Wicked Plans

by C. Morgan

  I nudged Ruby. “In our case, it’s more like Beauty and the Beast than Peter Pan.”

  Hadley giggled before leaning across Daxton’s chest to gape at me. “I wouldn’t have thought that a guy like you would even know about those stories. Are you a closeted Disney Princess fan?”

  “Who isn’t?” Dax muttered, and I laughed before puffing out my chest.

  “I have a little sister,” I said. “She lived for that stuff until not so long ago. I’m just lucky Ruby got to me before the final petal fell and the curse stayed with me forever.”

  “Aww.” Hadley giggled again as she rested her head against Dax’s shoulder. “On that note, this Cinderella is about to turn into a pumpkin. I have a ton of work to do tomorrow after loafing all day today. We’ll catch up with you guys in the morning?”

  “You staying at Dax’s again?” Ruby asked.

  She glanced up at her boyfriend, who nodded immediately. “I’m not letting her go until I absolutely have to. The semester’s really starting to heat up. Before we know it, we’ll all be buried in the library for weeks again and I’m not looking forward to all that time apart.”

  “You might just have earned yourself another reward,” Hadley murmured, and Dax punched the air victoriously before drawing to a stop.

  “The shortest way back to the house is up there.” He flicked a hand toward a path leading off the one we were on. “Thanks for tonight, guys. It was fun. We’ll do it again.”

  Ruby let go of my hand to hug her friend, then we waved goodbye as they took off. Once they were gone, she looked up at me. “Are you up for walking a bit more, or do you want to get back to your room?”

  “We can walk,” I said. “When I left, Emily and Jess had just gotten a pizza and they were going to start trying to figure out what she wanted to do now. She’s also trying to wrap her head around what all this means and how much change is in store for us.”

  “You’re welcome to stay with me tonight if you’d like to give them some space,” she said with a vulnerable edge creeping into her eyes. “You don’t have to, obviously, but—”

  “I’d love to,” I said, cutting her off because I really didn’t need her to finish that sentence. “Always. I’m always going to want to stay with you when I can.”

  “Good.” She smiled and pushed up on her toes, nuzzling the underside of my jaw before we started walking again.

  For a little while, we just wandered around campus. She quietly pointed out all her favorite places, and it allowed me to see the school through her eyes. It was the first time I saw the beauty in the architecture, appreciated the stillness of the grounds at night, and caught even a glimpse of the magic of the place.

  I’d thought it was bullshit until now, but like with so many other things, I was learning that I’d been wrong. When we came to a bench underneath an ancient maple with a small golden plaque on it, I sat down and pulled her with me.

  She cuddled into me again and I held her close, loving the feel of having her in my arms so much that I couldn’t believe there had ever been a time when I hadn’t wanted to have her there. I rested my face against the side of hers and spoke into her hair.

  “It was so damn sexy to see you cut loose tonight,” I said. “It looked like you were really having fun out there until those pricks came along.”

  “I was,” she replied. “I’m learning how to cut loose from the best. Between you and Hadley, I have some awesome examples of how to live in the moment and enjoy the times that are meant to be enjoyed.”

  “I’m glad.” I smiled, but then it dawned on me that I’d probably have a lot fewer opportunities to cut loose from now on.

  As if she’d heard my thoughts, Ruby moved her head slightly so she was able to look into my eyes. “When are you going to talk to your father?”

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “Emily and I are going to do it together, and I want to wait until she feels ready. It might not be for a while. All of this happened so suddenly and so unexpectedly that it might take her a beat to process it enough to know what she wants to say when we do speak to him.”

  “That makes sense. It’s not going to be an easy conversation for any of you, but she’s so young that it’s bound to be harder on her. Especially since you say that your father generally goes easier on her than he does on you.”

  “Yeah, that’s why I don’t want to rush her,” I said. It felt good to have someone I could talk to about all of this so openly. “Deep down inside, I don’t think she ever expected him to react this harshly. It’s already going to be difficult on her to accept that they really don’t care about us as much as they do about the image we help them project to the outside world.”

  “You’ll be there with her, though,” she said.

  I nodded. “Always. Just like you’ll be there with me?”

  “Every step of the way,” she promised, then ran her fingers down the planes of my cheeks, staring into my eyes before sealing her promise with a kiss.

  Chapter 39

  RUBY

  One thing I loved about the way Brysen kissed me was that it felt like he was putting his whole body into the kiss. From the very first time our lips had met during the fight at the Clubhouse, it had set his kisses apart from any other I’d ever had.

  Time hadn’t changed that about him. Neither had the fact that this wasn’t a teasing, first time kiss designed to leave me wanting more just so he could get me into bed.

  In fact, we were already back in my bed but he was still kissing me the same way. Like he needed to feel every inch of me with every inch of him.

  The only difference was that it didn’t feel like it was only our bodies involved anymore. All those inches of him seeking me out with his passionate kisses weren’t only the ones that were skin deep. I felt these kisses from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes, from the goosebumps that broke out across my skin to the very center of my skeleton, and even deeper than that. I felt them in my heart and soul.

  Our relationship had been maturing, growing, and deepening for weeks now. It’d happened so slowly and so naturally that I’d been confused about it until earlier, when a part of me had suddenly acknowledged that he was my soulmate.

  Maybe a lot of people would laugh at me for thinking that. The college bad boy being the soulmate of the nerdy girl, just like in those books I swore our story wouldn’t resemble. But the thing was that despite our age and despite our backgrounds, social and academic statuses, or the apparent differences in how we lived our lives, we connected on a level that transcended all of that.

  Or at least I believed that we did. None of those things really mattered in the long run if you were with the right person. And I knew he was the one for me.

  From here on, we could grow and change together, but I didn’t think we’d ever be torn apart. It didn’t feel like we would, even if I knew how naive it was to believe that a freshmen relationship could really go the distance.

  Some did, but most didn’t. I knew that. I just happened to think that Brysen and I were among the long-distance pack. Right along with Hadley and Dax.

  As his big, hard body pressed mine into the mattress, I held his face and kissed him with all the emotion swelling inside of me. After our kiss on the bench had turned too hot for public consumption, we’d made a run back to my dorm and had fallen straight back into the unmade bed.

  Just like I’d been feeling the whole day though, it seemed to be about more than just our bodies joining. We were as desperate when we’d torn off each other’s clothes as we’d ever been, but what passed between us whenever our eyes met was much more powerful than lust. To me, it felt almost like—

  “I’m falling in love with you, Ruby,” he murmured against my lips, breaking the kiss to prop himself up on his elbows and stare into my eyes like he was staring at the holy grail after searching for it all his life. “I know it sounds crazy, but I just realized that I’ve been feeling it for a while. I just didn’t know what it was until now. It’s love. That’s t
he only explanation.”

  A soft chuckle escaped me at the confusion clouding his eyes, then I lifted my head to plant another kiss on his lips. “You took the words right out of my mouth. I’m falling in love with you too. I’ve suspected it for the last couple of weeks, but it’s not just a suspicion anymore. It’s true. I’m falling for you.”

  “That’s the best news I’ve ever heard.” The smile that took over his face was unlike anything I’d ever seen. He was beautiful, even if there was no light in the room other than the bit of moonlight filtering in through the windows. “I was kind of preparing myself for having you kick me out as soon as I said it. I wouldn’t even have blamed you if you had, but I’m very fucking happy it didn’t go that way.”

  “It’s not so crazy,” I said, running my hands up and down the lean, toned muscles on his back as I bumped the tip of my nose against his. “If you really think about it, we should’ve seen it coming. I’ve never felt as connected to anyone else as I have to you almost right from the start.”

  “You mean, when I was the mean, chaos-obsessed bully you had to pull out of a wreck only to be told to fuck off?” He frowned at me, but there was a playfulness to him that made me smile. “If that’s true, you might need to have your head checked.”

  I shrugged. “I’ll keep my head just the way it is, thank you. You might’ve been all those things, but you’ve also always been so much more than just that. Somehow, I recognized that even then.”

  “Thank fuck you did,” he muttered. “I’d have been lost without you. I’m not sure I’d ever have had the courage to do what I’m doing now if it hadn’t been for you.”

  “You would have,” I replied firmly. “You’re so much more than you’ve been giving yourself credit for. If you wouldn’t have done it for yourself, you’d have done it for Emily and eventually, you would’ve realized that you were better off for it too.”

  “Maybe, but luckily, I’ll never have to find out.” He lowered his mouth back to mine. “You are sure you’re up to this, right? I don’t ever want you to feel like I’m dragging you down.”

  “I’m up for it.” I didn’t hesitate for even a second. “Whatever lies ahead, we’ll face it together. As long as we do that, we’ll get through it. Just don’t push me away when times get hard, okay?”

  He didn’t make the promise immediately. Instead, he stared into my eyes for a long minute as he mulled it over. Just when I thought we might’ve hit a wall, he sent me a small smile.

  “I don’t know if you’ve forgotten this already, but I can be a real dick sometimes. The best I can do is to promise that I won’t knowingly push you away. If it starts happening anyway, I’m going to need you to call me out on it.”

  “I can do that,” I said. “When it happens, just remember that you asked me to do it. Remember that you love me for not taking your shit.”

  “I sure do,” he said, and I read the intent in his eyes that he was about to kiss me again.

  Before he could do it, I scooted back a bit so I’d have space to half sit up against my pillows without headbutting him. He frowned, but pulled away and locked his eyes on mine. “You haven’t changed your mind already, have you?”

  “Heck, no.” I looped my hands around his neck and pushed my fingers into the hair at his nape, gently dragging my nails over his scalp as I drank him in. “Don’t look so worried. I want to talk to you about something, but it’s something good. At least, I think it is.”

  His brow puckered and I almost laughed at the solemn expression that came into his gaze. “We’re naked in your bed and we’ve already been talking for many more minutes than I’ve wanted to. Are you sure we have to talk about it right now?”

  “I haven’t brought it up before because it’s not the kind of thing that just anyone needs to know, but since you’re not just anyone anymore, would you be interested in talking about it if I told you that it has to do with sex?”

  He perked up again. “Okay, yes. I’m listening. What are we talking about? Fantasies? Expectations? Role play? I bet it’s role play. You want to be the naughty librarian, don’t you?”

  “Actually, it’s none of the above.” I smiled at his suggestions, though. “It’s a little less sexy than any of that, even if it is about sex. It’s about birth control.”

  “Birth control?” He wrinkled his nose, which was adorable even though I’d never tell him that in a moment like this. “What about it? We’ve been using condoms. Wait a second, you’re not—”

  I interrupted him before he could give himself a heart attack. Although I’d been trying to work it in there without just blurting it out, as his eyes grew wider and more wild, blurting it out was exactly what happened. “I have an IUD. I’ve had it for awhile, so it’s not like it’s new or that I got it to be able to sleep around or anything. It’s kind of like the waxing, in that it’s something I did for myself. I wanted to be prepared and protected just in case a condom ever broke or something.”

  “You don’t owe me an explanation,” he said.

  “Sure, but I don’t want you to think—”

  He shushed me with a finger against my lips. “Again, you don’t owe me an explanation. It’s your body, baby. Besides, I’m not thinking anything because there’s nothing to think. You got an IUD. It’s smart and responsible to take control of your own birth control, so it doesn’t even surprise me that you have one. The only thing I’m curious about is why you’re telling me about it now.”

  “Well, I...” I trailed off, dropping my gaze to take a deep breath before lifting it back to his. “I was wondering if you’d like to stop using condoms.”

  “Are you kidding me?” He lifted his head up further, his eyes as wide as saucers as he brought them level with mine.

  I shook my head. “You’re not sleeping with anyone else, are you?”

  “No,” he said unequivocally. “I’m not planning on sleeping with anyone else either, but you don’t have to do this for my benefit.”

  “No, I don’t,” I said softly. “It wouldn’t only be for your benefit. It’d be for both of us. It’s something I would like to experience for the first time with you. Obviously, only if you want to and only once we’ve been tested, but I’ve never done it before and I want it to be you.”

  “I’m clean,” he said. “I got my last results back last week. If you want to see them, I’ve got them on my phone.”

  “You got tested last week? Why?”

  He chuckled. “I asked the doctor over at the hospital to run the tests on me when I went for my checkup with him last week. He was already going to draw blood for some other tests he needed, so I just asked him to include STDs.”

  “Were you scared I gave you something?” I asked, brows climbing on my forehead.

  “Of course not.” He laughed, pushing himself up to brush a kiss against my lips. “I’d just never been tested before. I haven’t been with anyone but you since last semester, so I figured if I’d caught anything then, it would turn up in a test by now. Things were heating up between us and I guess I wanted to do right by you if something happened with us again.”

  “That’s actually really sweet,” I said.

  “It’s not fucking sweet,” he grumbled, kissing me and dragging me back down until he was lying on top of me once more with his heartbeat thundering against my chest. “Let me guess, you’ve been tested recently too?”

  I blushed. “Am I that predictable?”

  “To me?” He ran his lips along my jaw, his warm breath ghosting across my skin when he spoke. “Yes. You are. Clean, right?”

  “As a whistle,” I confirmed. “I went after you kicked me out of your room that first night we were together. It was probably a knee-jerk reaction, but I hadn’t been with anyone for much longer than just since last semester and I figured that if you were such an asshole that you’d boot me out before I’d even caught my breath, then I needed to make sure you weren’t the kind of asshole who also used expired condoms or something.”

  A bark of
laughter caught in his throat, then he groaned and began running his hands up and down my sides in feather light touches that left me squirming. “I need to make that up to you. I plan on making it up to you often. As often as you’ll let me. Let me start right now.”

  As always, I lost myself in him and what he did to me in no time at all. When he’d said he was making it up to me, he must’ve meant it, because he’d never touched me as lovingly, as tenderly, or as intently as he did tonight.

  Then again, we were also making love for the first time, and that made a big difference. Neither of us was only after our own pleasure, nor were we rushed or uncertain about each other’s bodies anymore. This was love. Not lust. Not fucking. Not any of those other things. Just love, and it was amazing.

  My heart swelled as he kissed me when he finally sank into me with nothing between us. Skin to skin, he felt even better than he ever had before. I moaned his name, rocking with him and alternating between gazing into his eyes and kissing him as we both went tumbling over the edge together.

  We’d been through a lot together already, but if everything happened for a reason, then that reason for us was to have ended up exactly where we were right now. Together and planning on staying that way.

  Epilogue

  BRYSEN

  End of the term

  In the past when I’d been to the Dean’s office, it’d been after I was summoned here because of something I’d done that might have had me facing expulsion if it hadn’t been for my father. The term was over and spring break was starting tomorrow, but here I was.

  Not facing expulsion and not having been summoned, but more anxious than I’d ever been in this office. I was the one who’d requested this meeting and if it didn’t go well, I wasn’t quite sure what to do from here.