Gods, she was perfect. I could listen to her breathy sounds forever and die a lucky man. Her kiss grew more frantic as she reached for her release. I didn’t want to stop her, but there was a purpose for this. Reluctantly, I backed off, grasping her hips and stilling them.
“That’s our breaking point, I think.” She stared at me, lost in a pleasure-filled daze. “If you start writhing against me like that, we’ll swiftly find ourselves giving a show.”
And what a show it would be. I’d guarantee fireworks. She blinked those emerald eyes, and I stroked my knuckles down her cheek as they slowly cleared. Her blush returned. Embarrassment and lingering arousal flooded her side of the bond, and I found it an oddly satisfying mixture.
“Let me know if you need more practice,” I told her with a smirk. “As for tonight, I think I need a cold shower.” And to take my dick in hand.
I left her on the couch and went to take care of my own release. Maybe she’d join me, and I could help her finish. Or maybe she’d take care of herself. Either way, I felt like a winner tonight. My little bondlikedkissing me, even knowing who I was. There was hope for us yet. I didn’t bother blocking the happiness trying to escape down the bond. Let her feel it.
seventeen
Eryn
Walking across campus to the Commons, there was something in the air. It lingered like a bad smell—a feeling that something would go very wrong tonight. It was possible my nerves were getting the best of me. Voluntarily locking myself inside for the past week and suddenly strolling out in the open were two sides of very different coins.
Even having Kaiden beside me, his warm hand wrapped tightly around my own, didn’t ease the feeling. Was it a fear of being seen? The djinn would resume their attacks once word got out that I survived the poison. Or perhaps my nerves stemmed from the inevitable judgment of my classmates. Dating the TA was sure to cause gossip. Enough to reach the dean even.
I paused outside the dining hall, right in the middle of the path as that stray thought took root. Kaiden and Ezra were forced to stop with me.
“Everything okay?” Kaiden scanned the shadowed courtyard, on alert for any signs of danger. “Have you changed your mind?”
I rolled my eyes; he sounded too pleased with that option. He wanted nothing more than to usher me back into the truck and tuck me safely back behind his wards. And although that sounded better than another attempt on my life, I had to do this. But it was possible I hadn’t thought through all of the consequences.
“People are going to think we’re dating.”
“Uhh.” Ezra looked at me like I lost my mind. “I kind of thought that was the point of all this.”
Kaiden didn’t say anything as he watched and waited for me to elaborate.
“The point was to convinceRani,” I explained. “If my classmates think I’m dating the TA, they’ll assume I’m getting special treatment.” Why didn’t I think of this before? I would be labeled a cheater, someone willing to sleep their way to good grades. “I could be expelled,” I whispered and tried to yank my hand from Kaiden’s before anyone saw.
He tightened his hold on me. “I’ve already taken care of it,” he said, very matter-of-fact, and started us toward the Commons again.
“What did you do?” I stumbled alongside him in a confused fog. My education wasn’t over? Had Kaiden really thought that far ahead?
“I told the professor I was interested in you, and he agreed to remove me from your class level until next semester due to a potential conflict of interest,” he told me with a wink—like it was that simple.
I didn’t have too long to stress over it, though. Rani waited ahead, her critical eye taking in our joined hands and evaluating the amount of distance between us as we walked. We must have passed her first test because she smiled wide and skipped forward to loop her arm through mine.
“I can take it from here boys,” she smirked. “You’ve had her long enough.”
Then, I was being pulled through the doors before I could even worry whether I had to kiss Kaiden goodbye. I carefully chose my dinner, briefly pausing with each selection to check if my necklace gave any warning that it wasn’t safe to consume. My pizza and side salad met the crystal’s approval, and I followed my only friend to an empty table near the back.
“I find it strange that your new boytoy couldn’t trust you to be out of his sight for a few hours,” Rani said, frowning over my shoulder.
I knew what she saw. Probably Kaiden and Ezra finding a table nearby but not too close. They wouldn’t want to fail at the laying low portion of tonight’s plan. I already bitched to Rani once before about Kaiden being controlling, and his hovering didn’t help.
“It’s actually all your fault,” I said around a mouthful of greasy cheese.
Rani’s eyes widened. “My fault?”
I nodded, ready to sell whatever lie I needed to. “Ezra is the one who refused to eat off campus once he heard you’d be here tonight.”
Obviously, that wasn't true, but Ezra was obsessed with her enough that it was easily believable. I secretly grinned when I thought about his reaction to me throwing him under the bus.
“Ugh,” Rani groaned. “Why do I have to be so irresistible?”
I barked out a laugh. “What a very Ezra thing to say.”
