Chapter 18 Kai
KAI
Zoe waited, pulling her knees up to her chest, which definitely wasn’t a sign she was relaxed.
So the first thing to do was to get her turned on so she wouldn’t be so damn uptight. Luckily, that was one of my specialties.
Ash sat down on the other side of her, making her curl up even more, hugging her knees. I shot him a look. Dude, read the room. When there’s a timid virgin sitting next to you, you don’t crowd her. Not right away, at least.
I didn’t know why Ash was being such a prick around her—nor why the hell she wanted him as a teacher when I was the obvious candidate—but this was where we’d ended up.
Maybe he was testing her. Maybe he just didn’t know how to gauge her reactions the way I did.
He and Zoe hadn’t exactly been getting along, and I’d already fooled around with her once.
I knew what made her breath catch. What made her melt.
And it was a pretty fucking great place to be as far as I was concerned.
She’d been so damn responsive in the gym, squirming like a live wire.
She’d held onto the straps like I’d tied her up, making it all the hotter.
And she’d gotten into it—my main goal in taking her to the gym had been to get her to loosen her hips, and then she’d ended up grinding them against me.
Clearly, she was an overachiever in the classroom.
Which was going to make this even better.
Except she looked worried. “I don’t...” Her voice lowered. “I don’t have a condom.”
“I have some. Never leave home without them.” I leaned closer. “And you don’t need to worry about that, gorgeous. We’re the teachers. We’re in charge of the lesson plan and the class supplies and...” I couldn’t think of a third thing. It had been a hell of a long time since I’d sat in a classroom.
“And giving you detention if you’re bad,” Ash finished. He smoothed the stray strands of hair away from her face.
She stilled at his touch, her eyes on me, but visibly nervous.
“We don’t need them for today, anyway,” I told her. “That’s not what the first lesson is about.”
“It’s not?”
“Nope.”
“Why do you get to be the lead teacher?” Ash asked.
He had his mouth close to Zoe’s ear, and she shivered slightly when his warm breath brushed her skin.
Shivered in a good way, I was pretty sure.
A moment later, his long fingers glided through her hair up to the tight bun, and then her dark waves fanned out along her shoulders.
Good. I loved it when her hair was down.
But I hadn’t answered Asher’s question. “I just am. We can renegotiate when you earn a couple of national championships.”
“I’ll put my future Michelin stars against your dusty old trophies any day,” he said.
His words were directed at me, but his attention was on Zoe. He was finally playing it smart, rubbing the back of her neck, toying lightly with her hair. Zoe still had her eyes on me as if afraid she’d miss something if she looked away, but I could see her relaxing under his touch.
Ash didn’t know this was the tip of the iceberg.
That under Zoe’s prim and proper professional attitude, there was a wild, sensual woman waiting to be freed.
And Landon didn’t know what he was missing.
But he got a pass. I missed the old days when he and I would’ve made the most of a situation like this.
We would’ve made Zoe come so many times and scream so hard that she’d be hoarse for days.
But that was before.
“Today’s lesson is about kissing,” I said softly before Asher’s fingers lulled her into a trance.
That got her attention. “I know how to kiss,” she said.
“But you need practice.”
Her eyes narrowed and darkened, and I nearly laughed. She looked like a pissed-off kitten facing a Doberman.
“That’s what lessons are for, Zoe. To practice, over and over, until you’ve mastered the skill.” My gaze dropped to her soft pink lips. “Would it really be so bad to kiss me again?”
She didn’t hesitate. “No.”
“Then close your eyes.”
She did so instantly, which I liked. If she was going to follow all our orders, these lessons were going to go from mild to beyond wild. Might even be time for some advanced techniques.
But not tonight.
I laid my lips on hers, pressing softly. Just waiting and breathing in the clean scent of her skin, her hair—something floral and sweet. Her lips were soft and warm beneath mine, but she’d gone still, uncertain. I could feel the tension in her body.
Patience, I reminded myself. Let her come to me.
It took effort. Every instinct I had said to take control, to coax her mouth open and show her exactly what a kiss could be. But I held back. Kept the kiss feather-light. Let her feel safe.
And then, finally, she moved her mouth against mine. A tentative press. Then another. She tilted her head slightly, seeking a better angle, and I felt her muscles begin to unclench.
That’s it, baby girl, I thought. But I didn’t say it out loud this time.
I cupped the back of her head, my fingers threading through her silky hair, and deepened the kiss. Slow. Deliberate. Teasing her mouth open with my tongue. She made a small sound—surprise or pleasure, I wasn’t sure—but then her lips parted for me.
Fuck, she tasted good.
I tilted her head toward me, angling it just right, and felt Asher move in behind her. His mouth found her neck, and Zoe groaned against my lips. Her hands came up, wrapping around my shoulders, clinging to me.
Asher did things to her neck and throat that made her moan into my mouth—sucking, nipping, that spot just below her ear that made her shiver. I heard every sound she made, felt every tremor that ran through her body.
Her nails dug into my back through my shirt. I broke the kiss, pulling back just enough to see her face. Her eyes were still closed, her lips swollen and pink. She was absolutely beautiful. Then I tilted her head toward Asher.
He took her mouth without hesitation, and I ran my hands over her body. Down her sides, feeling the curve of her waist. Over her hips. Then up again, sliding over her ribs until my thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts.
This time, she moaned into Asher’s mouth.
I cupped her breasts through her shirt and bra, squeezing gently. Finding her nipples, I teased them through the fabric, rolling them between my fingers the way I had in the gym. Her back arched, pressing into my touch.
My cock was hard as steel, straining against my jeans. I couldn’t help it—I stroked myself once, twice, through the denim. Just to take the edge off.
Then it was my turn for another kiss. Zoe kept her eyes closed and seemed content to practice her kissing technique for as long as necessary. What a good fucking student.
This time Asher explored her body while she clung to me. His hands were everywhere—her sides, her thighs, her stomach. I felt her tremble when his fingers explored the waistband of her skirt.
Then she moaned, her legs parting slightly, and I knew his hand had slid lower. Not under her panties, as far as I could tell, but close enough.
I kissed along her jawline and throat as her moans filled the room. Her fingers clawed at my back, desperate. Her body started to tremble in earnest—that telltale shake that meant she was close.
So fucking close.
Asher still had his hand down the front of her skirt, working her over. He watched her face, waiting for the moment. His eyes were dark with lust, his own breathing rough.
But then I met his gaze and shook my head.
Not yet.
What the fuck? his expression said.
I could have pushed her closer to the edge. Could have made her frantic and desperate to come, working her into a hormonal frenzy until she didn’t know which way was up. It would have been easy.
But I had a responsibility here. To do this right. To introduce her to these pleasures the way she deserved. By letting the anticipation build and making sure every step was something she’d remember.
Within reason, anyway.
Asher grumpily withdrew his fingers, and Zoe groaned—a sound of pure frustration. She leaned forward almost unconsciously, as if chasing the sensation.
But then finally, with a sigh, she opened her eyes, blinking rapidly as if the world had changed since she’d last seen it.
And maybe it had.
“You did well for lesson one.” I kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair away from her face.
“We’re done?” Her voice was breathy and sexy as fuck. How the hell had a woman who looked like her made it almost all the way through college without getting laid?
“For now,” I finally said. “But tomorrow night is lesson two, and I promise you’re going to like it.”
She gave me a smile, her lips swollen and pink. “I think I will, too.”
Asher cupped her cheek, as if reminding her he was there. “Did you know there’s a school uniform?” he whispered in her ear, so softly I barely heard.
“There is?” she asked.
“Yes. Tomorrow, wear that black pencil skirt that fits your hips like a glove. Your highest heels, one of your fancy button-down shirts...” He paused. “And no panties.”
Her pupils widened as her breath caught. “But... but it’s cold out.”
I chuckled. “And you think a scrap of fabric would keep you warm? It’s won’t. But we will, tomorrow night.”
Asher fisted her hair, squeezing lightly as he made her turn her head to look at him. “I’ll be in the kitchen all day tomorrow, but sometime before the staff dinner, you’re going to find Kai... and show him that you followed the dress code.”
“Show him?” Zoe asked with a gulp.
“Yes.”
Fuck, I couldn’t wait for that. And I’d forgotten that Asher had a reasonably dirty mind. This was going to be fun.
“See you tomorrow,” I said softly, already anticipating our next encounter.
Zoe slid to the edge of the couch, and we both helped her up. She still seemed dazed and deliciously pliant, her cheeks flushed pink, her breathing unsteady. She swayed slightly on her feet, and I steadied her with a hand on her elbow.
She was trembling. Just a little. And her lips were red and swollen from our kisses.
I definitely looked my fill, noting all her beautiful curves and every flush on her skin.
But then she steadied herself, heading toward the hallway. She paused as she passed Landon. His gaze was still on the fire, where it had been for the past half hour.
I could tell she wanted to say something to him. Her mouth opened, then closed again. Finally, she continued to her room.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Asher turned to me immediately. “She was about to explode on my hand. Why didn’t you let her come?”
“Always leave them wanting more,” I told him.
I sure as hell wanted more. I was hard as fuck, but the thing that kept me from racing to my room to jerk off was the sight of my twin, still staring straight ahead. As if he was alone in the room.
My spiking pulse slowed as I studied him.
I’d give up my speed on the slopes and my skill with women in exchange for the right words to make things better for him.
I didn’t care if he never became the wild man he used to be.
All I wanted was for him to be happy, to not be a shell of his former self.
But apparently that was going to take more time.
I headed to my own room, already thinking about tomorrow. About Zoe in that tight black skirt with nothing underneath it.
And tried very hard not to think about Landon, sitting alone in the dark.