A terrible sadness gripped me, because this kiss was the greatest thing that had ever happened to me. It was amazing. It was breathtaking, and it should have been with someone else. But he was dead, consumed by fire. And now here I was, igniting a flame inside myself with another guy before Dante’s had been properly put out.
The sadness only made me press harder, my body arching into Quinn’s, seeking the solace of his touch. He didn’t grope at my breasts, instead trailing his fingers down my spine, over my hips, brushing the edges of my bra. Quinn pressed his thigh against my leg and I could feel his hardness and my throat closed up but my body begged for more, more…
Through the mists, I saw Ayaz on the other side of the pool. One of his girls was nibbling on his ear, while the other had her hand under the water, pumping up and down and… I could guess what she was doing. He should have been paying attention to them, but his eyes locked on me, those dark irises burning with hate.
A shudder ran through my body that had nothing to do with desire. Quinn sensed it. He pulled back. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “Ayaz.”
Quinn glanced over his shoulder and flashed Ayaz the finger. “Hey, bro, stop making eyes at my date. You’re putting her off.”
“Don’t bring plague victims into the grotto,” Ayaz shot back, rolling his head back so he stared at the stars. The girl in front of him was really going for it. I slunk away from Quinn, not wanting to see Ayaz get jerked off. Quinn took my hand and pulled me back against him, pressing my back against his chest so that his arms wrapped around my front and my ass pressed up against his… againsthim.
“Don’t let him get to you,” Quinn murmured against my ear. My body shuddered in response – the good kind of shudder this time. “Ayaz hates scholarship kids, but it’s really not personal.”
“Why?” I was finding it hard to speak with Quinn pressed up against me.
“Because he used to be one.”
Quinn let that piece of information hang in the air. I opened my mouth to ask more. It didn’t make sense … Ayaz was a King… he had all those merit points… the only scholarship plan was for seniors… so how could he have been like me?
But Quinn was clearly done with talking. He nibbled my earlobe until I gasped, then tilted my head back and pressed his lips to mine, and I forgot all about Ayaz. Quinn’s hand pressed against the back of my neck, angling me just so. His mouth devoured mine and I trailed my tongue along his lips. He tasted the way he smelled – like coconut and sugarcane, like the sweetest dessert mingled with a slight tang from the weed. I forgot about Ayaz, forgot about Dante, and lost myself in Quinn’s expert arms.
“Quinn! I need to talk to you!”
Courtney’s shrill voice pierced my ears, jolting me back to reality. Quinn’s whole body tightened. He drew away from me, his eyes drifting to the heavens.
“She hasn’t seen you yet. I need to deal with this.” He slid out of the water, trailing his fingers along the top of my head in a possessive way I kind of liked. “Wait here for me.”
Before I had a chance to reply, Quinn clambered over the wet rocks to where Courtney and her friends were lounging, wearing expensive designer dresses and kicking off their expensive shoes like it didn’t matter if they rolled off the cliff. He bent down and planted a kiss on Courtney’s ruby red lips. A dark thread of jealousy curled up my spine. I pressed my finger into the burn on my wrist as Courtney sank back against the rocks, giggling as she pulled Quinn on top of her.
I’m so stupid.I thought when Quinn said he was sorting it that he meant he was breaking up with Courtney.For me. Fire burned in my cheeks – the fire of humiliation. Of course, Quinn wouldn’t be dropping Courtney for me. He’d brought me here specifically because he wanted me to see this. It was all part of a monarch game.
I have to get out of here.
I turned back to the water. The group with Madison and Amber had moved into the center, so I’d have to go around them. I pushed up from the side and dog-paddled my way to where I’d got in. As I neared the edge, Ayaz reached out and wrapped his wrist around my hand. I yelped. He yanked me so hard toward him I nearly kicked the girl between his legs.
“What are you doing here?” he growled, his face inches from mine. Despite myself, his voice still sent flames of desire through me. Behind him, I could see the girl staring at us in confusion. I didn’t blame her. I’d be confused too if I was jerking a guy off and he suddenly dragged over the most shunned student in school. Ayaz’s second girl was nowhere to be seen.
“Quinn invited me,” I said. The words came out more like a question. I berated myself.You have to be strong around him or he’ll eat you alive. Get it together.
“You don’t belong here. You should leave.”
“Forget about her, Ayaz,” the girl simpered in his ear, running her manicured nails down his naked chest. “I’ve got something right here you want…”
Ayaz shoved her off him. He leaned right in close, his breath hot against my face, caressing the same places Quinn had just been kissing. My whole body tingled with an electric charge that pulsed between us. If I moved even an inch, we’d be pressed together, skin on skin.
Ayaz tilted his head to the side. “Watch out for Trey tonight,” he whispered, his lips grazing my ear.
“Why?” I said, but Ayaz was already floating away, his dark eyes boring down on me, begging me for something I didn’t understand.
Why did he tell me that?It sounded like a warning. But if Trey was planning something for me, why would Ayaz bother to warn me?
I flicked my gaze over to him, but he leaned back against the rocks, his blonde friend straddling him and… yeah, my cheeks flushed. It was definitely time to get out of the grotto.
I pressed my hands against the rocks and shoved myself up. Instantly, goosebumps rose on my skin. God, it was cold out here. I scrambled down the rocks, picking through the expensive shoes and discarded designer dresses, searching for where I’d left my clothes balled up inside Quinn’s jacket.
Ah. There’s Quinn’s jacket, and underneath…my hands grasped thin air.
