“Consuming only sugar is bad for your brain.”
Hayden spears Jacob with a thunderous sort of look. “I’m eating the damn eggs, aren’t I?”
“It’s too early for arguing,” Parker mumbles around a biscuit. “Plus, we have company.”
I lean further into Dante’s embrace in hopes of going ignored. But Hayden’s head sharply turns to sweep his gaze over me. He takes in my messy hair and Dante’s hoodiehanging off of me. Dante protectively tightens his hold on me enough for Hayden to notice it.
“Morning, Reid,” Hayden says with forced enthusiasm.
“Morning,” I echo with my own pasted-on smile.
“Weird vibes.” Parker leans across the table to steal the half-eaten biscuit off Hayden’s plate. He tilts back in his chair, reaches into the cabinet, and pulls out a jar of Nutella. After smearing the biscuit with it, he plops it back on Hayden’s plate. “There ya go, boss.”
Hayden grins widely as he eats the biscuit. Jacob scowls first at Hayden, then at his twin, who just shrugs under the scrutiny. Everything gets more tense when Jacob stands, grabs the French toast I’d been eyeing, and promptly without further ado plops it in front of Hayden, who sends an absolutely disarming grim up at Jacob. Oh, that grin could meltme.Dante’s obviously hadenough of them because he clears our plates, then hurriedly hustles me back upstairs. Maybe he wants a second round before I go back home.
But Dante just closes his bedroom door, then backs me up against the hardwood to kiss me thoroughly. Oh. His fingers dig into my hips to tug me up higher, making it easier for him to lick into my mouth. Just as I’m about to offer to get on my knees, Dante abruptly pulls away with a pained groan.
“I’ve got too much homework to do today to be distracted by you,” Dante mumbles before swooping back down to kiss me softly once more.This time his kiss lingers in a way that curls my toes against the cold hardwood floor. Yikes.
“I’ll go.” I shove him away and move around his room collecting my scattered clothing. I tug on my pants, but when I go to remove the hoodie, Dante stills me with a hand on my arm.
“Wear my hoodie home.”
My nose instantly wrinkles. “Is this your way of marking me. Ugh, caveman.”
Dante instantly flushes and urgently avoids my gaze. “No, it’s just too cold outside for that damn leather jacket to be warm. I have enough hoodies to spare.”
I hum but don’t argue. I grab the aforementioned leather jacket from his desk, then head toward the door to leave.
“Reid?” Dante calls out.
I spin back around to face him. Dante wiggles his fingers for me to come closer, and the urge to say no is right on the tip of my tongue, but instead my body goes without a single ounce of fight. Dante kisses me again, then noses down my neck to my shoulder. Pain sluices through me when he bites down hard, surely hard enough to break skin. Dante wears a pleased-as-punch grin when he pulls away.That fucking?—
“You always kiss me before you leave,” Dante orders.
A shiver slips down my spine at his words. Pleased by catching me off guard, Dante spins me around with his big hands on my hips, and expertly guides me down the stairs.Almost as if he’s done this before.
“Bye, Reid!” three voices simultaneously call out from the kitchen.
Dante’s fingers tighten on my hips as he hurries me out the front door. Cold whips me in the face, but the sun is pleasantly warm. I expected Dante to point me in the direction of my house, then tell me to get to walking. But Dante only slings an arm over my shoulders and joins me on the short walk home. I can feel my face heat up from his proximity and his attention, but I also can’t seem to make myself care.
“You’ve got class tomorrow morning, right?” Dante asks tomake conversation. I know he has my schedule memorized, just like I have his memorized.
“Yes.”
“You want coffee? I’ll meet you in the quad.”
“Fine.”
“So agreeable,” Dante mumbles, then snorts. “I assume you want something that’s more sugar and milk than coffee?”
“Mocha.”
“Noted.”
We stop in front of my house, Dante’s arm still slung across my shoulders. He uses his arm to turn me toward him, pulling me into the warmth of his solid chest. The familiar scent of him washes over me and I close my eyes for one long second to memorize it. Dante doesn’t look surprised when I push out of his embrace with an annoyed huff.
“Goodbye.”
