Total pages in book: 187
Estimated words: 184867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 924(@200wpm)___ 739(@250wpm)___ 616(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 184867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 924(@200wpm)___ 739(@250wpm)___ 616(@300wpm)
“There, all done,” Caleb says after he places the final suture and pats down the wound with some alcohol.
“Thanks,” I say, and I turn around to grab his face and kiss him on the lips.
His kisses are so different from hers, much more needy, but both taste divine. And I’ll be damned if I don’t have both of them.
“I mean it,” I say.
He leans his forehead against mine. “I know.”
“God, I’m so fucking tired,” Blaine says, yawning wildly.
I crawl onto the bed behind Crystal and drag her to me. “Caleb. Blaine. Lie down.”
“What? In your bed?” Blaine asks with widened eyes.
“Is there a problem with my bed?” I retort.
His cheeks redden. “No. But you’ve never asked me before.”
“Don’t make me change my mind,” I say.
A smile forms on his face before he crawls onto the bed and lies down next to Crystal, with his back turned to her. “I want to be the little spoon.”
She wraps her arms around his giant body and laughs.
Caleb rolls his eyes and jumps between us, separating me from my girl.
“Scoot over,” he says, squeezing in, rubbing his butt against me.
“Caleb.” I sigh. “Fine, come here.” And I wrap my arm around both of them, then close my eyes. “Good night.”
“If this is going to be our new normal now,” Crystal mutters. “Then I’m not a prisoner anymore, and I will be going to school tomorrow.”
My whole body jolts up. “What?”
Is she insane?
She just got home after being taken by a bunch of traffickers, and she wants to go to school?
She doesn’t even look at me, but that mischievous grin makes me want to stab her with my dick for being such a bad fucking girl. “Good night.”
CRYSTAL
“Everyone’s staring at us,” Caleb says as we walk through the university’s hallways.
“I’m enjoying the spotlight,” Blaine says, throwing his hair over his shoulder.
“This is such a bad idea,” Caleb says, pulling up his hoodie.
“Yes, go and hide your face, then,” Blaine jests.
“Shut up,” Caleb growls at him.
I snigger.
This day is already going so well. Everyone in the school hallways is staring at us when we walk past, probably wondering why three of the most toxic guys on campus are walking along with me like they’re some kind of lap dogs. And the fact that Ares actually snarls at anyone who dares to look too long doesn’t help either.
Blaine taps Ares on the shoulder, who grips his finger and squeezes so tightly Blaine whimpers.
“Ow.”
“Don’t touch me,” Ares grits.
“I just wanted to ask if you could please pretend you don’t want to kill everyone staring at us.”
Ares releases him. “Fine.”
Blaine retracts his finger and pouts. “That was my good finger.”
“The one you stick up your own ass?” Caleb snorts.
Blaine throws him a glare. “The one I use to unlock my katana from my umbrella, the kind of tech you wouldn’t know a thing about, you brute.”
Caleb grunts at him, but I stop in the middle of the hallway and they all nearly bump into me.
I spin on my heels and point at them. “Stop.”
They all look like they got caught in the act, and Caleb’s even blushing underneath that hoodie of his.
“If you want this to work, you guys gotta stop fighting like that.”
“He started it,” Caleb snarls.
“What?” Blaine scoffs, offended.
“Shut it. Both of you,” Ares tells them. “We’re just going to school. Act normal.”
“Normal?” Blaine laughs in an exaggerated manner. “Good one, darling.”
“I’m serious,” I say. “I can’t have people thinking I’ve lost my mind walking around with you three. I just want things to go back to normal.”
Ares suddenly directs his stern gaze to me, making me gulp. “You will have your normal. But I will not allow you to walk around unguarded.” His gentle caress to my cheeks makes me blush too. “So go to your classes and we will be by the door waiting when it’s finished to take you to the next.”
He places a kiss on my forehead in front of everyone, unafraid to claim me while the school watches. Part of me is mortified, but another glows with pride.
“Now go on. Get to class, little rose.”
I blush and give him a kiss on the cheek before I turn around and walk off under their searing gaze, as well as pretty much everyone else in this hallway.
Good God.
I head inside for my first class and nearly faint when I see Penelope sitting there with bruises all over her arms. When she looks up, she drops the pen she was holding, and I can barely breathe.
“Crystal?”
She sounds shocked, and I don’t know how to react as I approach.
“Is that you?” She looks like she’s seen a ghost, and suddenly gets up and hugs me tight. “Oh my God, it really is you. I was so worried about you. Are you hurt?” She immediately pushes me away and inspects me.