“What are you talking about?” I grab an apple from the dish in the middle that’s always filled with fresh fruit, even though none of us grocery shop.
“You fucked her like a delicate flower,” he sneers.
“No, I didn’t. Is that why you bailed?” I bite into the crisp fruit, the juice hitting my tongue.
“I don’t usually like to be the third wheel in a threesome, and that’s exactly what went down. You two might as well have said I love you while you drilled into her.”
“You’re fucking with me, right?” I scoff, grinning to make him mad. Nothing pisses Byron off more than when he’s being serious, and one of us can’t find the urgency to match his.
“You know that can’t happen. There’s too much at stake.” He points at me. “Remember that. She is a play toy, a means to an end. No room for feelings.”
I hold my hands up. “Yeah, bro, I got it. No feelings here.” That’s a fucking lie. There’s something. I just don’t know what it is.
Byron leaves me in the middle of the kitchen. Only the pendant lights above the island are illuminated, giving me a perfect view out of the glass wall down to the campus below.
Kings in their castle, simply waiting to be taken down. A fallen queen with a sister left behind.
You don’t know what you have until you want more. Palmer makes me believe there is more out there in the world than this life. She isn’t mine, though. Like Byron said, no room for feelings.
So, why the sudden sense of urgency to get back to her?
Hidden in plain sight, I stand in the shadows, watching her among my pillows and blanket. She holds the remote and flips through the channels, wearing my black sweatpants and my white t-shirt. Comfortable is what she is.
For tonight, she can be exactly that. She can sink into my pillows and kiss me like I’m here for the taking.
“What are you doing out there? I can hear you breathing.” Palmer glances at the doorway, only to direct her attention back to the television. Her long brown hair cascades over her shoulder, and she twists it into a long braid, securing it with a rubber band from my bedside table.
I stalk forward, resting my hands on the bed for leverage, and kiss her like she’s my girlfriend.
“You look sexy as fuck in my bed, Palmer Weston.” I bite my lip, giving her everything I have inside of me that screams I’m here to take care of you.
“Why, thank you, Marek Hawthorne.” She cups my cheek and I fall into the mattress with her tucked into my side.
This is what I’ll never have, and fuck, if that doesn’t make me murderous.
Byron is right. Kind of, at least. Feeling Palmer all over me is different than the other times before. Faceless and nameless girls is my usual appetite.
Now that I’ve tasted perfection, I’m not sure I can go back feeling satisfied.
Chapter Five
Palmer
Every bone and muscle in my body screams with a dull ache I don’t recognize. I’m certain I’m not in my dorm room. My hand runs over the luxurious fabric covering the mattress. The smell of leather and orange blossom surrounds me.
I wake fully and look down at the dark gray linens underneath me, shocked by the influx of memories from last night. An image of Byron, holding tight to my face, kissing me, touching me in places I should have never allowed him to, slithers into my mind. Marek between my legs, admiring me. I am not naïve enough to believe I can wake up this morning, and everything will go back to normal.
Nothing about last night is normal. In fact, if I were to guess, this is the shit that gets a girl committed. This doesn’t end with a happily ever after. It’s more likely to end with a court case.
My clothes from last night are folded on the dresser, meticulous like everything else in Marek’s bedroom. I smile at the image of him making sure my clothes are perfectly taken care of. Once I’m dressed, I duck into his bathroom and splash cold water on my face to try to gain some sort of balance. Gazing at myself in the mirror, I’m surprised I still look like the same girl I was before last night.
My steps are slow, every one of them full of apprehension for what awaits me below. The railing may as well be a crutch for my shaky legs. I hit the bottom landing, and a sound comes from across the living room.
When I step into the kitchen, Breaker is leaning back in one of the island chairs, his feet kicked up on the counter.
“Good morning.” The sly grin on his face has my cheeks heating. A distraction would be nice right now. My lack of one only seems to please him more by the chuckle that leaves his mouth. “Oh, sweetheart, us boys don’t keep secrets.”
My head springs up at this announcement, just in time to catch Marek waltzing into the kitchen, looking everything like a girl’s dream and nightmare. The way his tattoo moves with his body holds my complete attention.
Does he need to walk around shirtless, though? Sweat beads on his chest. He runs the shirt in his hand over his muscles.
Marek stills beside me, dropping his lips to my temple and kissing me with a grin. “How’d you sleep?”
“Exceptionally well, surprisingly,” I say to Marek’s back. He fills a cup of fresh coffee. Breaker mockingly presses his finger on the underside of my jaw, closing it. I swat him away and whisper, “Asshole.”
“A good night’s sleep tends to happen when you’re fucked to next Tuesday by Marek and Teach over here.” Breaker points over my shoulder, and I check to see what has drawn his attention.
Byron waltzes into the room like not a single memory of mine from last night is true. He pours himself a cup of coffee, then holds up the pot, silently offering me some. I shake my head, and like I’m stuck in a haze, glance around the kitchen. Their powerful stares pin me in place.
“So,” I whisper, running my finger along the underside of the kitchen island.
Two of these boys have seen parts of me I’d blush even admitting, and Breaker, well, he’s looking at me like he can taste me through my clothes. Uncomfortable doesn’t begin to describe the tension building in the room.
Dixon walks in with his black sweatpants hung low on his hips and no shirt, with a little swagger in his step like he knows how good looking he is to the rest of the world. He has a smile for me as he takes a sip of the coffee Byron offers him. I’ve never taken the time to notice how much they resemble each other.
“What’s with the weirdness in the room?” Dixon sits next to Breaker, glancing to him for answers, and then looks at Marek when Breaker only offers him a shrug.
After a few beats, where words should fill the silence, Breaker folds over in laughter.
“Are you two fucking kidding with us right now? When have you ever been too shy to parade your little fucked up escapades around this place?” Breaker inspects Byron and Marek.
“Wait a second, you two didn’t do what I think you did, did you?” Dixon’s manic laughter surprises me. “You guys can’t help yourself, can you?”
“Oh, you bet your ass they did.” Breaker claps his hands together, looking like a proud mother. “Teach got his dick wet courtesy of student of the month over here, and our sweet Marek laid her out while she choked on it. But get this”— he shakes his head— “Marek cuddled with her all night.” He pinches his lips together, amused to the point I think he’ll fall off his stool.