Twisted Palace

by Erin Watt

  The Astor Park fans cheer in approval. Me, I’m just bored from how long it took to decide if our guys got a few measly yards. I search the sidelines until I spot Reed. At least I think it’s Reed. There are two players with ROYAL stitched on their jerseys and they’re standing side by side, so for all I know, I’m ogling Easton’s butt and not Reed’s. He shifts his head and I see his profile. Yup, it’s Reed.

  He’s chewing on his mouth guard, and then, as if he senses me watching him, he sharply turns his head. The mouth guard pops out and he grins at me. It’s a wicked, private smile reserved just for me.

  The excitement vibrating in the stadium only gets more intense when Gibson ends up tying the score right before halftime. In retaliation, Reed and Easton tackle the Gibson quarterback the next time he’s on the field, and the guy fumbles the football. Someone else on the Astor defense scoops it up and runs it in for a touchdown.

  The Astor Park fans are freaking out. The home fans are booing loud enough to rock the bleachers. Some of the Gibson kids start chanting, “Killer, killer,” but are quickly shut down by some administrators. The verbal attacks only seem to fire up the Astor Park team even more.

  In the end, the Riders win the game, which means they’re moving on to the next round of the playoffs. I grin as I watch Coach Lewis slap his players on their asses after the win. Football is so freaking weird.

  The teams form two lines and exchange handshakes. A few of the opposing players don’t shake Reed’s hand. For a moment I wonder if there’s going to be a fight, but Reed doesn’t seem to care. The moment they’re done, Easton races toward me. He plucks me right off my feet, then carries me down to the field and whirls me around.

  “Did you see that sack in the second?” he exclaims.

  I strain my head toward Val, who’s hurrying down the steps toward us.

  “Wait for Val!” I grumble at him, but he carts me down the sidelines and doesn’t release me until we reach the entrance of the tunnel that leads to the locker rooms.

  Reed is there, helmet in hand, sweaty hair matted to his head. “Enjoy the game?” he asks before bending his head and kissing me.

  A laughing Val finally catches up to us, and she and Easton start making gagging noises as Reed’s kiss drags on and on.

  “Come on, guys, we’re standing right here,” Val announces. “Royal, stop mouth-mauling my best friend so we can walk back to the hotel already.”

  I break away from the kiss. “You didn’t drive?” I ask her.

  She shakes her head. “It was a ten-minute walk. I figured there wouldn’t be any closer parking spots, anyway.”

  Reed gives me a stern look. “I don’t want you two walking back to the hotel alone. Wait for us outside the stadium and we’ll all walk back together.”

  I respond with a brisk salute. “Yes, sir.”

  His mouth finds mine again. This time there’s something different about his kiss. It’s rippling with promise. When he pulls back, I see a familiar gleam in his blue eyes. We’re away from the Royal mansion. There’s no risk of Callum or Steve or anyone else interrupting us. Whatever reservations Reed had about saving himself until after the investigation is over were left behind in Bayview. There’s only one reason I’d join Jordan’s dance squad and it’s not to cuddle.

  We both know what’s going to happen tonight.

  * * *

  Reed and I walk back to the hotel with Easton, Valerie…and Wade. Needless to say, Val is not happy about this latest development.

  The moment we reach the parking lot, she plants her feet and crosses her arms. “Why is he here?” Her accusatory gaze is laser-pointed at me. “You said it was just Reed and Easton.”

  I hold up my hands in defense. “I didn’t know.”

  Wade looks uncharacteristically wounded. I always thought nothing fazed this guy, but Val’s obvious unhappiness about his presence brings a sad look to his face.

  “Come on, Val,” he says hoarsely. “Don’t be like that.”

  She bites her lip.

  “Please,” he adds. “Can’t we just go somewhere and talk?”

  “You’re staying with us anyway,” Easton pipes up, “so you guys might as well call a truce before the slumber party begins.”

  I turn to Val in surprise. “You’re not rooming with me?”

  A flicker of humor shines through her cloudy expression. “Didn’t I tell you? Reed and I reached an agreement. I agreed to bunk with Easton.”

  I glance from Reed to Val in suspicion. When did they decide that?

  Val’s humor fades and the clouds take over again. “But I didn’t agree to bunk with him.”

  Wade looks hurt again. “Val…”

  “Wade,” she mimics.

  Easton heaves a huge sigh. “Okay, I’m tired of this lovers’ quarrel. I’m going to hit the hotel bar while you two figure this shit out.” He grins at Val. “And if you figure out that you guys want to be alone tonight, text me and I’ll get my own room.”

  With that, he saunters inside, leaving the four of us in the parking lot.

  “Val?” I prompt.

  She hesitates for a long, long time. Then she groans. “Oh fine. I’ll talk to him.” She says it to me rather than Wade, whose whole face lights up at her words. “I need to come up and grab my bag, though.”

  We climb up to the third floor, where I swipe the keycard to open the door. As Val ducks inside to get her backpack, Reed and I linger in the doorway with Wade, who decides to offer me his unsolicited advice.

  “Make sure my man doesn’t skimp on the foreplay. That’s important. Warms that virginal body of yours right up.”

  I whirl toward Reed. “You told him I was a virgin?!”

  Wade answers for him. “Nah, East did.”

  Frickin’ Easton. That boy can never keep his mouth shut.

  “Also,” Wade adds solemnly, “don’t freak if you don’t have an orgasm the first time. You’re gonna be all tense and nervous. Besides, Reed won’t last more than twenty seconds—”

  “Wade,” Reed says in exasperation.

  “Leave them alone,” Val snaps, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. “You should be worrying about your own technique. From what I saw in that supply closet at school, you need a lot of work.”

  He slaps a hand to his heart as if she shot an arrow into it. “How dare you, Carrington. I’m a modern-day Romeo.”

  “Romeo dies,” she says tersely.

  I fight a smile as the two of them disappear back toward the stairwell. Wade has his work cut out for him, that’s for sure. Val is clearly not going to make this easy for him.

  Reed and I exchange a grin and enter the hotel room, where he sits on the bed and gestures for me to join him.

  Nerves flutter in my tummy. “Um…” I swallow hard and then clear my throat. “Give me a second?”

  I dash into the bathroom before he can answer. The moment I’m alone, I stare at my reflection in the mirror, noting the deep blush on my cheeks. I feel stupid. I mean, Reed and I have fooled around before. I shouldn’t be nervous, but I am.

  Breathing deeply, I reach for the gift bag I stashed under the sink and spend an excessive amount of time getting ready. Smoothing out my hair. Fixing the bra straps so they’re not crooked but perfectly parallel. I glance in the mirror again and can’t deny I look hot.

  Reed agrees, because the second I step out of the bathroom, he groans, “Holy fuck, baby.”

  “Thought I’d change into something a little less comfortable,” I say in a wry voice.

  He wheezes out a laugh. He took off his shirt when I was in the bathroom, and now he rises to his feet, bare-chested and utterly gorgeous.

  “You like?” I ask shyly.

  “I more than like.”

  He advances on me like a hungry animal, blue eyes raking over my body until every inch of me feels hot and achy. He comes closer, and he’s so much taller than me, so much bigger. Strong arms pull me in. His lips find my neck and he kisses me there.

 
; “FYI?” he murmurs against my heated flesh. “You don’t need to dress up for me. You’re beautiful no matter what you wear.” He lifts his head and gives me a wicked smile. “You’re even more beautiful when you’re wearing nothing at all.”

  “Don’t ruin this,” I scold. “I’m too nervous. I need to feel pretty.”

  “You are pretty. And there’s no reason to be nervous. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

  “Are you backing out?”

  “No way.” He drags his hand down my side to settle at my waist. “Nothing or no one could drag me away at this point.”

  I want this so badly I can hardly breathe. I never gave much thought to my first time. I never fantasized about rose petals and candles. I never even thought it would be with someone I loved, if I’m being honest.

  “Good, because I don’t want to wait another minute,” I tell him.

  “Lie down.” His voice is husky as he nudges me toward the bed.

  Without a word, I stretch out on my back with my head on the pillows.

  He stands at the edge of the mattress. Then he takes off his pants.

  My lungs stop working as Reed crawls up beside me. He brings his mouth to mine, kissing me softly at first, then with more urgency as I part my lips for him.

  The hard length of him presses against my thigh, and the drumbeat of desire that played in the background all week as I thought about this night thuds loudly in my head. His tongue traces my lips, his mouth whispers a path across my cheek. His hands roam my body, mapping the valleys and the rises with equal interest.

  A thumb across my nipple sends shudders from the tip to my core. A kiss behind my ear makes my whole body quiver in delight.

  We make out for what seems like hours, until we’re both breathless and painfully turned on.

  Reed’s lips release mine abruptly. “I love you,” he mumbles.

  “I love you, too.” I press my mouth to his again and we stop talking. My heart is pounding. So is his. And his hands tremble as they begin a slow descent.

  To my frustration, he won’t let me touch him. Every time I reach for him, he swats my hands away. “It’s all about you,” he whispers after my third grabbing attempt. “Close your eyes and enjoy it, dammit.”

  And gosh, I do. I enjoy every torturous second of it. It’s not long before my brand-new underwear is cast aside. I can’t focus on anything but the incredible sensations he’s eliciting. He’s touched me before here, in the same intimate ways, but it’s different tonight. It’s the start of something, rather than the end. Every caress of his hand, every press of his lips against my skin, is a promise of more to come. And I can’t wait.

  Two calloused fingers slide down my stomach until he’s there, inside me, and I moan as the pleasure explodes in a blinding rush. The sensations shake me from the inside out. His mouth meets mine, swallowing my whimpers, stroking me to completion. My hips arch to meet his fingers, and he rides the wave with me as I shudder against the mattress.

  He doesn’t even give me time to recover. I’m still shaking wildly when he starts all over again, this time sliding between my legs and using his mouth to send me soaring. He licks and kisses and teases until I can’t take it. It’s too much, too good. But not enough.

  A frustrated groan flies out. “Reed,” I beg, clutching his broad shoulders to yank him up.

  The heavy weight of his body presses me to the bed. “You ready?” he rasps. “Really ready?”

  I nod wordlessly.

  He leaves me, just for a moment, so he can dig around in his jeans pocket. He comes back with a condom.

  My heart stops.

  “You okay?”

  His deep voice is like a warm blanket of reassurance. “I’m good.” I reach for him again. “I love you.”

  He whispers, “Love you, too,” and then kisses me at the same time he enters me.

  We both make a strangled noise, because it feels impossibly tight. The pressure triggers an achy feeling, a strange sensation of emptiness.

  “Ella,” he breathes as if he’s the one in pain.

  When he hesitates, I dig my nails into his shoulders and urge him on. “I’m okay. Everything’s good.”

  “Might hurt for a second.”

  He drives his hips forward.

  The pain startles me even though I expected it. Reed stops abruptly, his eyes inspecting me carefully. Sweat beads on his forehead, and his arms shake as he holds himself still until my body accepts his sweet invasion.

  We wait until the pain has abated, the empty feeling is gone, and all that’s left is a feeling of wondrous fullness. I lift my hips experimentally, and he groans.

  “Feels so good,” he chokes out.

  It does. It really does. Then he starts to move and it only gets better. There’s only slight pain when he withdraws, and I instinctively wrap my legs around him. We moan in unison. He moves even faster. The muscles of his back flex under my grip as he pushes into me, over and over again.

  Reed whispers how much he loves me. I clutch him tight with both hands and gasp at each thrust and retreat.

  He knows exactly what I need. Easing off me slightly, he brings his hand between my legs and presses down on the spot that aches for him. The second he does, I go up in flames.

  Everything ceases to exist. Everything but Reed and the way he’s making me feel.

  “God, Ella.” His rough voice barely penetrates the blissful glow that surrounds me.

  One last thrust and he’s trembling on top of me, his lips pressed to mine, our bodies glued together.

  It takes forever for my heart to beat at a regular pace again. By then, Reed has withdrawn and taken care of the condom, only to return and drag me against his chest. He’s breathing just as hard. When my limbs are finally strong enough to support my weight, I rise up on one elbow and smile at the look of utter satisfaction on his face.

  “Was it okay?” I tease.

  He snorts. “You need to erase the word okay from your vocab, baby. That was…”

  “Perfect,” I fill in, my voice a happy whisper.

  He holds me even tighter. “Perfect,” he agrees.

  “Can we do it again?” I ask hopefully.

  His laughter tickles my face. “Did I just create a monster?”

  “I think so?”

  We’re both laughing as he rolls over to kiss me again, but we don’t start anything, at least not yet. We just kiss for a bit and then snuggle together, while he plays with my hair and I stroke his chest.

  “You were incredible,” he tells me.

  “For a virgin, you mean?”

  Reed snorts. “No. This was beyond incredible. I was talking about the routine. I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

  “It was fun,” I confess. “More fun than I thought it would be.”

  “Do you think you’ll stay on the team? I mean, if you can stomach being around Jordan, then maybe you should. You looked so happy when you were out there.”

  “I was happy.” I chew on my bottom lip. “Dancing is…it’s a thrill. It’s my favorite thing in the whole world. I always—” I stop, a bit embarrassed to reveal my silly hopes.

  “You always what?” he pushes.

  A breath slides out. “I always dreamed that maybe one day I could take actual classes. Get some real training.”

  “There are arts colleges. You should apply,” Reed says immediately.

  I rise up on an elbow again. “You really think so?”

  “Hell yeah. You’re so freaking talented, Ella. You have a gift, and it would be a waste of that gift not to do anything with it.”

  Warmth unfurls like ribbons in my chest. Other than my mom, nobody has ever told me I was talented.

  “Maybe I will,” I say through the lump of emotion in my throat. Then I kiss him and ask, “What about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “What’s your dream?”

  His features crease unhappily. “Right now? My dream is not going to jail.”
<
br />   Just like that, the relaxed mood in the hotel room dissolves into tension. Crap. I shouldn’t have said anything. For this one perfect moment, though, I completely forgot about Brooke’s death and the police investigation and that Reed’s entire future is nothing but uncertain right now.

  “Sorry,” I whisper. “I forgot about all that.”

  “Yeah, me too.” He runs his big hand over my bare hip. “I guess…if I didn’t have these charges hanging over my head…I’d want to work for Atlantic Aviation.”

  My jaw drops. “Seriously?”

  A sheepish gleam fills in his eyes. “Don’t you dare tell my father,” he orders. “He’d probably throw a parade.”

  I giggle. “It’s okay to please Callum, you know. As long as you’re pleasing yourself, too, then who cares?” I study his face. “You would really want to be involved in the family business, though?”

  Reed nods. “I think it’s kind of fascinating. I wouldn’t want to design anything, but the business side of it would be pretty cool to get involved in. I’d probably get a business degree in college.” His features become pained again. “But none of that is even an option. Not if…”

  Not if he’s found guilty of killing Brooke.

  Not if he goes to jail.

  I force myself to banish those thoughts. I want to focus on good things right now. Like how happy I am to be lying here with Reed and how amazing it felt when he was inside me. So I climb on top of him and end the conversation by planting my lips on his.

  “Round two?” he teases against my mouth.

  “Round two,” I confirm.

  And off we go.

  22

  Reed

  “You look like you’re in a good mood,” Easton notes on Sunday morning.

  I join him out on the terrace. “Smoothie?” I ask, tipping the extra bottle in his direction. At his nod, I toss it to him. “Can’t complain.”

  I try but fail to keep from smiling, and the way my brother’s eyes roll to the back of his head tells me he can read the satisfaction all over my face. But I don’t give a rat’s ass, because between the murder charge and Steve’s striving for a Father of the Year award, things have been tense between Ella and me. After this weekend, we’re back on track. Nothing’s going to ruin my good mood today.