My hips start to buck against his hand, forcing his finger to nudge at my clit. “Fuck, you’re so greedy, little rebel. Was one orgasm not enough for our girl? You want to come right here while I rub Leo’s cum all over your needy clit?”
“Please,” I whine, my hand circling his wrist to hold him in place. I lock eyes with Leo across the table, who looks thoroughly wrecked as he watches Parker bring me right to the edge like he’s done a million times before. His fingers slide over my swollen nub easily, quickly working me up, my orgasm hovering right at the edge.
“Oh, that’s it. You’re so close. Come for your men. Come right here at the table where anyone can look over and see you.”
I shatter. Parker’s lips find mine, his other hand cupping the side of my face. He muffles my moan with his kiss, as wave after wave pulses through my body. He works me through it, playing with my clit until it’s much too sensitive, and I pull away from his kiss. Parker carefully pulls his hand from my pants, bringing his fingers up to his mouth and sticking them inside. He sucks them clean, not leaving anything behind.
“You have no idea how good you two taste together.”
My mouth is still hanging open when the waiter appears, asking to take our orders. Luckily, these two know me better than anyone else, and order me a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich with extra fries since I’m unable to form words.
When the waiter disappears, Parker gives me that smug look, and I immediately want to punch him. “How about next time, you make Leo come at the dinner table? That waiter totally knew what just happened.”
“He’s an adult, and he works at a café on a college campus in the middle of nowhere. I’m sure he’s seen a lot more than you coming down from an orgasm. But if you never want to do it ag?—”
“Not a chance, Parker Kingsford! You know what I like.”
“I do. And I know you’d use your safe word if you ever needed something to stop. I’d never push you.”
“One of the many reasons I love you.” I look over at Leo, who’s watching the two of us with rapt attention. I know that look. The one that tells me he’s lost in his head, the thoughts plaguing him. His fucking parents are the worst.
“I found some stuff out earlier that I need to tell you. I’m still trying to digest it, but I met with Professor Thorne.”
My head bops back slightly in shock. Parker looks unfazed, like he already knew Leo was having this meeting.
“Are your grades okay? What did he say to you?”
“It’s not my grades, nothing like that. I decided to ask him about”—Leo looks around for anyone who could overhear us—“to ask him about Crimson Veil and how torn I am about things that aren’t adding up. He shared some enlightening news that makes me look at things differently.”
Parker leans forward over the tabletop, resting his forearms on the cool wood. “Okay, please share with the class. You’ve got my heart in my throat.”
My eyes flick to Parker. When he falls, he falls hard, and I can tell how in love he is with Leo. He’s wearing the same enamored, obsessed expression that he does when he looks at me.
“My entire life, my dad has led me to believe that he was in Crimson Veil, that both my parents were.”
“They weren’t?” I gasp.
“Not according to Professor Thorne. My last name? It’s my mom’s. My dad has no connection to the blood descendants here. I have it because of my mother, not him. Apparently, when he met my mom, he became obsessed with Crimson Veil and wanted to be a part of it more than anything. They married while they were here at college, and my dad used her name and his connection to her family to leverage himself into the trials. He failed. My mom passed all of them except the last one. Neither of them is an initiated member.”
“Holy shit,” Parker huffs, shaking his head. “Your parents are a fucking piece of work. So, all this time, your dad was livingvicariously through you. Pushing you toward something he couldn’t get and wanted to make sure you did.”
Leo rubs his hand up the back of his neck. “Yeah. Pretty much. He curated the life he wanted for me and has paved my every step.”
“I’m so sorry, Leo. You didn’t deserve any of this.” I reach my hand over the table and clasp his, threading our fingers together.
“What are you going to do, baby?”
“Well, I was thinking. The next and final trial is loyalty. So, I’m choosing it.”
Chapter 26
Parker
The deep crimson velvet stares back at me from its place resting on my bed. A gift from the Veil. I still don’t know Leo’s plan, but I know that our robes will arrive the same day, and where to meet him on the day it arrives. My knee bounces as I sit in the desk chair in front of my bed, eyes unable to look anywhere else but the dark, blood red, reflecting, contemplating, going over the last few months.
If everything Leo knew about Crimson Veil is wrong, then maybe I’ve been right all along. Every single step we’ve taken, every situation that we’ve been put in, we’ve ended up together. We’ve chosen each other, every time, unable to fight the pull to do anything else. Hate divides, but love, it conquers. I refuse to believe that this school was created on something as dark and twisted as Leo’s dad has made it out to be. Powerful? I’m sure of it. Influence? Absolutely. But you don’t get to that point with disdain, greed, envy, and discontent. The only way to truly get there and have the longevity that Corvus does is with real loyalty. And you can’t have that without love. Whenyou truly love someone, that loyalty comes as easily as water flowing through your fingertips.
My alarm sounds on the desk behind me, my reminder to get ready to meet Leo in the catacombs under Crimson Keep. I’m quick to shower, styling my blond hair, and dressing in a pair of black dress slacks, with a black button-down shirt. Then I put on my crimson robe, pulling the hood over my head.
