Page 133 of Their Cruel Play
“When is homecoming?” I ask.
Luke opens the car door for me. “A couple weeks. Logistically, that’s going to be a nightmare.”
“How so?” I slide in and put my backpack at my feet.
Luke settles into the driver’s seat and turns to me. “Your mother is the only one who knows about all of us.”
“Oh.” Yeah, that might be weird to the other parents. Most of them know I’m with their son, but not about all of us together.
He starts the car and weaves his way out of my neighborhood toward school.
“Eli’s parents will want pictures. Nico’s and Jack’s too. You’re fortunate. My dad’s just an asshole, so we don’t have to pretend for him to be satisfied. And Caden’s family is never around.”
I don’t know how to feel about Luke’s dad. That comment about wearing something pretty and then what he did to Luke. A fierce need to protect Luke from his father races through me. Fuck, that guy is sleazy. No wonder Luke wants to get away from him.
“I guess I’ll just do retouches between, and Mom will get pics of all of us together.”
“That’d be nice.” He pulls into the parking lot, and suddenly all my anxiety comes back to me. Fuck, Friday night’s game, being trapped, telling everyone that the horsemen have fucked me rush into my brain.
“Maybe we should skip school today.” I groan and sink into the seat.
“Not if we want to get you into Harvard, princess.” He smiles, but he turns to me and cups my cheek. “You’re with us. Nothing bad will happen to you in there. I’ve got you.”
Wow, butterflies again. Really? Luke is not a butterflies guy. Sparks and lust, yes. Butterflies, no.
When he gets out of the car and walks around to my side, I try to give myself a pep talk, but today is just going to suck. Zach wanted to rape me. Tanner still has a plan none of us know, but we’re aware he’s going to go through me to hurt them. The girls want my guys, and I don’t think the label of boyfriend is going to hold them off for long, if at all.
And me? Apparently the boys at school will think I’m open for business. The girls who’ve been calling me a slut will continue. This is not going to be my day.
Luke opens my door and holds his hand down to me. When he helps me out, his hand slides into my hair and he leans down to my ear.
“You’re stronger than you think, Harper. Just act like you’re above it all.” He draws back, and his eyes capture mine for a heartbeat before his lips claim mine.
My insides are a mess of desire and nerves by the time he draws away. His thumb rubs my jaw before he drops his hand to mine, tangling our fingers until we’re one.
We walk along the sidewalk to the others. I keep my chin high and try to ignore the looks. This is going to be my life for the rest of the school year. I might as well get used to it.
When we reach the others, Eli smiles and holds out his hand to me. I release Luke’s and go into his arms. He hugs me close in a warm, soft embrace before tipping my chin up and taking my mouth. It’s never about gentle with Eli’s kisses.
It’s a battle where he craves the war almost as much as he craves my surrender.
When he releases me, I draw in a dazed breath. Jack turns my face to his and captures my mouth. He’s not letting me take the lead this time. There’s almost a desperation to the kiss that makes me want to give him more.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” Jack whispers against my lips.
“Good morning, Jack.” I clench my thighs together at the heat in his eyes.
Caden draws me away and lifts me against him to kiss me. I’m grateful I wore jeans this morning as his hands cup my ass, knowing he doesn’t mind flashing my panties. His kiss is a little more forceful than usual. When he draws away and just holds me for a moment, I tighten my arms around him.
“You okay?” I whisper in his ear.
He nods. “Just missed you last night.”
A little spark of awareness floats through me. I’m not sure if that was sexual or emotional. But either way, it feels like Caden and I are back on solid ground. We still need to talk about Tanner, but I’m hoping to do that tonight.
He sets me down, turns me, and gives me a little shove toward Nico.
“Morning, sunshine.” Nico reaches out for me, and I step into his arms. I have to give a little or we’ll never fix what’s broken. He hugs me to him and kisses the top of my head.
