by ERIN BEDFORD
Ian cocked a brow. “Anything else, princess?”
I ignored his sarcasm and adjusted my clothes before pushing between the two and out into the hallway. “Where’s Dale?”
“Out there playing host, unfortunately.” Ian sighed. “Apparently, the headmaster was called away on some business and has left Dale in charge of handling the welcome back party.”
“Hmmm.” I tapped my lip with my finger before turning with a wicked grin. “Then I guess we better liberate him, don’t you think?”
I started down the hallway, not waiting for the guys to follow. A few more people than before were making their way out of the party in search of somewhere to get it on just like Paul and I had, so it took longer to get back than before. As I navigated through the crowds on the way back to the quad, I could feel the bass of the music along my skin and beneath my feet.
One glance behind me told me all three wizards were trailing behind me. None of them fought to be the one at my side, all of them content to watch me search for our fifth member.
It wasn’t hard to find Dale. His auburn hair stood out amongst the students, and he was the only hot nerd in the bunch. I found him by the refreshment table, dragging a hand through his already mussed hair like he’d been doing it all night as he adjusted his glasses on his nose. His lips were pinched at the sides as he pretended to be interested in whatever the person in front of him was saying.
Now, how to get him away?
A sly grin curled up my lips as I had an idea.
“Dale!” I cried out, rushing to his side to grip his arm with frantic urgency. “There you are! We have a problem. You have to come now.”
Dale’s green eyes moved to me and widened with concern. “Max? What is it? Is someone hurt?” He didn’t even bother to tell the person, a pretty blonde from the Bluebell school, that he was leaving before letting me drag him away.
“This way,” I told him as I pushed a bit of desperation into my voice to make him quicken his pace. “We have to hurry.”
“Max,” Dale called out to me, his hand tightening in mine, “what’s wrong? Did something happen? Please tell me nothing was broken. Headmaster Swordson is going to kill me if I let something happen when he put me in charge.”
I shook my head and pulled him harder. “You just have to come to see. I can’t explain it.”
“Ugh, that doesn’t sound good,” Dale groaned but let me drag him through the mob of people.
When we reached where I’d left the guys, it was my feet that faltered. Beth Ann and her minions were pawing all over them, giggling and tossing their hair. They’d traded out their matching dresses from earlier to ones far shorter but not anymore revealing than before. Classy, even when trying to steal someone else’s man.
“Come now, Ian,” Beth Ann purred, her fingertips trailing up and down his chest. “Just for old times’ sake. I remember how we used to have all kinds of fun together.”
Ian grabbed Beth Ann’s hand and pulled it away, the look in his eyes no longer polite. “I said no. I’m with someone else now.”
Beth Ann scoffed. “You mean that half breed nobody? You can’t tell me a trashy girl like that could ever satisfy you.”
My teeth gritted together, and I was about to lay into the redheaded witch when Paul stepped in. He moved in close to his brother using both of their forms to look down at her. “My brother said no. Don’t you have a fiancé to be entertaining? I don’t think your parents would be too happy to know you were causing a scene.”
“Mind your own business, Paul Broomstein. You’re just jealous that I always found your brother more appealing than you.” Beth Ann sniffed and poked a finger at Paul.
Paul barked a laugh. “Measles are more attractive than you, Beth Ann. Besides, we’re taken. All three of us.” Paul’s eyes flicked over Beth Ann’s head to me, a happy grin on his face. “And here she comes now.”
Beth Ann slowly turned to where I stood with Dale, her eyes widening slightly before they narrowed. “Her? Y’all can’t all be dating her.”
“We can, and we are,” Ian answered as he moved away from Beth Ann to put an arm around my waist before he kissed my cheek. “Max is plenty enough for all of us, so you can stop trying to harass me. I won’t budge.”
I gleeful warmth filled me at his words, and I tried not to look smugly at Beth Ann. Her face contorted with anger as her pale skin started to turn a molten purple. When all four guys were around me, she huffed.
“Fine. Your loss.” Beth Ann flicked her hair over her shoulder. “Ladies!” she called to her minions before turning on her heel and disappearing into the crowd.
I waved at her back, unable to help the smirk on my lips before grabbing a hold of Ian. As I pushed up on my tip toes, I pressed my lips to his cheek and grinned. “I love you.”
Ian stared at me for a second and then I realized what I said. My face heated and I ducked my eyes down, licking my lips as I tried to keep from panicking.
“I mean, uh... you know... uh...”
“Max,” Ian said my name with a softness I’d never heard before as he tipped my chin up so I met his eyes. “I love you too.”
My chest swelled with emotion, and for a moment, I forgot about everyone else in the room. I jumped into his arms, my arms wrapping around his neck as I pulled him close. My tongue attacked Ian’s mouth, as he gripped my hips and kissed me back with equal fever.
It didn’t last long before Dale interrupted by clearing his throat and poking me on the shoulder. I reluctantly pulled away from Ian, my lips swollen and sensitive from our kissing.
“Yeah?” My voice was husky and breathy, my body already wanting to move things a step further.
Dale frowned at me, his brow furrowed. “Didn’t you have an emergency?”
The tone of his voice surprised me. It was sharper than usual. Almost as if he were upset. Was Dale... jealous? It was the first time I’d told any of them that I loved them, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he was. It wasn’t like it was planned though. It’d just come out. Still...
“Uh, yeah...” I shifted out of Ian’s arm and gave him a guilty smile. “I lied. I was... well, we,” I gestured to the others with a bashful shrug of my shoulders, “were kidnapping you.”
Instead of being happy like I thought he would be, Dale’s lips twisted down further. His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared as his hands tightened into fists by his sides.
“You were kidnapping me?” He cocked his head to the side, his words coming out slowly as if he couldn’t comprehend what I said.
“Yes...?” I drew out unsure of where this was going.
“So, you pulled me away from my post, one that the headmaster himself gave me, because why? You wanted to?” Dale snapped, making me wince. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but he cut me off. “No, you may think the world revolves around you because Merlin knows we’ve been making you feel that way, but some of us aren’t in this school on our parent’s money.”
He thumbed at his own chest. “I have responsibilities. I’m on a scholarship, in case you forgot. I can’t just screw off because I have an itch I need to have scratched.”
“Hey, now—” Paul tried to defend me, but Dale just turned his angry gaze on him.
“Stay out of it, Broomstein. You’re just as bad as Max. You elites have it so easy. Don’t want to go to class? Pfft. Teachers look the other way.” Dale’s voice grew louder, and we began to draw a crowd. “Cause a small fire on campus? Who cares? Your parents will donate to the academy. None of you can say you know what it means to work for something you want so badly and then, when you get it, to be treated like crap for trying to keep it.”
I stepped forward and reached my hand out to touch him. “Dale, I never said that.” My eyes moved to the onlookers, and I laced my fingers with Dale’s. “Let’s go outside and talk. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel like your job wasn’t important.”
Dale’s hard eyes softened slightly, and his fingers tightened aroun
d mine as he jerked his head with a nod. “I know. I... I’m just so tired of it all.”
I smoothed my hand down his arm and hugged his side to my chest. “I know.”
“Come on.” Ian gestured his head toward the exit. “I think we all need to unwind a bit.”
After giving the room a cursory glance, Dale let out a hard breath, more of a sigh really, before following Ian. Aidan and Paul brought up the rear as we moved through the crowd. Most of them turned away from us, more interested in partying than some melodrama going on. The only ones who seemed particularly interested were Sabrina, an amused smirk on her lips, and Beth Ann who watched with hawk-like intensity.
I refused to think about what that could mean and focused more on Dale. He needed reassurance, and I was just the woman to do it.
Ian led the way as we made our way through the quad and out to the hallway. I wasn’t sure where he thought we were going, but I trusted Ian knew what he was doing. None of the others tried to squeeze in on my other side or tried to pull my attention from Dale. They seemed to understand that Dale needed me more right now and were okay with it.
I appreciated that. I hated to think that there would be animosity between the guys. I’d always thought that we’d stay together until it didn’t work anymore. I liked to think that day would never come, but sometimes you can’t predict what the loves in your life will do.
When we turned down another hallway, I realized where we were heading. Ian’s room. It was as good of a place as any to hang out in. Ian did have a sitting room, something that I certainly didn’t have, and part of me wondered if it was just because of who he was or because of his level in the school.
“Welcome to my humble abode!” Ian smirked as he pushed open the door to his room and swept an arm inside. The dark blue couches were the same as before, but this time, someone had filled the coffee table and desk with drinks and snacks. Almost as if they knew we would be coming back here.
I asked Ian as much.
As he glanced in my direction, Ian lifted a shoulder. “I might have used a little spell to make sure we had everything we needed tonight...”
“Everything, huh?” Paul lifted one of the potions sitting off to the side with a few charms on cords.
“Are those...?” I arched a brow.
“Yep,” Ian said with a pop at the end. “No little wizards or witches until after graduation.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re a bit presumptuous, aren’t you?”
Ian winked as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Hey, I always hope for the best and better to be prepared than... well, you know.” He moved his hands in front of him, blowing his cheeks out as he held his hands out like he was holding a big ball.
I shook my head and laughed at that. After I got that out of me, I turned to Dale. “Want something to drink?” I released his arm and moved over to the table of refreshments. “It looks like Ian went all out over here.” I shot the wizard in question an appreciative smile.
Ian winked at me again before turning back to Aidan where they were discussing something to do with the games. New rules or something. Dale followed me, his eyes perusing the drinks available. His hand wrapped around a bottle of purple liquid with a label that had a picture of a cartoon man, his eyes heavy-lidded and a lazy grin on his lips.
I picked a pink one, and when I took a sip, it tasted like I had an actual piece of bubble gum in my mouth. A fullness filled my chest, and I put a hand on my heart seconds before a large belch came out. The burp turned into a bubble, pink and shiny as it floated away. My eyes moved to the bottle in my hand, and I rolled my eyes.
“Figures, I’d get one of the ones with side effects like bubble burbs.” I showed Dale the picture on the side of the character surrounded by pink bubbles.
“You have to be careful with those things,” Paul warned me from the couch, his hand already holding a dark brown colored bottle. “If you drink too many, you’ll end up floating yourself to the ceiling.”
My nose wrinkled at the thought before I took another tentative sip. I belched again and sighed dramatically before putting the bottle back down. “I think I’ll just stick with water since I have bad luck with these things.”
But when I glanced back at the table, I didn’t see any water in the mixture of rainbow-colored drinks. Of course not. I sighed once more before closing my eyes and pushing my magic up and out. I held my hand out like I was holding a cup, and a moment later, a bottle of water I had in my bedroom teleported into my hands.
“You’re getting better at that.” Dale nodded toward my hand. “Most don’t master conjuring the smallest of objects, let alone from the other side of the school.”
I lifted a shoulder, a smile playing on my lips as I took a drink of my water. When I swallowed, I walked across the room and sat next to Paul. I threw my legs over his lap and leaned against the side of the couch.
“So, what are we going to do now?”
Paul stroked his hand up and down my leg, teasing beneath my skirt as his fingertips trailed along my inner thigh. “Whatever you want to do, Max. This is your party.”
I threw my head back and laughed before I leaned my arm on the back of the couch while taking another drink of my water. All four pairs of eyes were on me now, and if they had been wolves, I’d say they were circling me, watching to see what my next move would be.
I should have been nervous to have all four of them together at once like this. It was uncharted territory for me and way out of my comfort zone. One on one I was great at. Two on one, I was getting used to. However, four on one? I didn’t even know how to make it work let alone figure out how I felt about it. I mean, we were bound to get to this point, weren’t we?
“Max,” Ian’s voice called out, and my eyes drifted to him. “Stop over thinking it.”
“I’m not—”
“Yes, you are.” Paul’s hand tightened on my thigh, jerking my attention back to him. “We all want you. Don’t you want us?”
I swallowed thickly, licked my lips, and nodded.
Paul shrugged a shoulder. “Then that’s all we need to know, right?” He stopped looking at me long enough to get signs of confirmation from the others. When Paul’s eyes landed back on mine, they were darker as if he knew what was coming before it even happened. I wasn’t even sure what that was. All I knew was that I wanted them.
Maybe Paul was right. Maybe that was all that mattered.
Dale was the first one to move. He pulled his glasses from his face and sat them on the refreshment table before his hands went to his shirt. As he stepped forward, he unbuttoned each button in time with his steps. Finally, he stopped before me on the couch, reached out, and took the bottle of water from my hand. After setting it on the coffee table, Dale took my now-empty hand and placed it on his firm abs, urging me to touch and caress him.
I chewed on my lower lip as I moved my fingers along the warmth of his skin, enjoying the way Dale sucked in a breath whenever I moved too close to his pants. I could see the outline of his erection beneath his pants, and suddenly, I wanted him naked before me.
I glanced over at Ian and Aidan. They had stopped talking and were just watching me... watching me touch Dale. Both had matching looks of arousal and desire on their faces as they watched me move my hands to Dale’s pants. Confidence surged through me as I unsnapped his pants and drew down the zipper, the sound of it the only thing in the room beside our breathing.
When I reached inside of Dale’s pants and released his cock, Dale moaned. I matched that sound as Paul slid his fingers a bit higher to find the crease of my legs and my soaked panties. Slowly, my hand moved up and down Dale’s length, and Paul’s fingers moved in time with mine. Dale’s and my breathing picked up, and my thighs spread further of their own accord. My eyes never left Dale’s face even as my head fell back against the couch’s arm. His gaze switched between watching me pleasure him and watching Paul rub my panties, now visible between my spread legs.
A shadow fell over me
and reluctantly pulled my gaze from Dale to its source, Aidan standing above me. He leaned down until he was almost kneeling, and his mouth meeting mine in an unhurried kiss. I reached up with my free hand, putting it around his neck to pull him closer as our tongues slid against one another.
It was only a few moments into our kiss when something warm and wet pressed itself to my clit. I gasped and pulled away from Aidan long enough to see Ian’s head between my legs. Paul held my panties to the side with one hand and the other probed at my entrance, my insides clenching around the searching digit. I gasped again as Ian sucked harder on me, and my hand on Dale faltered but didn’t stop. Aidan captured my next moan with another kiss, pulling my attention to him once more.
It was an odd thing trying to kiss Aidan while my hand moved over Dale’s cock, all while a raging inferno of pleasure flared to life between my thighs. I was surprised that I was able to multitask so well. I’d never been one to be able to split my attention before, but I’d had plenty of practice lately dating all four of the wizards around me. It made me more assured that I could do this.
My orgasm ripped through me and I had to release Aidan’s mouth to let out a scream that I was sure could be heard down in the quad. It certainly made the room shake and the lights flicker around us. I still haven’t gotten a hold on my magic enough to keep it together when I was, well, falling apart.
However, it didn’t seem to faze my wizards, all of them too intent on making me come apart. Dale came shortly after, spurting his release on my hand. Before I had a chance to worry about it, Dale spelled it away, as if it had never happened.
“That’s handy,” I pointed out with a small lazy smile.
Dale leaned down and kissed my mouth as he cupped one of my breasts in his palm. “Magic does come in handy occasionally. Get it? Handy?” He grinned like he was the first person ever to make a sex joke.
I laughed anyway.
After that, Dale moved over to an empty armchair and flopped down, leaving his shirt and pants undone even as he put his cock away. The other three moved as if they had planned it beforehand. Aidan lifted me up off the couch for a second before sitting me back down... but this time, I was straddling Paul. My hot center cried out with pleasure as it settled against Paul’s exposed length. He must have magicked his clothes off in the brief second I’d been in the air.