“He’s right. You don’t understand us, and yet, you aren’t running away.” Breaker winks, chewing the cap on his pen while seeming to focus on the front of the class.
Byron blathers on about today’s lesson. I don’t comprehend a single word, too self-aware of the gods sitting beside me, choosing to make a silent declaration. Problem is, I seem to be the only one willing to acknowledge what they’re doing.
I lean towards Breaker, covering my mouth to hide my words. “Would you believe me if I had my own selfish reasons for not running away?”
“You’re a Weston. I’d expect nothing less.” He turns his head, bringing us nose to nose, and inspects my lips. I wet them with my tongue. Did he just moan? He wouldn’t try to kiss me, would he?
Marek clears his throat, and my notepads hit the floor. Breaker snickers as I bend over and come face-to-face with Marek cleaning up the mess he’s made.
“I don’t like the way you’re looking at him.” A jealous Marek is a sight to behold. He’s all anger and grimace.
“He’s the one who was getting awfully close to my lips.” My eyes widen from Marek’s disapproval. “Not that it’s any of your business who I kiss or don’t kiss.”
“Don’t ever apologize for wanting me, baby,” Breaker whispers over my shoulder. The playful tone in his voice proves what I already know. He’s the jokester among these stoic and harsh boys.
“Oh, shit. Here we go,” Dixon adds to the conversation.
Marek abruptly stands and offers me his hand. “Up. Now.” Apparently, Marek doesn’t think Breaker’s as funny as I do.
“No,” I bark as I finish cleaning up my papers. “You made a mess of my stuff.”
He bends at the waist just enough to get his point across. “Stand up, Palmer, or I’ll embarrass the fuck out of you. Leave the shit on the floor. You’ll be back for it.”
We have a silent standoff in the middle of class. Byron is lecturing, and no one bats an eyelash at Marek’s obnoxious outburst. He wiggles his fingers, giving me little choice but to take his offered hand.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter under my breath.
“Afraid not, doll face.” Marek steps around Breaker, pulling me along behind him. He nods at Byron, who, along with my classmates, watch as I’m tugged into the hallway.
Marek’s tight on my back, he might as well be in my skirt with me.
“You know how ridiculous this is?” I say.
His hand presses into my chest with enough force to push me into the row of lockers. The metal screams out from my intrusion, and I plant my feet to stop myself from falling over. Marek’s body is pinned against mine before my brain has a chance to understand the rush of being manhandled and pulled from the classroom. He steps one foot between my legs, giving himself enough room to snuggle close between my thighs.
“Does it look like I’m playing around with you, Palmer?” He tucks his face close to the crook of my neck. “I helped you into your uniform, and I’m more than happy to help you out of it in the middle of this hallway.”
Marek’s palm covers most of my thigh, and he inches it further up. With his hand hidden under the plaid fabric, warmth spreads like a summer day, and I find myself slipping into a comfortable ease, letting the feeling of him overtake me. He kisses my neck like it will be his last time, and he needs one more taste.
“Marek,” I moan, digging my nails into the back of his black blazer.
Movement catches my eye, drawing my attention away from Marek’s eager touch. Julia Webb, a freshman, is shuffling down the hallway in some kind of stupor.
We share the same study hour, and I’ve noticed her absence in the library the past few days. No one seems to know where she’s been. Seeing her is a relief, because, until this exact moment, I haven’t even realized I’ve been waiting to see her missing poster on the news.
Marek senses my mood change. He stills and checks over his shoulder to see what’s startled me.
“Is that Professor Webb’s daughter?” he whispers.
Even though she’s almost on top of us, Julia doesn’t acknowledge the presence of anyone other than herself. It’s like she doesn’t see us. Dark circles rim her eyes, and she staggers like her feet are heavy. Maybe she’s had the flu.
I step around Marek, grabbing Julia’s hand before she gets too far away. “You okay?”
She twitches, backing away from me and my worry. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look it.” I inspect the skin exposed around her uniform and spot a bruise on her thigh and a light scratch on her throat. “Did someone hurt you?”
“They’re all trying to hurt me,” she mumbles. Her eyes cut to Marek. She spins around and darts down the hallway.
Marek wraps his arm around my waist, twisting me into his grasp. “Now, where were we?” He leans back to give him full vantage of my eyes. Hunger spreads over his flawless face, and a grin so wild appears. He grabs my hips and hoists me around his middle, and my feet clasp behind him.
“Whatever your plan is, I’m not in the mood anymore.” I stare down the hall, trying to make sense of my unease.
“Because of that? She’s probably been on a bender for the last few days. The freshman class is notorious for it. What’s it going to take to get you back in this head space with me?” He pins me between him and the wall, dropping his hold on my body, using his torso to keep me in place. With ease, he undoes the top button on my blouse, dipping low to kiss the curve of my bra.
Naturally, my hands slip to his hair, tugging on the ends. When he lifts his eyes to mine, a viciously sexy grin softens parts of me I’d prefer to stay hard in Marek’s presence.
A tug makes me look down. “What are you doing?” His hands grip the opening of my blouse, putting a little tension on the fabric like he’s going to rip open the remaining buttons. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“What are the stakes, Palmer? You want to play games? Dare me? Then what do I win?” He spins us around and lays me down on one of the display boxes full of trophies and accolades for students. “And your body isn’t the prize.”
I’m rolled over onto my stomach, the cool glass hitting my chest and forcing goose bumps over my skin. Marek’s body pressing into my center is intoxicating. At any minute, someone could walk by and see us in this position. I wiggle enough to prove how exhilarating the idea is to me.
He grabs my braid, wrapping it around his fingers, and tugs tightly. “Does that excite you, to know we could be caught out here?” Without warning, my skirt is flipped up, and a breeze skims over my thong-clad ass. “That someone could see me doing this?”
Marek’s arm tucks under my body, lifting my hips towards the ceiling. From this position, I’m certain he has quite the view. The ‘barely there’ underwear is pulled to the side, and the soft surface of his tongue on me has me jolting forward. I want to crawl away, too consumed by the sensation of exposure. Marek does a good job of keeping me in place, his arm holding me right where he wants me.
“You’re sweet.” His tongue laps across me. “Just like your sister.”
The mention of Reed should throw me off, scatter my brain, except I’m learning something about being around Marek. I’m not who I thought I was. Maybe I’ve been living this life for everyone else. The good girl. The scholar. The princess.