“Fuck, look at you. You come so fucking pretty, baby. God damn, I’m obsessed.” I work him through it, his cum leaking down his shaft and mingling with my own as I stroke him until the sensitivity wins out and he begs me to stop.
Together, we collapse in a heap on the floor, our chests heaving. Leo looks up at the ceiling, but I can’t look anywhere but him.
After cleaningmyself up in the attached bathroom, I sit on one of the beds, waiting for Leo to come out and face me. I hope like hell he doesn’t start to freak out and retreat back into himself. I refuse to give him up now that I’ve had him. How could I ever go back to being two platonic friends who happen to share a woman? Not after the ground itself shifted under me while we were kissing.
I’m running my hand through my hair when Leo walks in, looking thoroughly fucked and sheepish. My lips pull up on one side as my eyes rake over his body. He rubs a hand on the back of his neck, looking anywhere but me. That won’t do.
“Take a seat, let’s talk.”
He scoffs. “That’s the last thing we should be doing. The rul?—”
“I don’t give a shit about the Crimson Veil or the rules. Fuck them.”
“Liar,” I snap. “I know you’re here because you want to know more about your lineage and where you came from.”
My mouth drops open slightly as my head jerks backward. I’m not often shocked, but this got me. “How do you know that?” Leo takes a seat across from me on the other twin bed, our knees bumping into each other’s.
“I was the person on the other side of the confessional, Park.”
My head drops down, and a dark, self-deprecating laugh bubbles loose. Of course he was. This entire time, we’ve been pushed together.
“Why do we keep ending up together, Leo? You know so much about the Veil and the history of this school. I know nothing, remember? So, enlighten me, oh wise son of House Ashcroft. Why us? Why do we keep finding ourselves in trials together?”
“Someone probably saw us with Mia. Or knows details about our situation, and they’re clearly testing our willpower to follow their fucking rules. We need to survive this trial and not fuck up any more than we already have.”
“Do you hear yourself right now?” I slide down to my knees, pushing his legs open and settling between them. My hands grip his hips as I look up at him. “You’ve been brainwashed, baby. You know it. I heard your confession, too, remember?” Leo refuses to look at me, so I grip his chin between my thumb and forefinger and gently guide his head to face mine. “You’re tired of hiding who you are, you said it yourself. It’s killing you. I care about you, Leo, and I’m not about to let that happen. We’ve only got one life, there’s no point in hiding from it.”
Leo’s beautiful brown eyes dart back and forth between my own, and I can’t discern what’s going on in that head of his. But then he kisses me, and nothing else matters. Strong, sure, fingers clasp my face, his lips melding with my own. I jerk him forward, pulling his ass to the edge of the bed in an effort to get closer to him. We kiss for mere moments, or maybe hours; time seems to evaporate when we’re connected like this.
But when we break apart, and his forehead falls to rest on my own, and I slide my hand up his chest and settle over his rapidly thumping heart, I know without a doubt that I’ve fallen in love with him.
My hands run up and down his smooth sides, an offering of comfort while he seemsconflicted.
“You’re right,” he breathes. “Or I’m right. I’m not stupid, Park. I know this perfectly curated life of bullshit isn’t what I want. I just don’t know how to break the cycle. I don’t know what to fucking do.” His voice breaks on the last word, and my heart cracks open right along with it. I wish I could fix this for him, wish I could remove every barrier standing in his way from living the life he wants to live. All I can do is support him and show him how freeing it is to embrace who we are and live for ourselves. What he doesn’t see, though, is how fierce and strong he is, and none of that has anything to do with his dad or the Ashcroft name.
“Baby, you’re already doing it. You’re not following the rules right now. You’re pushing against what your dad wants for you by helping me through these trials. Your life isn’t set in stone, but we have to make decisions that stay true to ourselves. The people who truly love you will only support you.”
“How are you so sure?”
“Because I’m living proof of it. When I told them I wanted to attend Corvus, even though they knew it meant I would be around where my birth parents are, or hell, when I told them I was bisexual, you know what they said? That it’s just a privilege to know me and be in my life. They just want me to be happy, Leo.”
“You know there’s a book in the archives that has the lineage. We could easily find out who your birth parents are,” he suggests. I’ve thought about it. I’ve also thought about asking several of the professors here, including Professor Thorne, who seems to be the keeper of all knowledge at the school.
I shake my head. “No. I’ve thought about it for years, and if I found out organically, then so be it, but I don’t want to know. Ireally just wanted to know more about where I came from, and notwhoI came from. But I’m learning now that it’s one of the same here at Corvus.” Leo’s face falls, his head nodding in agreement. “You don’t have to face anything alone. Just like you haven’t forced me to face these trials alone. I’m not going to abandon you, neither will Mia.”
Leo looks at me, blinking slowly, the black strands of his hair falling over his forehead, eyes darting all over my face, and I can say with utmost certainty that I’ve only ever been looked at like this by one other person.
Mia.
Suddenly, I can’t take the space between us anymore. My fingertips dig into Leo’s hips, anchoring to me, while our mouths crash together in the middle. Our tongues meld together in an erotic dance, his hands running over my shoulders and pulling me impossibly close. His pelvis presses against my abdomen, his dick hardening against me. I explore his back, kneading the firm muscles, his body rocking against me.
We can’t get close enough. Our kisses turn frantic, and I know there’s only one thing that will satisfy this unyielding need. My fingers dip into his waistband, severing our kiss as he helps me push them down his legs. I’m quick to follow, shucking mine off and kicking them to the side.
Leo lies back on the bed, his toned legs spread, his hard cock resting heavy against his stomach. He looks so fucking good. But it’s his expression that nearly breaks me. So desperate . . . for me.
“Don’t move, I need to find something,” I tell him, and reluctantly hurry off to the bathroom, rummaging through the twobags of toiletries that were conveniently sitting on the counter. I find two small packets of lube and kiss the wrapper, whisper a word of thanks to the Corvus gods, and rush back to Leo. He’s exactly where I left him, his arms folded behind his head, looking like a Greek god.
“Do you have any idea how hot you are?” Leo’s face blushes, and I wonder how often he’s actually complimented the way he deserves. Something I plan to rectify. “It’s true. You’re fucking gorgeous, can’t believe I get to touch you like this.”
