Alex’s plans to seduce his way into my room were thwarted when we arrived and voices came from behind my closed door.
Alarmed, I froze with my hand on the doorknob. Alex must have heard them at the same time because he gently moved me aside and opened the door himself. It was such a protective gesture it did all kinds of things to my heart. Not that I needed a big strong man looking out for me—I was more than equipped to face any intruder—but it certainly helped me keep my secret a bit longer.
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” Alex demanded, but the lack of panic in his voice assured me it wasn’t masked intruders come to haul me away for owning a weapon.
“What areyoudoing in here?” Nolan snarked back, and I squeezed past Alex to glare at the twins, who’d made themselves at home on my big bed.
“Alex was walking me back from dinner,” I explained to them, then propped my hands on my hips. “How did you guys beat us? And why are you in my room? How did you even get in here?” I had more questions, but those seemed most important.
Mattie just rolled her eyes and flopped back into my pillows. “Movie date, remember? You promised.” She gave me a pointed look, then slid her gaze to Alex. “Thanks for seeing our girl back in one piece, champ. You can go now.”
“Yep, we have it from here, your highness,” Nolan added with a snicker. “Be a darling and close the door behind you.” His level glare left no mistaking—Alexwasn’twelcome for this part of the evening.
Alex clearly wanted to argue back, but I was just done. So fucking done. Whatever these pre-existing issues were between the students of Arbon Academy, they weren’tmyissues and I was too damn tired of being caught in the cross fire.
“Alex,” I said, laying a hand on his arm and pulling his attention away from Nolan and Mattie. “Thank you. Tonight was… enlightening.” I raised a teasing brow at him to show I wasn’t being bitchy. It would be a lie to say it’d beenamazing, but I’d had fun and gotten to know the golden-haired prince a little better.
The make out sessions hadn’t been half-bad either.
“Any time, Violet,” he replied, his gaze serious as he tucked some hair behind my ear, then left his hand against my neck. “Maybe I can meet you at the library again tomorrow?”
Mattie made a sound in her throat, but I ignored her and gave Alex a nod. “Sounds good. You can help quiz me on coding.” I cringed at the mere thought of that class. Needless to say, coding wasn’t something I’d ever been exposed to as a dirt poor orphan girl. The class was like jumping into the deep end of a pool with no floaties and zero clue how to swim.
Alex beamed. “Absolutely. Enjoy your movie.” His gaze flickered back to my friends sitting on my bed.
“We will, if this goodbye ever ends,” Nolan sniped, and I rolled my eyes.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Alex,” I murmured, holding my door open with a clear indication for him to leave. Not that I wanted him to go, but because it was all too clear that putting Alex in the same room as Mattie and Nolan was like waving a lit match at a barrel of gunpowder.
The handsome prince started to leave, then turned back and captured my face between his hands. His lips found mine in a quick yet dangerously possessive kiss that left me panting for breath after he was gone.
A pointed throat-clearing snapped me out of the lusty daze I’d been standing there in, and my face flamed with embarrassment as I turned back to my friends.
“So, that’s new,” Mattie commented, giving me a flat stare. “What happened to your wholesteer clear of the royalsplan?”
I glared back at her. “You happened, Princess Matisse of the Guays. Besides, Alex is really fucking hard to say no to. Even you guys have to appreciate how gorgeous he is.”
Nolan let out an annoyed sigh. “Gorgeous yes. But beauty is only skin deep, new girl.”
I frowned. “Maybe you should explain that statement. Tell me why you guys hate Alex so much. He’s only ever been nice to me, which is a hell of a lot more than most people at this school.” Like theirotherfriend.
Nolan stared back at me for a moment, seeming to debate my request, but then shook his head and patted the bed beside him. “Doesn’t matter. It’s Friday night; we have fun to be had. Come watch movies with us.”
“I brought snacks!” Mattie added, reaching over the side of the bed and hauling up a huge bag full of snack food. “And look, we set you up a projector, seeing as you didn’t already have one.” She indicated to the small cube of technology attached above the head of my bed. It was aimed to project onto the wall opposite so we could all watch from the comfort of my pillows. So cool.
“Fine,” I sighed, climbing onto the bed and taking the gap between the twins. “But no funny business, you two.” I meant it as a joke, but only Mattie laughed.
Nolan just gave me a thoughtful look, then nodded and settled in close enough that we were practically snuggling.
* * *
Mattie wasfirst to fall asleep, somewhere around a third of the way into our second movie. I doubted I was far behind her, seeing as my lids were drooping hard when I noticed her soft snores.
It wasn’t until the mattress shifted that I even knew I’d been asleep at all. Then again, having spent my entire life sharing a room with up to twenty other girls, I slept better with others than I did alone.
My lashes cracked open, but I immediately froze.
It’d been Nolan moving off the bed that had woken me, but he wasn’t the only male in the room. Mattie was still curled into my side, snoring softly, so who the fuck was standing near my door? It was definitely a guy, based on height and build, but he was all in black and my room without the projector playing held very little light to illuminate his face.
