Mattie waved a hand, dismissing my words. “Girl, you’re just lucky I didn’t smash Alex’s door down and drag that limp dick off you.”
“Definitely not limp,” I said, flashing back to the sex. “It was pretty great, actually.”
Mattie snorted. “Pretty great. I mean, I think lots of things are pretty great … waffles are great and cashmere sweaters. Not to mention my Mercondor. It’s really great. But sex … sex should be fucking mind blowing. You should blush when you tell me about it because the fucked-up shit you did with him was enough to turn your cheeks pink. And you know I’m not talking about your face.”
My eyes went wide, and I sucked in a long, deep breath. “It was mi … majorly great.”
I mean, it’d been mind blowing, right? So why the hell had I called it great again?
Mattie just laughed, hard, resting her hands on her knees. “Alex has some work to do. Don’t let him just stay great. You push him to whatever place you need for mind blowing.”
“I came,” I said defensively. “Three times.”
“In a row?” she shot back, and I slammed my mouth closed.
Her grin was brief. “That’s what I thought.”
“Alex has potential.” I decided, my voice firm. “He was g—”
“Great,” she finished for me.
“Shut up.” I shoved her gently. “Let’s get some lunch.”
Anything to change the subject from my sex life. I mean, just the fact that I again had a sex life was a fucking amazing change; I wasn’t going to worry about the details. Alex and I were still writing our song together, and so far, I loved the melody.
When we left the room, there were students everywhere, all dressed in the maroon and white of the Arbon Royals soccer team. “Lots of fans,” I noted dryly.
Mattie shook her head, long sleek lines of red hair falling down her back. “Why do you think they have meals in their team room? They literally get mobbed on game day and they need to focus, so their coaches keep them separated from all of us.”
“I wish we could see them before,” I said, following her through the doors into the dining room. “I’d love to wish them luck again.”
Mattie linked her arm through mine, dragging me to her table. “I’ll get us awesome seats, so you’ll be able to shout from the sidelines.”
I nodded, then figured I’d send the guys a message through my palm reader, just so they knew I was sending them all winning vibes.
“It’s a big game, following up their loss,” Mattie said, still rambling on. “They never lose, so I know they’re ready to turn it all around.”
The waiters took our order, and I was so nervous I just ordered a sandwich and my usual juice. One could grow used to cold-pressed juices. At some point I needed to step out of the fairy tale that was my life and remember I was a homeless orphan with no money. Being at Arbon was like being in an alternate universe, one where I was born royal and could date princes and eat organic food.
“What are you planning on doing next year?” I asked. All of my friends were in their senior year, and it was going to suck when I was here by myself next year.
“Noles and I will do the extended program. We’re basically just wasting time until we need to get back home, but I have another couple of years with my doctorate. I’m not going anywhere.”
I tried not to let my relief show, but she must have caught it anyway and leaned over to give me a hug. “You’re the first real girl friend I’ve ever had, and I’m not ready to lose that.”
Guilt clawed through my chest again. “I’m really sorry that I didn’t reply to your messages last night. I just got lost in the moment.”
“The great moment,” she teased, and I laughed.
“Right.”
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t sluterella,” a snide voice said, sending a shiver down my spine. “Heard you did the walk of shame this morning out of Alex’s room.”
Claudette looked down her perfect nose at me. “Wonder if he still has a dick today or if it fell off after being in your disease bucket of a vagina.”
Anger licked through me, and before I’d even realized what I was doing, I was on my feet lunging toward her. Strong arms wrapped around me, hauling me back before I could land a blow.
“Not here,” Rafe snarled before he lifted me with one arm and all but carried me out of the hall.
Where the hell had he come from? Had he walked in with her?
“How could you?” I shouted, shoving him hard when we were outside. “How could you go near that fucking bitch?”
Rafe’s face was unreadable, his eyes darker than a raging storm. “Did you fuck Alex?”
Some of the fire died inside of me, and I swallowed roughly. “That’s none of your business,” I finally choked out. He was watching me without movement or expression, just those eyes that gave away his emotions. “Why do you even care?”
His body unfroze, and all I could see was violence as he stepped closer, leaning over the top of me. “You can fuck half the school if you want. But Alex … he’s off limits. There’s no happy ending for Alex of the Australasians, not after what he did to Jasmine.”
My hands shot out, and in two movements I’d wrapped my arms around Rafe and jerked him out of the way so that he was no longer crowding me into the wall.
“That’s really rich coming from the guy who fucks Claudette. She tried to kill me.” I slammed my palm into his hard chest, trying not to think about all the ink hiding beneath it. Until he’d taken his shirt off at soccer, I hadn’t realized Rafe was both ripped and tatted—two of my favorite things. And I really wished I didn’t know.
“Some days,” I said, sounding breathless, “I fucking hate you.”
We were so close that I could feel his hard thigh brushing against me, and it was partly the reason my breathing was all screwed up.
“Do you though?” Rafe mocked, and I noticed he was looking at my nipples. They were standing out even against the black shirt. Fuck, I should have thought this skintight shirt through.
“It’s cold in here.”
Rafe chuckled an evil, dark sound. “Right. And if my hand slid under those jeans and into your pussy, I wouldn't find you soaking wet?”
His hand was on my hip now, and it tightened to just short of pain. A strangled moan escaped, and I pressed my thighs together because the ache there was real. Really real.
But I was no cheater, and while Rafe was the perfect physical package, Alex was the one I cared about. The one who had been there with me through everything I’d gone through at Arbon. I would never betray him
I needed to get rid of Rafe first, and I knew one way to piss him right off. I pressed my body into his and could have laughed at the shock on his face, except I was way beyond that. “I’m wet because Alex fucked me all morning,” I drawled, the smallest of smiles playing on my lips. “He fucked me and made me come more times than I can count.” Lies. All fucking lies. But I needed Rafe to go. Now. Before I did something I’d greatly regret.
“You’d be a poor substitute,” I added, cringing internally at the black rising in the irises that used to be blue.