by Kit Kyndall
He quickly realized what she wanted and reached for the perfumed oil she had put in the bathtub, coating his hand before slipping it underwater. The oil dissipated somewhat, but he had enough remaining to get himself slick and enter her carefully. She moaned with pleasure, feeling no discomfort at all this time.
She opened her eyes and looked at Jonas, crooking a finger for him to join her. He didn’t hesitate to accept her invitation as he moved between her thighs. Rather than sinking immediately inside her, he started stroking her clit as he kissed her deeply. His tongue probed her mouth, and she responded in kind, kissing him like it was the first time. Every time felt like the first time with all of them, and she couldn’t imagine ever losing that spark for her men.
“Quit hogging her mouth,” said Lex with a chuckle. A moment later, the velvety softness of his shaft rubbed against her cheek as Jonas moved his head so he could nibble on the side of her neck instead of kissing her.
She turned to Lex, opening her mouth as his cock slid slowly inside her. He pressed to the back of her throat but hesitated, so she leaned forward to close the distance between them as she quelled her gag reflex. He moaned his appreciation, and then moaned again when she swallowed forcefully. She was amused by how he stood, with one knee on the lip of the tub, and the other one arranged somehow with his leg beneath the water.
He didn’t seem to mind the discomfort of the pose, and she didn’t think about it for for long, because Dalton was suddenly on her other side, taking her hand, drizzling oil in the palm, and wrapping it firmly around his shaft. He stroked with her for a couple of moments before she took over the rhythm herself.
Kip and Jonas were moving slowly and carefully inside her, pushing and pulling her between them. She barely had to do any of the work, but she was getting an immeasurable amount of ecstasy from the movements. She continued stroking Dalton and sucking Lex as Jonas and Kip thrust in and out of her. She let her mind wander and focused solely on the pleasure of having all four of her guys with her.
The realization that this would be her full-time reality in a little over a month contributed to her sudden orgasm, and it was intense. It was the strongest release she could ever recall, and she suspected it was partially due to all her men being with her, seeing to her pleasure in some way while she pleasured them as well.
Afterward, the four of them took care of her. They finished bathing her and drying her off before carrying her to the large bed in the biggest room. Dalton laid her down in the middle, and he laid on one side of her. Jonas laid on the other, and she heard furniture moving. She opened her sleepy eyes long enough to see Lex pushing over the chaise lounge nearer to the bed, and Kip climbed up into the spot behind her, pushing aside some of the pillows so he could lie behind her. Her head was on his stomach, and she felt safe and comfortable, protected and loved, and she had no difficulty at all surrendering to sleep
May
Chapter Eleven
Candace
It was May before she knew it, and she was gearing up for graduation. There was a lot of studying involved, since they were about to take their final exams in the next couple of days, but she was confident of a passing grade in every class, including Suzanne’s. Suzanne hadn’t given her nearly as many problems after she’d spoken to Hastings, so he must’ve gotten through to her.
Kip had also reported to her that Suzanne was now ignoring him, which he much preferred. She seemed to have gotten the message that he didn’t want her and retracted her claws.
Not that Candace assumed that meant everything was fine with Suzanne. She was still on her guard but so far, Suzanne hadn’t pulled any further shenanigans that would send her running to Hastings for intercession.
“So, they closed on the apartment already?” asked Octavia as they walked from the dining hall back to Dorm A that afternoon.
“Yeah, I guess the seller was motivated or something. Lex and Dalton probably dropped another million to make it happen faster, though I did point out there was no way we could move in until after graduation anyway. But the place is theirs…ours now.” It would take a little adjustment to start thinking of everything as communal property, especially since she knew Lex and Dalton had split the cost of the apartment without help from anyone else, but they were trying to make a relationship work, which meant sharing things, not just her.
“I feel pretty envious. I still have two years left here. I’d love to be able to get away from it all and do what I want. I’m tired of having to do what others tell me is expected.”
Octavia sounded so melancholy that she stopped and looked at her. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. It’s just the anniversary of…” she trailed off
“Of what?” asked Candace gently as she pulled Octavia off the pathway and onto one of the grassy knolls nearby.
“Uncle Philip and Aunt Bev have custody of me because my mom was pretty nuts after she got a serious head injury when I was nine. It completely changed her personality from warm and loving to suspicious, angry, and abusive. She ran off my father within a couple of years of the injury from her craziness, and I have no idea where he is. I can’t blame him for running when he had the chance, but he never should’ve left me behind.” Octavia looked away, biting hard on her lower lip until the flesh around it seemed white.
Candace reached out and squeezed her shoulder in silent support.
“Two years ago, she got it in her head that I was possessed by a demon or something. I don’t know how her crazy mind worked, but she believed the only way to fix it was to kill me.”
Candace stiffened in shock. “What? Your mother tried to kill you?”
Octavia looked almost at her, her gaze a little to the left. It was clearly difficult for her to open up about it. “She stabbed me.” As if it had become a routine motion, Octavia started rubbing her left side and down her stomach. “I survived because a neighbor heard me screaming and actually called nine-one-one instead of ignoring it.
“When the police came, she wouldn’t put down the knife, so the officers who responded were forced to shoot her. I barely survived, and when I was out of the hospital, I came to live with Bev and Philip. I spent the first year homeschooling and just recovering, and then this year, I agreed to come to BriarEdge. I couldn’t share a room with someone though.” Once again, she brushed her hand down her side.
“Is it because of scars?” asked Candace.
Octavia nodded. “They’re ugly, and I can’t show them to anyone.”
Candace frowned, trying to recall if she’d seen any sign of them. The one time she’d gone swimming with Octavia, her friend had worn a one-piece with boy-cut shorts and a short-sleeve swim shirt. She’d figured Octavia was just a little self-conscious about being curvy, but now she wondered if it was to hide the scars.
Another thought occurred to her then. “Is that why you never flirted with Gabe when he was trying so hard to get your attention?”
Octavia smiled, though there was definitely a hint of discomfort. “He’s really cute, right? But once he saw these, he’d never want me.” She shrugged, trying and failing to look pragmatic. “So, I don’t date, and I don’t plan to.”
“The right guy—”
“No,” said Octavia firmly. “My boyfriend at the time took one look at the scars while I was in the hospital and told me he couldn’t cope.”
She frowned. “But you were only…fourteen, right? A man will react differently than a boy.”
Her lips compressed, and she shook her head, clearly getting upset. “I’m not going to risk it, okay?”
“Okay.” Candace reached out to hug Octavia, who hugged her back for a moment before they parted. “I’m really sorry you had to go through that, but thank you for telling me, Octavia. If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”
Octavia just shook her head. “There’s really nothing anyone can do, but my therapist told me it’s time to start talking about it with more people, and you’re the only person I would even think a
bout telling.”
“Thank you for the trust.” After an awkward moment of silence, they resumed walking toward their dorm by unspoken agreement. When she saw Lex standing outside the dorm, she parted ways with Octavia and went to join him. They stood and talked for a little bit, mostly about the apartment and their future plans, before she kissed him briefly and returned to the dorm.
She climbed the stairs to the third floor and walked by Octavia’s room, surprised to see the door open, and her friend not in there. Knowing Octavia had planned to come right back to the dorm raised alarm bells.
She wasn’t going to ignore her instincts, so she turned to check the recreation room, but there was no sign of Octavia. Isis was there, books spread out in front of her while she half-watched a show on television, and Candace approached her. She bent down to whisper, “Octavia’s not in her room, and she was headed this way just a little while ago. I think we should try to find her.”
Isis must’ve immediately realized where Candace’s thoughts had jumped, because she mouthed, “Manion?” before standing up. She left her books arranged on the table and quickly followed behind Candace. They went downstairs, checking each of the rec rooms on the floors as they went.
They stood in the doorway of the first-floor rec room after asking if anyone had seen Octavia and getting no affirmatives. Candace started walking down the hallway, wondering if Octavia might’ve come in from the back entrance for some reason, and as she got closer to the basement, she saw the plaid barrette Octavia had used to confine her golden curls that day.
It was near the door to the basement, dropped on the floor in a haphazard fashion, and her stomach clenched with nerves as she recalled the time Manion had gotten her alone in the basement before Dalton interceded. “I think she’s down there with him.”
“Why would she be down there?” asked Isis dubiously.
“I don’t think he gave her any choice. Do you know about the sex room?” She cocked a brow at Isis, and her roommate nodded with a scared expression. “So does Manion. He tried to get me alone down there.”
Isis firmed her shoulders. “Let’s go.”
She left the basement door open, briefly considering if they should run for help, but also not wanting to leave Octavia with Manion for a second longer than they had to. Isis must’ve had the same thought, because she didn’t hesitate as she followed Candace down the stairs.
When they entered the corridor in the basement that led to the sex room, she could hear muffled shouting, and she started running. Isis was right behind her, and Candace reached the door, finding it locked. “Get help,” she said to Isis as she looked around for something to break the lock.
“I’ll be right back.” Isis took off at a run, heading back toward the stairs. Candace started pounding on the door, since she couldn’t figure out a way to unlock it. She was shocked when it actually opened a moment later, and even more shocked when Manion grabbed her arm and dragged her inside. She managed to keep him from locking the door again as she clawed at his face and jumped on him, determined to keep him occupied until help arrived.
“Bitch.” With a snarl, he dragged Candace off him and backhanded her, sending her falling to the floor.
Stars flashed before her eyes for a second, and her vision blurred, but she was up on her feet in an instant, aided by adrenaline and the fear of giving him an opening to press her against any solid surface. She dared to glance at Octavia, who looked traumatized, with her blouse torn open, lipstick smeared on her face, and a puffy bruise forming on her cheek.
“You just couldn’t stay out of it.” As he spoke, Manion stormed toward her, grasping her throat in his hand and squeezing hard. “You could’ve let it be a little secret between myself and mon amour, but you had to interfere. I’ve had enough of you, Mademoiselle Munroe.” He slammed her head into the cement wall behind him.
She cried out at the pain, and she dropped to the floor when he let go of her. She wanted to get up, to keep him distracted from Octavia, but she couldn’t.
Manion turned to Octavia. “After her interference, my life here is over. No doubt, security is on the way now. It means you and I are leaving, mon amour. We’ll start over somewhere else, and I’ll make you very happy.”
“I don’t want anything to do with you,” Octavia screamed at him.
Candace turned her head in time to see Octavia fighting Manion, who was trying to pick her up and sling her over his shoulder. He clearly planned to kidnap her, as though he could just walk off campus with Octavia over his shoulder and not encounter any resistance.
She laughed in spite of herself. “You’re even dumber than I thought.”
Manion froze, still holding Octavia against him. Then he looked at her. “Haven’t you died yet? What do I have to do to make sure you’re no longer haunting me?”
Candace almost shook her head before remembering why that would be a bad idea. “No, I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction of dying. You’re not going to be able to take Octavia, because they won’t let you.”
“They won’t stop me if they think I’ll hurt her.” He heaved Octavia into his arms, holding her over his shoulder and pinching her hard on her exposed butt, since her skirt had ridden up, and her panties revealed the lower half of her cheeks. Octavia whimpered in response. “And I will hurt you, mon amour, but only if you force me to. Come along with me nicely, and I won’t do anything to your friends, and I won’t have to hurt you.”
“Don’t do it,” said Candace.
Octavia whimpered, but she said, “Okay, I’ll come along quietly.”
Candace wanted to stop them, but she was unable to get up. Manion put Octavia on her feet before taking her hand in his and pulling her along behind him. Octavia met Candace’s gaze, and Candace said, “Scream as soon as you’re around other people.”
“Do so, and I’ll hurt you,” said Manion.
“What’s going on here?” Headmaster Hastings slammed open the door against the concrete wall and stood framed in the weak light of the bare bulb. Candace couldn’t see much, but she saw others standing behind him.
Manion started to sweat. “Nothing. Move out of our way. Octavia and I are taking a walk.”
“Over my dead body will you take my niece anywhere,” said Hastings. He appeared protective and caring, and in that moment, he rose several notches in Candace’s esteem.
Hastings moved out of the way, and three security people pressed into the room. They surrounded Manion, tasers drawn, leaving him little choice but to relinquish his hold on Octavia as Hastings drew her aside, pulling her into his arms for a big hug.
Manion scowled at all of them. “You can’t keep us apart.”
“I don’t want to be with him,” said Octavia
“I realize that, Octavia. Calm down now, sweetheart.” Hastings’s tone was gentle with her, and he smoothed the hair off her face before turning to glare at Manion. “You’ll never get near her or anyone else again. Make sure you call the authorities, and don’t let him escape until they arrive.” He issued those directions to the three security people, who dragged a resisting Manion from the room.
Once he was out of sight, Octavia, though she was in tears, pulled away from her uncle to kneel beside Candace. “Are you okay?”
Candace laughed shakily. “I’ve certainly been better. I have a really bad headache, and I think I’d like a nap.”
Octavia frowned. “I don’t think you’re supposed to sleep after a head injury. Stay awake and wait for—”
“Candace?” Kip’s voice was there suddenly, shaking, and Candace wanted to counsel him not to reveal too much, but she was in no shape to do so as he rushed to her side and picked her up. He hugged her before pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“Professor Stuart, what are you doing?” demanded Hastings in a shocked tone.
“Taking care of my girlfriend. Fire me if you want, Philip, but I’m taking her to Oslo right now.”
Candace saw Hastings’s mouth open and close like a fish, an
d he seemed to be sputtering as he looked for a response, but they didn’t bother to wait for it. She just laid her head against Kip’s shoulder and enjoyed his embrace, though she feared the consequences of him revealing their relationship to the headmaster. She couldn’t focus on that or much of anything else though, but she was aware of Lex and Dalton’s voice in the background as they joined Kip to take her to Oslo.
At some point, Jonas joined them as well, probably having seen them move across the grounds, and two of her guys held her hands once she was on the exam table. She didn’t know who, since she couldn’t easily open her eyes, but she enjoyed the reassurance of their presence. Another hand was on her knee, and one more held her ankle. The light hurt, so she kept her eyes closed, but she heard Oslo come in.
“Move back so I can see the patient. Really, I don’t need all of you in here, and I’m sure she doesn’t either. Whoever’s her boyfriend can stay with her, and the rest of you scatter.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” said Lex, and his tone was adamant.
“We’ll stay out of the way over here,” said Dalton.
She heard four sets of footsteps moving away. When the hands holding hers let go, she struggled not to cling to them.
A moment later, she moaned when Oslo shined the light in her left eye, and then her right eye.
“She needs to be at the hospital. Professor Stuart, can you call the ambulance service? Their number is taped up by the front desk. Tell them it’s urgent.
Candace groaned. “I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
“You have no other choice, young lady,” said Oslo. His tone softened slightly. “After some observation, you’ll likely be back in time to sit for your finals. Isn’t that good news?” he asked all too cheerfully.
She groaned again, but she couldn’t focus to make a response. The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. She was aware of the arrival of the EMTs, and the four guys arguing about who would go with her. Lex ended up in the ambulance with her, and she was glad the other three had realized they couldn’t be so open about the relationship just yet. It reminded her Hastings now knew, and she was concerned for Kip’s future, and her own, but it was a fleeting thought she couldn’t hold onto even when she tried.
