me inside, she shuts the door.
“Alright,” she says before I can form any kind of question in my head. “Spill.”
“What am I spilling this time?”
She jabs her finger at me. “Last night, what Gabe said Liam and Saint did. Was that true?”
My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I nod. “Yes, it was, but you have to understand, Rosalind’s stepfather was a monster, and—”
She holds up her hand and I fall silent. “You don’t need to explain that to me. Actually, I don’t even want to know. I just want to know that you’re good.”
I blink. “Me?”
“Yeah, you. Your boyfriend helped cover up a murder. I just need to know that you feel safe with him. If you do, I’ll drop the issue and keep my mouth shut.”
‘Oh, I—” I’ve never been asked that question before. It’s one thing for Saint to piss me off, but no one has ever questioned whether I feel safe around him or not. I think about it for only a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I feel safe with him. He wouldn’t hurt me like that. He only did it to help Liam and Rosalind.”
She lets out a breath of apparent relief. “Alright. That’s all I needed. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
“We’re a fucked-up group, huh?”
She widens her eyes as she blows an errant curl from her face and bobs her head. “Last night was a mess.”
I nod, pressing the palms of my hands against my eyes. “No kidding. What was wrong with Gabe?”
Loni sighs, a flash of regret lighting up her eyes for a moment. “I’m sure it’s me. Things have been weird between us since freshman year, which is why I’m not his biggest fan. I probably hurt his stupid pride.”
“Well, whatever it is, he sure fucked things up last night,” I grumble. “How was Rosalind after you got back up here?”
“Not great,” Loni replies. “She was pretty shaken up. Didn’t say much before she went to bed.”
“So, her trip is essentially ruined.” Damn it. “This whole break is going to be so fucking awkward now, isn’t it?”
Loni doesn’t try to disagree. “Did I ever tell you all the reasons I loathe Angelview Academy?”
Fuck. So much for my luxurious vacation to help me get away from my worries at that school.
Like usual, it appears they’ve followed me yet again.
Just like Loni had predicted, the rest of the trip is almost unbearably awkward. We don’t try to hang out again as a group, and we mostly try to actively avoid each other. Rosalind stays in her room most of the week, even though Loni and I invite her out with us when we go to the beach and to other areas of the resort. She declines each time, politely but firmly.
We barely see the guys, and just let them do their own thing. I’ve no interest in hanging out with Gabe or Liam again, and neither does Loni. Saint and I don’t really interact all that much either, and when we do, he’s confusingly distant. A part of me wonders if he’s worried about Loni, since I haven’t gotten the chance to reassure him that she’ll stay quiet, but another part of me can’t help but fear he regrets having sex with me again.
It’s a relief when the end of the week comes and we’ve only got one night left before we fly back to California. I can’t believe I’m actually looking forward to being at Angelview because it at least means I don’t have to be here anymore.
Loni and I dig out a bottle of wine from the cottage’s bar and pour ourselves generous glasses while we pack in preparation for the morning’s departure. We knock on Rosalind’s door, and for once, she comes out and we pour her a glass as well.
We manage to pack up Loni and Rosalind’s things before there’s a knock on our front door. We all freeze, halfway to my room, and share uncertain glances before I move forward to answer the door.
To my surprise, it’s the gods.
“We need to talk,” Liam says, pushing into our cottage without an invitation.
“Great.” Gabe avoids my eye as he passes by, but Saint meets my gaze and holds it until he’s walked away.
I close the door and turn to follow them. Loni catches my eye, her brown eyes wide, and I just shrug. I don’t know what the fuck is going on.
Rosalind’s cheeks are the same shade as her hair, and I think for a moment that she’s going to bolt back to her room, but her curiosity must be as overwhelming as mine is, because she stays rooted in place.
In total silence, we all move into the living room. Nobody sits, and we just stand and stare at each other for several long moments.
“Okay, this is weird,” Loni says at last. “Just say it already.”
Liam releases a heavy sigh before answering, “Alright, here’s the deal. That first night we got here, a lot of shit came out that shouldn’t have.” He jerks his thumb to Gabe. “This dumb-fuck made a mess of everything, and now we all know secrets that none of us wanted out.”
“Thank you, stupid,” Loni snaps. “Would you like to point out other obvious, terrible facts for us?”
He shoots her with a dark look but continues, “What happened out on that beach stays here, okay?”
That’s all they wanted? It’s so simple that I could scream for joy.