by Sadie Moss
Never taking his focus from my face, he lifts one of my legs off the bed, bending my knee slightly to press a kiss to the arch of my foot. I’ve never had anyone do that before, and the tenderness of the gesture combined with the sensations it sparks in my body make me whimper.
Theo smiles against my skin, moving upward to trail his lips over the sensitive flesh of my ankle, my calf, and the inside of my knee. The leg that’s still resting on the bed shifts restlessly, my toes flexing and curling, as I fight against the urge to tense up my muscles, to chase the pleasure Theo is eliciting in me. Instead, I relax as much as I can, letting Theo move my body however he likes as sensations wash over me in waves.
His lips and teeth continue to work their way up my skin, the movement slow and deliberate, as if he’s consuming me, as if I’m a dish that needs to be savored.
As he trails his lips up my inner thigh, my entire body starts to shake, and when he bites down gently on the soft flesh, I cry out.
He lets go, swiping his tongue over the small marks I know his teeth just left. Then he moves even higher and drags his nose along the fabric of my panties, inhaling deeply.
Oh, fuck.
My pussy clenches, and my clit throbs hard as the tip of Theo’s nose grazes the sensitive bud.
It’s the slightest touch, but combined with the damp heat of his breath on my core, it leaves me panting. I’m wet, I know I am—and the idea that he can see that, that he can smell it, almost does me in.
“Theo,” I murmur, doing my best not to let the word turn into a plea.
I’m not entirely successful though. Even I can hear the raw need in my voice, and Theo looks up at me through his long, dark lashes, his gray eyes seeming almost smoky.
“Yes, love?”
“I need—”
I can’t even finish that sentence. The list is way too long, and speech becomes impossible anyway when he tugs my panties off and runs his tongue through my folds.
My body jerks as an inarticulate noise falls from my lips. The tip of Theo’s tongue settles on my clit, and ripples of pleasure spread through my body, matching the rhythm of his tongue as he flicks it back and forth.
“I know, Gabbi.” His breath caresses me as he speaks in a low voice. “I know what you need.”
It occurs to me that even if he knows what I need, he still may not give it to me. This man is an incorrigible tease, and he’s left me panting and worked up more than once.
But not tonight.
The spark of determination I saw gleaming in his eyes when he first came into my room seems to urge him on, and instead of pulling away, he laps at my clit, sliding one long finger inside me as he does. My inner walls clench around the intrusion, hungry for more, desperate to feel him inside me.
I writhe beneath him, my attempts at staying still completely abandoned as new sensations tear through my body. But he moves with me, never letting up his delicious assault on my clit.
Even as he licks and sucks, his large hands roam over me, pushing the fabric of my nightgown out of his way. When he finally moves higher to tug the flimsy thing all the way off, I arch my back and sit up a little to help him. His lips trail over my breasts and neck as his hands encircle my wrists, pinning my arms to the mattress on either side of my head.
His grip isn’t tight, but it’s strong enough to keep me from moving as he kisses me again, so deeply and slowly and thoroughly that I feel like I’m drowning in an ocean of Theo and might never come back up for air.
I can feel the hard press of his cock against my core, our bodies separated by just a few thin layers of fabric. I whimper again, a bit louder this time, and he draws back a little to gaze down at me.
“Yes?”
Ah, there’s the slight teasing gleam in his eyes I know so well.
“You’re wearing too many clothes,” I mutter, lodging my complaint as articulately as I can while I hook my legs around his waist and grind my hips against his, rubbing myself shamelessly against his cock.
He groans, his head dropping slightly as he presses back against me. His sleep pants are soft and thin, and I can feel how hard he is for me, feel him growing harder as we torment each other.
“That’s easily remedied, love,” he rasps. “But you’ll have to let me go for just a second.”
I don’t like the sound of this “letting go” business at all, but the promise of a naked Theo is enough to convince me. I unlock my legs from around his waist, giving him room to sit back and shove down his pants and boxer briefs as I gaze at him with hungry eyes.
Fuck. He’s so damn sexy. His waist is narrow, his thighs long and muscled, and he strokes himself once as he settles back between my legs, like he just has to take the edge off. Like maybe he’s as desperate as I am.
I let my legs fall open again, welcoming him back into the cradle of my body, and he braces himself above me on one arm. He releases his cock, and two fingers slide into me, like he’s testing to see if I’m ready for him.
But Jesus, he has to know I am. He has to see the flush I can feel painting my cheeks, the way my breath is coming faster, the way my hips can’t stay still, always seeking more of his touch.
I clamp down hard around his fingers, and he lets out a low groan as if he’s imagining what it’ll feel like when I do that to his cock.
“You’re so tight, Gabbi,” he mutters, his voice strained. “You’re so wet.”
I shift my hips again, forcing his fingers deeper inside me, and his nostrils flare. He withdraws them slowly, still teasing me, even though I can tell it’s taking all of his self-restraint.
With one hand still holding him above me, he lifts his fingers to his lips and licks them, drawing them into his mouth to suck off every bit of my taste.
My jaw goes slack even as my pussy clenches hard again around nothing.
Holy fuck.
I’ve never seen a guy do that before, had no idea the sight of it would turn me on so damn much. But I practically came just watching that.
The second his fingers leave his mouth, I hook the back of his neck, hauling him down toward me for a kiss. He must be able to sense the change in me, the frantic need spurring me on—or maybe his self-control just runs out too. I don’t know, and I honestly don’t care. Because I finally get what I need.
The broad head of his cock nudges my pussy, and he slides inside me, bottoming out in one long, smooth stroke.
Twin sighs of satisfaction pour from our throats, meeting somewhere in the middle of our kiss and combining into a singular sound of pure ecstasy.
I never forgot the promise Theo made in the library that day, when he reminded me how thoroughly he’d taken me apart with just a kiss, leaving me to imagine what he could to do me with more than a kiss.
Well, the man didn’t fucking lie.
He gives me a moment to adjust to his size, and then he draws back and thrusts in again, setting up a steady rhythm that’s hard and deep and makes the bed rock beneath us. And even as he fucks me, he keeps kissing me, the softness of his tongue a perfect counterpoint to the hardness of his cock driving into me.
I slide my tongue over his, wrapping my arms around him, trailing my fingernails over the flexing muscles of his back as he slams into me again and again. It’s storm and peace, ruin and salvation all wrapped into one, an overwhelming rush of sensations that pulls me under like a riptide.
Theo pulls his lips away from mine and buries his face in my hair. “Come, Gabbi. Fuck. I need to feel you come on my cock. I want to feel you lose yourself around me.”
My stomach tightens with a rush of desire at his words, and at the raw emotion in his voice.
This isn’t him teasing me. This isn’t dirty talk meant to drive me wild. This is Theo begging for what he needs.
And what he needs is for me to come.
So I do.
He shifts his angle just slightly, picking up the pace as he drives into me, and the pleasure that’s been steadily building inside me peaks. I call out his name in a ra
gged voice as my body contracts and stars dance in my vision.
“Fuck, Gabbi,” he grunts. “Oh, God. God.”
Every word is punctuated by another hard thrust, and my walls clench around him as if trying to pull him deeper inside as my orgasm ripples through me.
“You come too,” I pant. “Come, Theo. Fuck, please. I want to feel you. Please.”
Maybe it’s because I asked so nicely, or maybe it’s because he was right there at the edge already, but the second the words are out of my mouth, I feel him let go. He stills inside me, his cock pulsing as he grinds his hips against mine in rough circles, making little aftershocks of pleasure shoot through me. I squeeze around him again, and he makes a strangled noise, biting down on the place where my neck meets my shoulder. That sends another little jolt of sensation through me, and I turn my head, craning my neck to find his lips for a deep, sloppy kiss.
I’m too exhausted and sated to kiss him properly, but I don’t want to stop. Our lips cling together, unfocused and dazed, as we try to get our breath back. He’s heavy on top of me in the best way, his body warm and solid, his cock barely softening at all inside me.
At this particular moment, I think I could die happy.
Not that I’m planning on dying. I’ve spent a whole semester doing everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen, and I don’t intend to stop now.
But this… this feels so fucking perfect.
It’s like all the tension that built up between us over the weeks and weeks that he shamelessly flirted with me finally released in a torrent, sweeping us both away.
The funny thing is, I’ve been attracted to him since the day I met him—but what draws me to him now, what makes him so damn sexy in my eyes, isn’t his smooth demeanor or his ability to tease me till I can barely see straight. It’s all of those other little things he’s shown me glimpses of, those hidden parts of him that sit below the surface.
His vulnerability.
His bravery.
His openness and honesty.
Even before I knew that he’d figured out my cover, he decided to trust me with a part of himself that I know he doesn’t show very many people. He offered it to me to let me know that—no matter how much it might feel like it—I wasn’t alone. And that means more to me than he’ll probably ever know.
“What was that for?” I murmur breathlessly, my hands ghosting over his back.
Neither of us have moved, and I don’t feel any inclination to either. Our bodies are pressed together, our skin slightly damp with sweat, and Theo’s addictive, spicy scent mingles in the air with the smell of sex.
He rises up onto his elbows, his face hovering just a few inches away from mine. He looks… softer, somehow, as if he’s letting me see even deeper beyond the facade he normally wears. His eyes have lightened, the gray carrying just a hint of blue, like storm clouds breaking after a heavy rain.
“I just couldn’t wait any longer, love.” His lips tilt up in a soft, tender, rueful smile. “I just couldn’t stand to wait.”
He means it.
I can see the truth in his eyes just as much as I can hear it in his voice, and a sudden moment of clarity hits me like a ton of bricks.
This thing between us isn’t a casual fling or a little crush.
His rivalry with the other men isn’t just because they’re all competitive people who don’t like to lose. If the prize were anything else—anyone else—one or more of them might’ve walked away already, ceding to the others.
But none of them have. And none of them will.
Because they really and truly want me.
I want them too. So much.
All of them.
I just have no idea what to do with that.
Chapter 27
You’d think a great night of sex would improve my mood.
And in some ways it does. If I’d been wearing socks last night, Theo would’ve literally knocked them off. Sex with him was incredible and intense, so much different than I ever imagined it—and I’ve imagined it more times than is probably healthy to admit.
But when my alarm goes off an hour early, reminding me I have that meeting with the dean of Radcliffe Academy this morning, it pretty much undoes any relaxed feelings I had when I woke up.
Shit.
I groan, and Theo groans in his sleep, unconsciously mirroring my sound as he tugs me closer into the curve of his body, his morning wood poking against my ass. I grind against him a little because I can’t fucking help it, and because I’d so much rather go another round with him than go meet with the stupid dean.
“It won’t work, love,” he murmurs, his voice muffled and only half-awake. “I know you’ve got that meeting with Dean Langston this morning, and I refuse to be the reason you miss it.”
He talks a big talk, but even as he speaks, his cock slides between my legs, teasing my core, and one large hand moves up to palm my breast, kneading the soft flesh and making my nipple go hard.
I let out another groan that sounds a lot more breathy than my first one, arching my back to give him better access. He growls softly, nipping and kissing the back of my neck, the hand on my stomach pinning me against him as we undulate against one another, our breaths starting to come a little faster.
But one day I’ll remember that Theo really is a damn tease.
Just as I’m about to hook my leg over his and sink backward onto his thick length, he pulls away. The next thing I know, I’m rolled onto my back, and a pair of gorgeous gray eyes are staring down at me from just a few inches away.
“Meeting first, Gabbi, my love,” he murmurs, his voice husky. The obvious strain in it makes me feel a little better. At least I’m not the only one who’s getting teased here.
“Don’t wanna,” I mutter, reaching for him again.
He indulges me with one more kiss, draping his body over mine and kissing me so deeply and languorously that I swear I can feel us sinking through the mattress. Then he pulls away, dropping a little peck to the tip of my nose.
“Go, now. I’ll still be here later. You always know where to find me, love. I’m not going anywhere.”
The promise in his voice does something to both my heart and my body, sending a little shiver through me. I know he’s not talking about staying in my room. He’s gonna have to get up and go to class just like I do.
He’s talking about something a lot bigger than that.
He’s talking about staying in my life.
The intensity of the emotions that rise up in me in response to that knocks me off balance, and I finally scramble out of bed, shooting one last look at the tangled sheets and the gorgeous man with dark hair and piercing gray eyes sprawled out under them.
I like that sight so much. Way more than I should, probably.
After a quick shower, I throw on one of Roxie’s more conservative outfits and head out across campus.
I have no idea what my relationship—well, what her relationship—is with the dean. She’s a good student, or she was, so maybe they have a good relationship? Then again, this is a pretty big school, so maybe Roxie’s never met him before.
Either way though, I have to make a good impression. If I’m kicked out or have to drop out, I’ll have nowhere to go. I can’t possibly go back to Roxie’s family. Not only will they see through me, but they’ll probably blame me somehow for this mess.
Of course, that’s just speculation on my part. I haven’t spoken to anyone in Roxie’s family since I landed here, and they seem unconcerned about that. What kind of relationship does she have with her parents that they don’t talk for weeks at a time? I got a few texts a couple days after the whole hospital visit thing, I think when the insurance bill arrived and Roxie’s parents saw that she’d been in some kind of accident, but I just texted them back and told them it was all fine and not to worry, and they seemed to buy it.
If I wasn’t desperately anxious to avoid speaking to any of her family members, I would almost be curious to meet them. Just to get a bet
ter sense of who Roxie is, of where she came from and what her life was like before we swapped places. I don’t even know if she has siblings or not.
The dean’s office is in the administrative wing of the main building, and I take the long way around since I know campus well enough by now to do that, and I really don’t want to run into anyone Roxie knows and have to explain that I’m going to the dean’s office when they ask.
The last thing I need is to become fodder for gossip.
I arrive just in time for the meeting, and I hope I haven’t sweated through my dress with nerves. The dean’s secretary greets me and leads me back to his private office, knocking sharply on the door.
“Come in,” a deep voice calls from inside.
My heart beats a heavy rhythm against my ribs as she smiles at me and opens the door, ushering me in before closing it behind me.
I’m not really sure what to expect from the dean of a prestigious magical academy. The dean at my school back home has a thin frame, a small, shiny bald spot on the crown of his head, and looks like the kind of guy who knits sweaters for his cats on the weekends.
This man looks nothing like that.
Dean Langston looks like he should be running a Wall Street corporation, not a school. There’s a distinct air of money and class about him, and a sort of intensity to his gaze that immediately makes me feel like I’m being judged—like he’s got a list of criteria in his head for what kind of person he likes and deems acceptable. I can practically see him going through the list in his head as he watches me enter, and I can’t help but wonder if I pass muster.
“Ah, Roxie Macintyre. Wonderful. Please sit down.” The dean gestures for me to take a seat in front of his desk.
I sink into the wingback chair, and he looks over what appears to be my file as the spoon in his coffee mug stirs itself.
“Roxie—you don’t mind if I call you Roxie, do you?” Dean Langston gives me a smile. He probably means for it to be warm and reassuring, but it just looks brisk, like a formality.
“No, I don’t mind at all,” I reply. My stomach bunches into knots, but I put on what I hope is a confident, relaxed smile.
