Chapter 52
The Cover
Luke
Her eyes are wide when she looks back at me.
Harper Davidson.
We generally run on a catch and release program for a reason. Girls get clingy. Jealous. They think they own us, but in this case, she does. She’s got us locked down tight this year unless we want to go against our word and break our agreement.
After all, she’s given us what we wanted. But I’m not done with her, and by the looks on the others’ faces, they aren’t either. I’m not sure where Caden’s and Nico’s heads are, but I know they’re in this for the long haul.
Caden whispers something in Harper’s ear. She laughs. My fists clench. It’s so fucking effortless for him. She’s effortless for him. Even at night, she curls up against him. Not me.
Her dark eyes lift to mine, and I raise an eyebrow. Her cheeks flush, and her eyes darken. Is she thinking about how I fucked her? Or about how I want to fuck her?
She clears her throat and looks down at her hands, holding the apple.
“I was going to ask Penny if I could say I’m staying the night at her house.” Harper glances around at everyone.
“Why would you stay at Penny’s house?” Jack shovels in a mouthful of mashed potatoes.
She blushes. “Not actually to stay at her house, but to say I’m staying there. I’m pretty sure Mom would say no to an all-male slumber party, even if it’s only two.”
It’s not a bad idea and worth considering.
“Why not ask MacKenzie?” Eli asks. “Those girls will want something in return, kitten.”
Harper’s shoulders fall, and she sighs. “Mom knows Kenz’s mom, and besides, it’s not very believable. Sleepovers happen at my house because Kenz has younger siblings and a small house.”
I glance over at the table of the wannabe girls. When one of them notices me looking, almost everyone at the table straightens up and poses, like I’d pick any of them to come over here. Last year, I might have. Toward the far end is the girl who talked to Harper at the coffee shop.
Eli meets my gaze. We were just discussing the number of clingers our girl will attract when they realize we aren’t exactly trolling for fresh meat. We need to talk with the others away from Harper about the girls… and the guys.
Fuck those guys who look at Harper like she’s open for business. More than a few have checked her out today, making me want to claim her again. Publicly. But they know she’s mine. Claiming her again would make me appear weak, and that’s the last thing I want to do.
My gaze flicks back to Penny and her friends. Those girls want something from us and are using Harper to get it. They aren’t preening for our attention like the others at the table, but they want something. Everyone does.
If we can figure out what, maybe we can make a deal. However, that shit takes time.
If it means Harper can stay in my bed tonight, it might be worth not knowing the cost until later. Not having to worry about her mother in the morning would be nice, and the extra room in bed would be a bonus. Caden takes up a lot of space.
“Find out what she wants in return, princess.”
Harper turns to me. “What if the price is too high?”
“Does your mother know Penny?”
She shakes her head.
“We might get another girl to vouch for you.” I stroke my jaw as I glance around the cafeteria. We know a lot about people. We might be able to leverage some of Jack’s work in our favor.
When my gaze returns to Harper, fire burns in her eyes. I resist the urge to chuckle. She’s jealous again, probably imagining what those girls might want us to do.
“I’m sure Penny will be reasonable.” Harper’s words have a slight bite to them.
“Jack.” I nod to him. He stands with a smirk and heads over to the girls’ table. All the girls are on high alert as he approaches. They give him their coyest smiles. My eyes are on Harper as she narrows her eyes on those girls.
Some reach out and drag their fingers on Jack’s arm or leg. One actually tries to grab his ass before he makes it to Penny. A little growl works its way out of Harper. Caden chuckles and turns her face to his before capturing her lips.
Heat wells in me as she leans into his kiss and makes a soft noise of surrender. Caden has this bond with her I don’t understand. She wanted him to be her first and gave it to him willingly. Every first I got from her, I took.
Nico clears his throat, and I look over at him. He nods toward Jack and Penny heading to our table. Caden and Harper pull away from each other, but their eyes are darkened and their breathing is quick.
Her eyes find me, and she wets her lips. My cock twitches, but I’ll have her to myself this next period. I keep my gaze neutral as I turn to Penny.
“Hi, Harper,” she almost sings. She practically buzzes with nervous excitement. Grinning, she glances back at the table she left.
I’m not sure what this girl will expect, but hopefully it’s basic and not something we won’t do.
“Hi.” Harper looks to me.
My chest swells, but I don’t let it show. This she gives me. When she can’t speak for herself, she trusts me to speak for her. It’s a start. I lean forward on the table.
“You want to be friends with Harper.” It’s a statement of fact, but I wait. Penny glances at me and then drops her gaze to the ground.
“Of course. She’s nice.” Penny smiles, and her gaze returns to Harper. “She needs a group to help with the other girls.”
She’s not wrong. We can’t do much to the women, especially if we stay true to our word. It’s easier to seduce than punish. And we won’t be seducing anyone but Harper this year.
“What do you want?” I fold my hands on the table as I look her over.
She has blond hair and brown eyes. Cute, but not sexy.
Her crop top covers more than most girls’, only revealing a little of her stomach.
Her skirt goes to about mid-thigh. She’s one of the girls who was off limits because she had a boyfriend in previous years.
When I glance over at the group she came from, they all have similar backgrounds. Not virgins because of boyfriends, but they also never played with the horsemen for the same reason.
She crosses her foot behind her leg. Her cheeks flush pink. “Uh…”
“This is your opportunity to ask for something before we ask you for something,” I explain. “We need your help. So if you have something you want, ask for it now, or we’ll assume you’ll do it solely to be Harper’s friend.”
What I’m saying is a trap, but our girl can’t have clingers constantly trying to use her. It’s better if she knows who they are from the beginning.
Penny glances over her shoulder toward her friends. “We do want to be friends with Harper, but…”
Eli leans back. Some of the anger brewing in him sizzles in his eyes. He’ll punish Harper for this.
This is our world. People use us to get things. We take that into account with every interaction. Harper’s going to need to figure that out.
“But?” I probably look bored, because I am. Everyone wants something from us. It’s the way things have always been.
She bites her lip and glances at Harper. “We want to sit with you guys at the party on Friday night.”
When Harper raises her eyebrow, Penny adds, “Just sit. I swear. We won’t do anything unless asked.”
Penny’s cheeks flare red, and she doesn’t meet my eyes.
It’s not a huge ask, but it will make Sidney’s group insane, which might stir up more problems for Harper.
“Your group will help Harper with the other girls if we aren’t around?” I want her to know what I expect.
“Of course.” She smiles softly at Harper.
“Harper.” I turn to her. This is her ask, not mine.
Harper straightens. “My mom works nights this week. I want to tell her I’m staying at your house, but I won’t be staying at your house.”
“Oh.” Penny grins. “Of course, that’s no problem. You can give your mom Natalie’s number, and if she calls, Natalie can pretend to be my mom. Just tell me your mom’s number so we know who’s calling. That’s not a problem.”
“I don’t think my mom will call, but thank you.” Harper’s eyes flick to me.
I can’t wait to have her in my bed tonight.
Penny rises to the balls of her feet. “Even if she does, we’ll have you covered. Thank you for thinking of me.”
Harper
Lunch is over, and we’ve stopped at the lockers. That can’t be the only thing those girls want, right? I mean, it’s not a huge ask to have them cover for me, but sitting with the guys at the party on Friday night?
Is it some kind of status thing?
Eli slips his finger into the ring on my collar and draws me over into his warmth. I lift my gaze to his dark eyes.
“You know the rules, kitten.”
If those girls use me to get to them, Eli will punish me. Being spanked and then fucked in the coffee shop bathroom didn’t seem like that horrible of a punishment though.
“Yes.” My insides heat and soften, craving his punishment.
He tugs my collar again and leans down so his lips brush my ear. “Tonight when you come over to Luke’s, don’t wear your panties. When you get to Luke’s, you’ll give the panties you have on now to me.”
I press my thighs together at the ache his words cause. His cheek slides against mine as he draws back and brushes his lips against mine softly.
“You’ll do as I say tonight, kitten. Everything I say.”
I open my eyes to his, seeing the banked desire within, and nod. Fuck. I squirm at how wet he’s made me.
Eli presses into me. His hard cock rests against my stomach. I know how he feels inside me and how he tastes. I crave him and his dark desires.
“Perfect, kitten.” He slips away, releasing me from his spell.
How am I going to survive the day without more than kisses and brief touches? Releasing a breath, I let the lockers hold me up as the guys finish getting ready for their next class.
Caden tips my chin and kisses me deeply, stirring the need always waiting for his touch. He draws away with a smug smile. I touch the heat of my cheeks. My insides already feel like they’re burning up.
Nico closes in on me and cups my jaw.
“See you soon, sunshine.”
When I nod, he claims my mouth. I burst into flames at the intensity of his kiss.
We have a history and a connection I don’t have with the others.
I feel him all the way to my soul. It feels safe to trust him with my feelings, but the others…
I need to hold my heart away. Enjoy the experience, but leave with my heart intact.
Jack clears his throat behind Nico. “We’ll be late for class if you don’t let her breathe.”
Nico’s lips curve into a smile against mine before he presses our foreheads together.
“Soon,” he whispers and holds my gaze as he backs away.
Jack lifts me against the locker until our mouths are level. I wrap my arms and legs around him, and he grins before his mouth takes mine. He grinds his hard cock between my legs, and I whimper into his mouth.
He chuckles against my lips. “We’ll make sure you go to sleep satisfied tonight, sweetheart.”
His tongue sweeps into my mouth and caresses mine, making me throb. He pulls away and lowers me to the ground. My knees barely hold me as he pushes me toward Luke with a wink.
Luke holds out his hand, and I take it. It’s weird that this is how he claims me. We walk side by side to the classroom. He’s not holding me possessively with his arm wrapped around me, but almost treats me as an equal.
That thought bursts in my head as he presses me back against the lockers next to the door. My breath rushes out of me, and anticipation tingles through me, waiting for his next move.
His hand brushes my hair behind my ear, and an involuntary shudder races through me.
“Did they make you wet, princess?”
My eyes widen at his words, and I glance around us, but no one is near. I shouldn’t worry about my completely trashed reputation, but maybe there’s still a part of me that does.
I narrow my eyes. “Afraid you can’t do it on your own?”
My insides flip at my words. Why on earth would I challenge him like that? Why is part of me sickly thrilled at the heat and jealousy in his eyes? Maybe because I need him to feel the way I do when they talk about those other girls.
“Don’t worry, princess. I’ll show you exactly what I can do to you.”
He releases me, and I almost grab his shirt to tug him down to kiss me, but he leads me into our classroom instead.
As I take my seat, I can’t help wondering have I always liked to play with fire, or is this something the horsemen drew out of me? And what will my life be like when they’re done and I’m left alone?