“I’m starting to thinkyouwant to run off with some French guy. One who makes pastries.” Gift narrowed his eyes at him. “What’s in France that you’re so afraid I’ll see? Do you already have a husband over there? Did he seduce you with his giant…baguette? Hmm?”
Park huffed out a laugh as he trapped Gift beneath him. “I’m far more interested in you taking my baguette than vice versa.”
Gift snorted. “Oh, my God.”
Park dipped his head to sweep his tongue over the seam of Gift’s mouth, making a contented sound when he opened beneath him, letting him sweep inside. Gift lost himself in Park’s soft lips and his deep, drugging kisses, tipping his head when Park began to kiss his way down his jaw, stopping at his ear. “There’s just you,ouen.There will only ever be you.” He nosed at the spot behind his ear, sucking until Gift whined. “But I am hungry.”
“What—” Gift gasped as Park rolled his hips against Gift’s, letting him feel how hard he was. “What do you want to eat?”
“You,ouen. Only you.”
Gift moaned, seeking more friction. “Oh, God. I have to be honest, this is not how I saw a marriage proposal happening.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make the official proposal much more formal. But the night will still end the same.”
“How’s that?”
“With you riding my tongue until you scream.”
Gift whimpered. “Deal.”
Park had just finished making changes to the curriculum for next year’s chemistry class—or as Gift called it, potions class—when the boy blew through the door of his office, cheeks pink and eyes bright. He slammed the door behind him, locking the shiny new lock on Park’s office door before crossing the room and crawling right into his lap, letting Park cradle him like a baby.
“Hello,ouen. What’s got you so worked up?”
“Madison’s killers are dead and we all got extra credit for it.”
The kids hadn’t been willing to let Madison’s case go. While Boone had assured them that they weren’t required to solve the mystery as they’d more than proven themselves with Kendrick, they still insisted. As suspected, Madison had died because of the game. While the others had exited out of it, Remi had kept playing and losing, and that was when the threats started. He was told he could work his debt off or die. Despite Boone’s protests, Remi said he was going to tell them he’d work it off. It was the only way he’d know what happened.
That was when they learned that, at its core, the game was just a unique front for a trafficking ring. Those behind it tricked children into racking up mounds of debt, then forced them to work it off as runners, sex workers, dealers, knowing, of course, they would never work off the debt.
Remi learned from another runner that Madison had thought it was all very exciting when she started dating one of the boss’s sons. She even pushed the game to her followers and got others to do the same. Then her boyfriend put her to work turning tricks in some dirty trailer. When she threatened to tell the authorities, he killed her.
It was so tragic but so mundane. There would never be any shortage of Madisons or men willing to use them for their own profit. Remi found the names of the men in charge and Boone pulled him out. Apparently, once again, the kids had gone rogue.
Park’s mouth formed a hard line. “Are you saying you left campus without me?”
Gift’s gaze floated away from him to stare at a spot on the wall as he played with Park’s tie. “It was an assignment,hia. What was I supposed to do? Besides, it wasn’t like I didn’t have six psychopaths with me.”
“Boone wouldn’t have sanctioned that without telling me, and that’s not the point,ouen. You know the rules.”
Gift raised his hand to Park’s mouth, running his thumb along the seam of Park’s lips, giggling when he bit the tip of his finger. “I think you just want an excuse to punish me tonight.”
“Is that so?” Park asked.
“Mm,” Gift said, dropping his hand back to Park’s tie, unknotting it. “I think you want to tie me up and spank me ‘til I cry. And then you wanna fuck me.”
“That’s what I want, huh?” Park said, amused by Gift’s antics as usual. “Who would have thought I’d be so transparent.”
Gift shrugged. “I just know myhiaso well.”
“Mm,” Park said. “Seems to me like maybe that’s whatyouwant.”
Gift pulled Park’s tie from around his neck and pressed it into the hand currently resting on Gift’s thigh, then he held his wrists together, blinking wide eyes at Park. “Me? No. I don’t want that at all. But I’m a good boy, so I’ll do it…for you.”
When Park continued to stare at him, amused, Gift bit down on his bottom lip as if contemplating his next move. Finally, he said, “Do you want to know how we managed to get the guys where we wanted them?” He pressed his lips to Park’s ear. “They used me…as bait.”
Park growled. “You better be kidding,ouen, or you won’t be able to sit down for a week.”
