In less time than my side and back required, his hands cool. He grips my chin and his gaze morphs from something clinical to something curious and sultry. He lightly runs his thumb vertically down my lower lip. The pressure pulls my lips apart and opens them for the briefest of seconds before he steps back and away from me.
There is a sudden void where the heat and mass of his body once was, and my instincts urge me to pull him back into me. I look over to find the eyes of one of the twins, and heat banks in his gaze. I close my eyes to try to calm the overwhelming arousal and need that is inexplicably crashing through me, but I can feel the echo of Ryker’s hands on me, and the tiniest whimper escapes my lips.What the hell is going on right now?
“Did you do something else to me?” I accuse, my eyes landing back on Ryker who’s now sitting in a chair.
He looks at me unsettled. “What do you mean?”
I study his face, my eyes flicking back and forth between his ocean dipped irises, taking in the genuine confusion I see there.
“Nothing I just feel… weird. My body is reacting weirdly," I finish vaguely.
Ryker moves to get up, I’m assuming to come to see what in the hell I’m rambling about, and I panic. If he comes near me again right now, I’m done for. I will climb him like a tree, with no hesitation or apology.
“Never mind.”
I dash into the bathroom and close the frosted doors behind me. I start the shower and hear someone shout to come downstairs when I’m done. I look myself over in the mirror, marveling at my now injury-free body.
Holy shitwhat just happened? I strip down and step into the warm stream of water. How am I going to be around these guys whenthat’show my mind and body reacts?
I scrub my hands over my face and notice that Ryker forgot to heal my knuckles, but there is no way in hell I am going to call him back and ask him. I consider that this could have something to do with magic, but I don’t know enough about any of it to tell one way or another.
I’m certainly not going to ask them why I’m suddenly so hot and bothered. I turn the water cold, hoping the icy bite will cure me of the heat I feel coursing through every inch of me. After fifteen teeth chattering minutes under the spray, I give up and get out.
I dry off, and for my own sanity, I decide to ghost their invitation to hang. I grab a book on elemental magic and choose to hide out in the safety of my room instead. I climb into the cloud that is my bed and fall asleep reading about fire incantations while trying not to recall every detail of these men and exactly what it felt like to have Ryker’s hands all over me.
17
Istep off the stairs and hear male voices in the kitchen, so I tap the runes on my ear to spy. They’re talking about their classes that are going to be starting again soon, and grumbling about the end of their lazy summer. None of that has anything to do with me, so I turn the runes off and head towards the kitchen. I woke up early for breakfast and then escaped outside to walk around all morning.
I crept back into the house at lunchtime, and I’ve been in my room all afternoon reading about magic and basically hiding. Unfortunately, hunger has forced me to the kitchen wherethe boysare currently congregated. I guess there goes my plan to avoid them like the plague until I can convince my body parts to behave.
“There she is," Knox announces as I hesitantly round the corner and spot them all gathered around the kitchen island.
I curse my empty and demanding stomach as I cautiously approach the group. When I get closer, Knox puts an arm around my shoulder and tucks me into his side. His contact surprises me, and as usual, I tense up. He either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care because his arm stays draped around me. After a couple of seconds, I decide that it doesn’t bother me and I start to relax.
“All right, what are we ordering?”
Four sets of eyes turn to me.
“A yacht,” I randomly guess, completely clueless as to what they are asking me.
“No, pizza. What do you want on your pizza?” Knox clarifies, giving me an amused smile.
“Ahhh, you should really be more specific next time. Um, I’m good with anything as long as there’s no fish, olives, or mushrooms.”
I internally congratulate myself for formulating a coherent answer in the wake of Knox’s perfect smile.
“Sweet, let’s do two of the usual. One without mushrooms for the lady, two BBQ chicken, and a meatball and artichoke in case Sabin can make it,” one of the twins declares.
When there are no objections, he calls to place the order.
I’m a little confused as to why I’m being included in this process, but I’m starving, and pizza sounds amazing.
“Why a yacht?” the other twin asks me.
“Well, you’ve got a plane, the mega-mansion, and all the cars, I just figured it was the next logical purchase.”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “I’ll tell Silva to get on it. Until then we’ll have to slum it and ask Evrin or Aydin to use one of their boats.”
