Rafe gave him a cryptic smile back. "Intuition." He stooped and swiped something off the floor, then held up the scrap of navy blue satin with a smug grin. "Lose something, Cinderella?"
My eyes bugged out. Yeah, this was going to take some getting used to. "Yes, I did."
I reached for my panties, but Jordan got there first and swiped them out of Rafe's fingers with a growled "Mine," before stuffing them into his pocket and leaving the classroom.
Shock held me frozen for a second, trying to understand what the fuck had just happened. Did... did Rafe and Jordan just switch bodies for a second there? Because that was one hell of a possessive-caveman move...
Rafe's dark gaze glittered as he looked me up and down, his lips curving in a sly smile. "And mine," he added, even though Jordan was already out of the room. It didn't matter, though. It was his way of reaffirming for me that he wasokaywith us. With our dynamic.
My heart raced.
"Rafe..." I needed to have that chat with him. The very same one Jordan and I had just had where we’d laid our hearts bare and affirmed that we were, in fact, on the same page.
He ran a hand through his hair. "We should go," he said when my words trailed off into silence. Damn my baggage. "It's going to be bad enough sitting through international diplomacy with you this afternoon, knowing you're not wearing anything under that skirt."
Reaching out, he grabbed my hand and wove his fingers through mine, tugging me out of the class with him. "But let's be clear about something, Cinderella." His voice was low and quiet, his lips against the side of my head as we walked. "Whatever Jordan said to put that look on your face and in your eyes? I feel it too. All of it."
Ugh, be still my beating heart.Maybe Rafe wasn't as shit with words as I had assumed.
Smiling, and full ofloveI leaned up to kiss him. Talking could wait for later, when there was less chance of being walked in on. And fewer clothes. Rafe and I always communicated best when we were fighting or fucking, so why should our declarations of love be any different?
Simple. They shouldn't.
But now the afternoon’s classes would be a torture of anticipation.
Chapter 22
Mattie crashed my plans for a naked, emotional evening with my princes, but I couldn't even be mad about it. She came thundering into my bedroom not two minutes after Nolan had escorted me back from Introduction to Human Physiology, and the look on her face told me everything I needed to know.
"Sit," I ordered her, pointing to my bed. "Stay."
Crossing my room, I snatched up a box of tissues and tossed them over to her before dialing up the kitchens on my palm reader. Mattie sobbed into a handful of tissues while I placed an order for six pints of ice cream—one in each of her favorite flavors—then ended the call and crawled onto the bed with her.
"Zach?" I asked softly when her crying eased off, and she gave a jerking nod. Anger and violence burned through me, and I vividly pictured sliding my wakizashi blade through his chest. "Talk to me, girl. What am I murdering that fucker for? Because I will happily deliver you his balls in a designer purse for making you cry."
Mattie mopped at her face and gave me a mournful look. "He...ugh. He kissed me."
Truth be told, those were not the words I’d expected to come out of her mouth, and for a second I was shocked into silence. "And it was bad?"
Mattie started to wail, and my concern grew further. "Noooo..." she sobbed. "I liked it. A lot. I've spent so many years hating that bastard, and then he goes and rescues me, keeps a protective eye on me, buys me expensive gifts, and then"—she sucked in air, an affronted look on her face—"the fucking asshole kisses like a fucking sex god. It's too much for a princess to handle."
My adrenaline started to cool at that point, and I shook my head at her. "Girl, I was legitimately about to bring out all my moves and destroy him."
Mattie tilted her head to the side like she was considering this. "I mean, that would solve a lot of problems for me."
Sitting beside her on the bed, I took her hand in mine. "You know that this vote includes provisions to abolish arranged marriages and the “perfect breeding” program, right? If it passes, you will finally have a choice in who you marry."
Mattie's lip trembled. "What if I have a choice and still choose Zach?"
That set her off into more sobs, and I couldn't help but laugh at the pure dramatics of her. "He might just be your match," I choked out through my laughter.
Mattie glared at me, wiping away her tears. She calmed after that, having got out the bulk of her upset. "I mean, he's an asshole," she said sniffling, "but so am I. We kind of do work together."
"Like me and Rafe," I said, reminding her that she wasn't the only fucked up one in the room.
Mattie's watery smile grew wider. "Yeah, a bit like that."
She worried at her lips, and I knew there had to be something more to what had happened with Zach. "Mattie," I started, and she crumbled immediately.
