“How do you feel?” he asks while his eyes drift over every inch of my face.
“I’m sure I look worse than I feel,” I joke. “Not pretty right now, right?”
His eyes lock on mine, and the loving smile on his face makes emotion push up my throat. “You’re beautiful.”
When my face crumbles and the tears rush to my swollen eyes, I turn my head away from him.
Falcon pushes his arms under me and holds me tightly. He presses a kiss to the side of my temple, and I turn my head further away, really not wanting him to see me looking like this.
I feel him brush my hair back and he presses another kiss to my jaw. “You’ll always be beautiful to me.” Kiss. “Thank you for waking up.”
“I don’t want you seeing me like this,” I admit tearfully.
Falcon takes hold of my chin and pulls my face away from his arm. “Look at me.” When I don’t, he repeats, “Look at me, my rainbow.” I bring my eyes to his, and he smiles again. “I love you.”
Hearing the words while I look my worst has my heart overflowing with love for this man.
Leaning down, he kisses my swollen lips. “I love you, Layla.”
Falcon keeps brushing his hand over my hair while looking at me until Mom comes to stand on the left side of the bed.
“How do you feel, kiddo?”
“Better,” I answer. Confused, I ask her, “What did I eat? I had a sip of apple juice, but I spat it out immediately and rinsed my mouth. I can’t believe I had such a bad reaction to it.”
“You’re allergic to apples, as well?” Falcon asks as he moves back to the chair on my right.
“They’re part of the same fruit family,” Mom explains. “There’s a whole list of fruits she has to avoid.” Mom smiles, reassuringly at me. “I’ll ask the doctor.”
Falcon gets up, taking his phone from his pocket. “I need to make a quick call. I’ll be right back.” He walks out of the room, and all I hear is, “Mason. Layla had apple juice.”
Falcon
“She did?” Mason asks.
“Yeah, they just told me there’s a whole list of fruit Layla can’t have.”
“So it’s not Serena’s doing?” he asks, still not sounding convinced.
“No, for once she’s innocent.”
“I’m watching the security footage for the function, and it shows Serena carrying only one pie, and it’s the one she gave to Layla.”
“Drop it, Mason,” I say, feeling exhausted. “Layla said it herself, she had apple juice.” I take a deep breath. “Let it go. You’re looking for something that’s not there.”
“Okay.”
“Is Lake with you?” I ask, wanting to make sure Mason doesn’t do anything stupid.
“Yes, he’s hovering over my shoulder as we speak. Take the phone.” I hear them pass the phone, then Lake says, “Hey, is Layla better?”
“She is. She’s just swollen from the reaction. Don’t come by yet. It will only make her feel uncomfortable.”
“Okay, but keep me up to date.”
“I will. Thanks for everything tonight. Tell Mason I say thanks.”
“I will. Try to relax.”
We cut the call, and when I walk back into the room, Kingsley is with Layla.
“I’m so sorry. I wish I had known,” Kingsley says, looking like she’s been crying all night.
“It’s okay, really. I should’ve known better,” Layla argues.
“I could’ve killed my best friend,” Kingsley sobs.
Layla gives me a pleading look, on the verge of crying again. I put an arm around Kingsley. “Hey, these things happen. It’s no one’s fault. The important thing is Layla’s okay.”
Kingsley shakes her head and crying harder, she buries her face against my chest. I hug her, keeping my eyes on Layla.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
I nod, then pat Kingsley’s back.
CHAPTER 25
Layla
After recovering, I’ve been spending a lot of time with Kingsley. We’ve been planning the ski trip, and we’re busy going over everything while doing facials.
“I’ve made the payment for the condo,” I confirm. “The guy said we can get there any time after three pm.”
“Great.” Kingsley lets out an evil-sounding cackle, then says in a sing-song voice, “The guys are going to shit themselves.”
I laugh at her. “Come on, the place isn’t that bad.”
“For them, it’s a couple of levels lower than hell,” she explains.
“I don’t want them to hate the trip,” I muse, “Maybe I should look for a better place.”
“No.” Kingsley leans over the coffee table and grabs my phone from my hands. “You would be happy staying there, right?”
“Yes, but that’s me.”
“Isn’t the whole purpose of you getting to plan the ski trip, so the guys can experience a different kind of vacation?”
“It is,” I admit. I hold my hand out. “Give me the phone, I won’t change a thing.”
Kingsley gives me a stern look, “Promise?”
“I promise.”
When I get my phone back, I double-check that the payment went through for the Ford Transit and when I confirm it, I tick it off the list. “The van’s booked as well. Now, all we need is to get snacks for the ride.”
Kingsley laughs again. “No private jet. Tick. No five-star resort. Tick. No gourmet chefs. Tick.”
“You’re making me feel bad,” I grumble at her, dropping my phone on the table.
“Sorry, I’m just enjoying this so much.”
I pick up a candy bar and point it at her. “You do realize you’re going with. Sitting in the back with Mason and Lake. Tick. Sharing a room with Mason and Lake. Tick.”
She finally realizes, and a painful look crosses her face. “Oh shit.” She falls back on the couch. “And just like that you popped my bubble.”
Falcon
“Dafuuuc?” Mason asks as we all stand outside the dorm, staring at the huge-ass van, Layla rented.
Lake places his arm around Mason’s shoulders, “That, my friend, is our ride to hell.”
Mason glares at me, then grumbles, “The fucking things I do for you.”
Glancing at Layla to make sure she’s not offended, I see her and Kingsley doing their best to not laugh, and epically failing at it.
While everyone loads their baggage into the back, I place my arm around Layla and leaning in, I whisper, “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
She nods, grinning wide. “It’s going to be so much fun.”
“I’m willing to bet my left nutsack it will be anything but fun,” Mason mutters as he opens the side door. “These seats better unfold into five-star fucking beds.”
He climbs inside, and Lake follows him with an unsure look on his face.
When Kingsley gets in, Mason says, “Don’t come back here, Hunt. Traveling in this thing is torture enough for me.”
“Wasn’t planning on coming anywhere near you, Asshole,” Kingsley bites back.
“Children, Daddy’s had a long year, and he’d like to relax. Try to get along because we’re stuck in this thing for the next seventeen hours and Layla’s driving,” Lake says, his voice overly patient as he reclines his seat and closes his eyes.
I get in the front passenger seat, and Layla climbs in behind the steering wheel.
“Layla’s driving?” Mason grabs hold of the headrests in front of him. “Hold up. I’m getting out.”
Layla starts the engine and pulling away, the van jerks a couple of times before she presses down on the gas, making it shoot forward.
I quickly put on my safety belt and glance over my shoulder when Mason complains, “I’m going to fucking die.”
“Would you shut up already?” Kingsley snaps.
“Don’t you tell me to shut up, Hunt. I’ll throw you out of a moving van.”
Kingsley’s reply is to shove her right arm into the air, giving him the middle fin
ger.
“Is that the same finger you use to masturbate?”
“What the fuck, Mason?” I shout from the front.
“I’m going to throw you out of a moving van,” Lake threatens and getting up, he climbs over to the seat so he can sit next to Mason. Glaring at him, Lake snaps, “I dare you to say another word.”
“It’s okay, guys,” Kingsley says. “It’s not like I’d expect any better of him.”
I look at Kingsley to make sure she’s okay. “You want to sit up front with Layla?”
“I’m really okay,” she whispers to me.
“We can switch when we stop for a restroom break,” Layla says, quickly glancing at Kingsley in the rearview mirror.
Kingsley smiles. “It’s cool, guys. Let’s enjoy the trip.”
Layla
I park the van and switch off the engine. Getting out, I stretch, feeling stiff from the four-hour drive.
I walk around the van, and when Mason gets out, I grab hold of his arm and pull him to the side.
“What?” He snaps at me.
“Don’t ever talk to my friend that way again and don’t spoil this week for everyone.” I take a deep breath and encourage Mason to do the same. “Come on, take a deep breath. Chill. Let’s have fun.”
He just keeps glaring at me.
“Why are you so upset, Mason? No one forced you to come.”
“Cool. I’ll just grab a cab and go back home,” he sneers. When he takes a step to the right to walk around me, I move with him. “Layla,” he warns, his voice dropping low.
I lock eyes with him, and we stare at each other for a couple of seconds. Mason’s mouth sets in a grimace, making him look pretty scary.
I reach up on my toes and throw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
“What the fuck are you doing,” he growls.
“I’m giving you a hug. I care about you. I want you to have fun with us. I don’t want you being angry all week,” I ramble.
A couple of seconds pass, and then I feel his hand press against my back, instead of pushing me away.
“Take a deep breath,” I whisper.
He listens and does it a couple of times.
“Do you feel better?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he answers, sounding much calmer.
I pull back and smile up at him. “Want to eat anything? I’ll pay.”
He glances at the convenience store. “Is it safe to eat anything from there?”
I let out a chuckle and taking hold of his hand, I pull him toward the entrance. “I’m sure we can find something.”
While I’m paying for the coffee and donuts, Falcon comes to stand next to me.
“I saw you talking with Mason. Is everything okay?”
I nod and give the cashier the cash. “Yeah, he just needed to unwind.”
“Thanks for that. Not a lot of people have patience with him.”
Falcon picks up the coffee holder, and I grab the bag of donuts. “I’m just mentioning this, so you know and not to cause trouble. Kingsley is scared of Mason. Can you talk with him, just have him ease up on her a bit without letting him know what Kingsley said?”
“She is?” He asks. “She told you this?”
“Yeah. She says it’s because he’s so aggressive,” I explain.
“Are you okay with Mason?” he asks.
I nod. “Oh, yeah. I know he’s a good guy underneath it all.”
“Good. I’d hate it if you didn’t get along with him or Lake.”
“They’re good people.” I grin up to Falcon so he won’t worry.
“Come, kids,” Lake calls out. “I’m driving.”
“You sure?” Falcon asks.
“Yep.” Lake climbs in behind the steering wheel and leans over the passenger side as he calls out to Kingsley. “Sit up front with me.”
We all get in, and while waiting for Mason, I hand out the coffees.
“Oh look, here comes my eldest,” Lake says which has me chuckling before I grab a donut from the bag.
Falcon
“We survived the drive,” I say, setting down my bag in the middle of the living room. I glance around, then up at the ceiling, and when I see all the cobwebs, I mumble, “That might change, though.”
“Did you find this place after watching a horror movie?” Lake asks.
“It’s not that bad,” Layla says. “Let’s get settled in, then we can go see what the rest of the students are up to.”
“We get to go to the resort?” Lake asks, a hopeful look lighting up his face.
“Of course. We’re on a ski trip with them.” Layla says, a worried look settling on her face. “If this is too much for y’all then don’t force it. We can stay at the resort.”
“We’re just fucking with you,” Mason says, throwing his arm around her shoulders. “So this is what they call roughing it?”
“Nope, that would be a tent in the middle of the woods,” Layla replies. “This is… ahh… a level beneath roughing it.”
Mason looks at Layla and chuckles, “In other words, this is roughing it level four.” He nods and letting go of her, he walks to the sliding door. He tries to open it and has to yank at it a couple of times which has Lake laughing.
When Mason finally has the door open, he turns around, and throwing his arms in the air, yells, “Level up!”
After deciding who sleeps where we unpack some of our things.
Seeing Kingsley head down the stairs, I jog to catch up with her. “Hey, Kingsley. Can we talk quickly?” I ask, pointing toward the sliding door.
“Sure.” She follows me outside and asks, “What’s up?”
Taking hold of her arm, I make sure Mason doesn’t see us and pull her out of the view of the living room.
“Layla mentioned you feel uncomfortable with Mason,” I explain. “I just wanted to reassure you that he’s really harmless. He’d never hurt you.”
Kingsley glances out over the nature around us and wets her lips before she says, “I don’t want to make a big scene about it. I’m learning how to handle him.”
“Will you tell me if he ever crosses the line?”
“Won’t it be too late then?” she asks.
“True. Let me rephrase that. If he acts in a way which really scares you, tell me so I can deal with it before it gets out of hand.”
She nods, and a slight smile forms around her mouth. “Thanks, Falcon. I’m probably overreacting. I mean he’s friends with you and Lake, so I’m sure I just have to get to know him better.”
“He would never physically hurt you,” I reaffirm.
“Deep down, I know that,” she admits. “I’ll try and be more patient with him.”
“Thanks, Kingsley.” I gesture to the door. “Let’s go see if the others are ready to head to the resort.”
Chapter 26
Falcon
After having some hot chocolate at the resort and getting the schedule for when we can go up on the mountain, we return to the cabin for an early night after all the driving.
Yawning, I stretch out on the bed while waiting for Layla to finish in the shower.
When she comes into the room and turns off the light, I move over to the left side and wait for her to lie down before I wrap an arm around her so I can pull her closer.
Laying face to face, she asks, “How was your first day at Camp Layla?”
Chuckling, I answer, “I’m not going to lie, it was quite the experience.” It’s definitely not what I’m accustomed to, but I can’t say I hated it.
“Good or bad?”
“Surprisingly good.” Wanting to be close to her, I whisper, “But I’m hoping it’s not over, yet.”
“Yeah?” She moves her right hand to my chest and brushes it down to my abs. “Your abs are my absolute favorite part of your body,” she murmurs.
I lift myself up on my left arm and push her onto her back before I lean down and press my mouth to hers. I had full intentions of going slow until my tongue slips inside her mouth
. It feels like forever has passed since our first time together.
Brushing my tongue against hers, I mimic what I want to do to her. Licking and biting, I forcefully kiss her until she moans into my mouth. I reach for her shirt and breaking the kiss, I breathlessly say, “I want to feel your skin against mine.”
Layla nods quickly, which has me removing her clothes as fast as I can. The urgency to be with her is making me lose my damn mind.
“I want to thrust into you until you’re screaming my name in ecstasy,” I whisper hoarsely as I cup her breast, squeezing hard while my mouth crashes down on hers.
I want to come inside you.
I want to fuck you so badly I can’t think straight.
Sliding my hand down, I slip it between her legs, and when I push a finger inside her, and feel how wet she is, I don’t even think to remove my sweats. I just shove the fabric down, and freeing my cock, I position it at her entrance. I thrust in hard, and it feels so fucking good, I have to rest my forehead on the pillow next to her and take a moment to regain control over my body.
Layla’s arms wrap around me, and using her nails, she drags them down to my ass.
Fuck.
It takes a lot of effort to not just slam into her until I find my release. I lift my head and locking eyes, I warn her, “If you do that again, I won’t be able to go slow.”
“Promise?” she teases, and brings her hands back up to my shoulders, and dragging them down slower and harder than before, which drives me wild with desire for her.
Bracing myself on my right arm, I drive into her with every bit of strength I have. Layla tilts her head back, her lips parting on a moan. Lowering my head, I latch onto her neck, and I suck as hard as I’m fucking her, wanting… needing to leave my mark.
This woman.
She’s the only one who has the power to make me lose total control.
Needing to feel all of her, I press my chest to her breasts and moving both my hands down the side of her body, I push them under her and grab hold of her ass. I bury my face in her neck, and my hips move faster, hitting the sweet spot within her. Creating a perfect rhythm, my body shudders from how good it feels.
Falcon (Trinity Academy Book 1) Page 18
