“Took you long enough,” Quinn complained as I grabbed the edge of his blanket and slid down beside him. He had a great spot in the middle of the screen, near the back of the room. Greg and Ayaz sat in front of him, sharing a pizza with Nancy, Paul, and some of the other monarchs. Greg was laughing and chatting with Paul. It made me so happy. “You just missed the best fight scene.”
The movie wasGladiator, which was such a weird choice – about a slave who defied his station to become a champion. Also, it had been made before I was born, and it showed in the special effects and actors. Sometimes, I couldn’t believe it took meeting a Great Old God in a subterranean cavern to make me realize this school was stuck in a time warp.
All around us, kids crunched popcorn, unscrewed the caps on hidden hip flasks, and talked in low voices. There were quite a few kissing sounds and rustling of blankets. Mr. Dexter slumped in a chair in the corner, ostensibly here to supervise us. His head nodded against his chest, and occasionally he let out a loud snore.
As I leaned across Quinn to grab a handful of popcorn, he held the bucket just out of reach, his face an inch from mine. “It’ll cost you a kiss,” he grinned.
Feeling emboldened from my successful revenge mission, I leaned forward and pecked him on the lips.
“I know you can do better than that.” Quinn’s hand snaked around the back of my head, his fingers pushing through my short hair as he locked his lips with mine, teasing my mouth open with his tongue.
My body responded immediately, tightened with this hot, warm feeling that happened every time I was near one of the monarchs. Quinn’s coconut and sugarcane scent sent my head spinning. If all of the Kings used the same fancy bath products, how come they each smelled so different, sointoxicating?
A low growl escaped from Quinn’s throat as I traced my fingers through his hair. I didn’t want the kiss to ever end.
Someone behind us made a gagging noise. Quinn tipped his head back, tearing his lips from mine. The air between us had become heavy, hot, sticking to my skin.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Courtney glaring at us. John had one arm around her, the other hand under the blanket they were sharing. He slobbered along her neck and tried to tip her head toward him, but she gave a growl of frustration and pushed him away.
“Courtney’s watching us,” I whispered to Quinn.
“Good.” He kissed my earlobe. “Do you want to give her a real show?”
My heart hammered against my chest. Who was this person, and what had she done with Hazel Waite? Before I’d come to Derleth, the only thing I’d done wastryto kiss a guy, and he hadn’t even liked it. That was why it was so hilarious they all called me a whore – I’d lived with one for long enough that I knew all I ever wanted to know about sex. It was just another weapon that could be wielded against a woman, used to control and dominate, to keep her in chains. No, thank you.
And yet, put me in the hands of a Miskatonic King and I melted like butter. Probably it had something to do with the hunger of a Great Old God lurking over my head. In desperate situations, people did all sorts of crazy things. The Donner party ate each other. I made out with bad boys who were no good for me but tasted so damn fine.
Trey shuffled over and grabbed the box of popcorn from Quinn’s hands. “Quit hogging the snacks,” he growled.
Quinn hugged me to his chest. “Keep the popcorn. I’ve got the best treat right here.”
“You don’t get to keep everything to yourself.”
My eyes widened as Trey lifted the corner of the blanket and slid in beside us. Quinn poked his tongue out at his friend, but he also shuffled me over to make room… shuffled me right into his lap, in fact. Between his legs.
Something hard rubbed against the crack of my ass. It took me a moment to realize what it was.Quinn. He’s hard.
I jerked forward. Quinn tightened his grip around my torso.
“Feel what you do to me, Hazy,” he whispered against my ear, sending a lick of fire down my spine. “You can’t just leave me like this. That would be mean.”
“Have you met me? I’m pretty mean,” I whispered back, my throat tight. He was right. I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Nope, you talk a big game, but you’re a kitten.” Quinn shifted, pulling the blanket tight around us. His hand slid up my thigh. “Let’s make the kitten purr.”
I kept my eyes facing forward, but I didn’t take in a single frame of the movie. Quinn moved his hand along my thigh, sliding it slowly, achingly slowly, toward the source of the ache inside me, the point from which all fires blazed and sparked. He kissed a trail of fire along my neck, his teeth scraping against my skin.
Not to be outdone, Trey shuffled closer, pressing his body against me. “You like him touching you?” he asked. “If you’re not into it, just say the word, and we can get out of here.”
I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t force sound from my throat. Not when Quinn drew circles on my inner thigh and Trey Bloomberg’s breath danced on my ear as he asked me.
“I think our Hazy really wants to see how this movie ends,” Quinn murmured, his lips pressing against my hair.
“Very well.” Trey’s hand dropped to my other thigh, his fingers walking a path of fire up to meet Quinn’s. “I expect it’ll end in fireworks.”
Their fingers met in the middle as they battled with the button on my fly. Quinn’s lips trailed down my neck. “Hazy, Hazy, Hazy,” he murmured. “You naughty girl.”
“You want this, Hazel?” Trey’s voice was hard, tight. He hooked a finger over the edge of my panties. Not daring to speak, I nodded.
