CHAPTER 17
I might not have much experience with men, but I did know that Thorne was masterbating in the bathroom right now to punish me.
He was upset at me for stopping the kiss, mad at me for the butterfly tattoo, and furious at me for killing his sister. All of that built-up angst would surely make for one explosive orgasm.
I tried not to picture what he was doing, but it was kind of hard not to when I was still within hearing range and about to pull on a pair of his boxer briefs.
It had been Riku’s sadistic idea to dress me in Thorne’s clothing, and since I didn’t have a better option at the moment, I hadn’t protested much.
Thankfully, Comet had left the room with the guys to afford me a little privacy, but knowing that Thorne could enter the bedroom at any moment had me on edge.
I hurriedly tugged the boxers into place, trying with all my might not to dwell on the fact that his dick had been inside them recently.
A dick that was currently hard as a rock and seconds away from ejaculating.
I couldn’t get that lusty groan out of my head. Would he groan like that again when he orgasmed? Would he groan like that if my hand was on his cock instead of his?
Stop it! I silently hissed at myself, hating that I was so fixated on him right now, that I was surrounded by him.
Only a single door separated us while he pleasured himself and I finished pulling on his clothes.
Clothes that smelled like him, like the bedroom I was in.
I shimmied into a pair of his gray sweatpants next and instantly knew they wouldn’t work.
His long legs were nearly twice the length of mine, and I would just end up tripping over the material the second I moved.
Letting them drop to the floor, I grabbed the clean black t-shirt on his bed and yanked it on, desperate to leave before he finished jerking off.
The shirt was so huge on me that it fell to mid-thigh, and I decided that it was decent enough until I got back to my dorm.
As I raced to leave the room, I heard a sound come from the bathroom, but I was already whipping open the door and hurrying outside.
The second the door clicked shut behind me, I breathed a little easier, until I walked down the short hall and entered the common space of the dorm.
Correction—apartment.
There was a whole living room to my left with a huge suede sectional, three intricately-arched windows that overlooked the mountains, and a stone fireplace with a giant flatscreen on top.
Comet was perched on the back of the couch, and his yellow gaze swiveled from looking outside to me, watching intently as I took in the space.
To the right was a mahogany dining table with several chairs and a full kitchen with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops.
Surprised by how homey it was, I felt a swift stab of homesickness.
I’d never been away from home this long before, and being here made me acutely aware of how much I missed the comforts of familiar surroundings and family.
Doing my best to shake off the feeling, I was about to head for the exit when I spotted a leather book on the dining room floor.
It was open and upside down, like someone had dropped it.
Or hastily swept it from the table.
I glanced at the tabletop again, my heart slowly beginning to pound when I realized that Thorne had placed me on it last night.
My eyes traced the smooth surface but couldn’t find even a hint of blood.
I searched the floor next. The couch. Nothing.
Nothing except that overturned book, a book that looked way too much like the cursed spellbook in my room.
“Whoops. I wondered where that wandered off to,” a familiar voice said, right before the book suddenly lifted and flew through the air.
In a flash, it went from the dining room floor to Riku’s hand where he stood at the kitchen island.
He and Oz were both there in their school uniforms, and I finally noticed the smorgasbord of food on the counter before them.
Catching me eyeing it a little too longingly, Oz said, “We don’t usually order in, but this is a special occasion.”
Not fully processing his words, I quickly swallowed before any drool could escape and looked away, even as my stomach loudly rumbled. “I’ll be late. I have to go.”
At a loss for more words, I beelined for the exit.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.”
I suddenly slammed into an invisible wall and stumbled back.
Before I could fall, I felt another wall at my back, one that nudged me forward, pushed me toward the kitchen.
Eyes wide, I looked to the guys again and saw that one of Riku’s hands was encased in a translucent white glow.
My confusion morphed into a scowl when I realized that he’d used the air in the room to stop me from leaving.
“Riku,” I protested, trying to dig my heels in to no avail. “I’m going to be late.”
“Late shmatte,” he drawled unapologetically, continuing to reel me toward him with his air magic. “When you’re with the Arcane Three, you’re never late.”
“But I need to get to the dining hall before all the food is gone.”
“What do you think all of this is for?” he asked, pointing the book still in his grip at the buffet on the counter.
I stopped protesting, stopped fighting the pull of his magic as I came even with the island laden with food, their words finally sinking in. “This is . . . for me?”
“We’ve seen the way you eat, Bambi. A stiff breeze could knock you over.”
I gave Riku a flat look. “It already did.”
“Exactly, which is why you aren’t going anywhere until you’re stuffed to the gills. You lost a lot of blood last night and need to refuel.”
His lips twisted into a devilish smirk then, his fingers curling in a “come hither” gesture as he pushed me closer and closer, leaving me no choice but to stumble right into his personal space.
With a final nudge from behind, his magic pressed my front flush against his.
The second I felt the magic recede, I tried to step away, only for him to snake an arm around my waist and firmly lock me in place.
“Riku,” I started to warn, placing my hands on his chest to push him away.
Before I could, he leaned down and whispered in my ear, “You look good in a man’s clothing. I’d love to see you in mine next.”
At the insinuation, the invitation, heat flushed up my neck and into my cheeks.
This wasn’t the first time he’d flirted with and teased me, but after what I’d just done with Thorne, it felt real this time.
Suddenly, I couldn’t help but wonder if they shared females like they shared a dorm.
Thorne had seemed awfully comfortable with his two roommates seeing him naked earlier.
Maybe they even indulged in orgies on occasion.
Or a lot.
Flustered at the thought, my entire face on fire, I tossed back, “In your dreams.”
“Oh, most definitely,” Riku purred, a sound that sent a little shiver through me. “I’ve already had several dreams of you. Naked ones. Gives me plenty of fuel for when I jerk off in the shower, but Thorne got to see the real thing, the lucky bastard. No wonder he was so desperate for release."
At that, I went from hot to cold in an instant. Shoving him hard, I broke Riku’s hold on me and snapped, “It’s not like that between us, okay? I won’t have sex with you, Thorne, or anyone else at this school. Just because there are rumors going around that I’m putting out doesn’t mean I am.”
Except that I almost had. Except that I’d let Thorne rub me to completion like the hussy the school thought I was. Maybe I wasn’t so innocent after all. Maybe I deserved that red letter they so vehemently wanted to brand me with.
Feeling like a sellout, I prepared to leave with my dignity in tatters once more, this time of my own doing. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have let him touch me like that?
Angry at myself for giving in so easily, I turned for the door. It would be hard to go without breakfast, but at least I’d make it to the morning assembly on time.
Before I could take more than a step, Oz said, “Winter, wait.” I pursed my lips and paused without turning around. “Who you do or don’t have sex with is none of our business, and Riku swears to keep his hands and all sexual innuendos to himself while you eat your breakfast. Isn’t that right, Ri?”
“That’s right. Sorry, Bambi. I was out of line. Again.” Then he ruined it by adding, “No more sex talk until after breakfast.”
Rolling my eyes, I reversed course and muttered, “Good enough. A girl’s gotta eat.”
The pair went suspiciously silent as I picked up a plate from the counter and dug into the catered buffet. One glance at Riku’s pinched expression confirmed that they’d taken my statement sexually.
I pointed the pair of tongs in my hand at him. “Not a word.”
He lifted fingers to his lips and twisted the invisible lock before throwing away the key.
Shaking my head, I focused on all the glorious food again.
There were platters heaped high with fresh bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, french toast, bagels, and various fruits.
One platter stood out from the rest because it wasn’t a platter at all but a pink box. A box that contained . . .
“Doughnuts!”
Unable to contain my glee, I grabbed one with white frosting and rainbow sprinkles and shoved it into my mouth. As the sugary carb goodness ignited my tastebuds, a happy moan slipped out.
“Oh, Bambi, you’re not making this easy,” Riku quietly groaned.
Ignoring him, I took another huge bite.
“Careful, or you’ll get sick,” Oz warned, picking up his own plate. “Your body’s not used to rich food anymore.”
Unable to stop now that I’d started, I demolished the whole thing in seconds without an ounce of regret and reached for another. As I bit into a cherry jelly doughnut this time, a noise came from Riku, and I flicked a distracted glance at his face.