Playboy Princes: Royals of Arbon Academy

by Eve, Jaymin

  "Leave it to me," King Felipe told us with a decisive nod. "I'll do some investigation of my own. In the meantime, I'm sure it goes without saying that I don't want either of you to leave Violet alone at the academy? I get the feeling Steve has something more up his sleeve, and he needs Violet and Alex to make it happen. Nowhere is safe outside these palace grounds. Understood?"

  Both Rafe and Jordan nodded their understanding, and I let out a small sigh of relief. There was something so... comforting, knowing we weren't tackling this alone. We had support. Powerful support. This wouldn't just be a case of three teenagers toppling corrupt kings, and thank goodness for that. Those stories were a bit too far fetched, even for a girl living her own fairy-tale adventure.

  "Raffa!" A high pitched squeal pierced my ears, and Jordan hauled me out of the way just in time to avoid going down in a tangle of limbs with Rafe. His twin siblings piled on top of him like puppies, and the sound of his laughter touched my soul.

  Chapter 32

  The next few days passed all too quickly. Queen Jacinta had extended her invitation for the rest of the week, but we all had to return to the academy by Friday, ahead of the Spring Ball on Saturday.

  "Is it terrible that I don't want to go back?" I asked Mattie as we changed into our swimsuits in the room we shared. Despite the Swiss palace being enormous, they had very few unused rooms due to the fact that they provided accommodations to all their household staff and security teams. It was surprising, in the best way, and something that I would forever admire Jacinta and Felipe for. It was a measure of their generosity, and seemed to have a very positive impact on their employees’ attitudes.

  “It’s understandable,” she said, adjusting the straps on her eight pieces of string masquerading as a swimsuit. We’d had a bunch of clothes and toiletries provided to us, and Mattie had wasted no time grabbing the designer-and-skimpy line of options. I’d gone with more casual.

  I mean, I was wearing a bright red bikini, but it covered all of my tits and most of my ass. Mattie could not say the same.

  Throwing on coverups and flip flops, we left our room and followed the path that led down to the private springs we’d been using. This was for the royal family only, and we hadn’t run into anyone else in the times we’d used it.

  “How is it that Rafe is such a prickly bastard,” I wondered aloud after thinking about it constantly over the last few days, “and yet he has such a wonderful family? I honestly expected them to be monsters, creating that little ball of delight that is their son.”

  Not that Rafe had been anything less than amazing during our time here, going all out to make sure we were having a great vacation. But who could forget those first few months of asshole attitude? There had to be a reason someone was like that.

  Mattie’s lips twitched, and she took a moment to look around to make sure we were alone. “His parents are wonderful,” she said softly, “but his grandfather was not. When he was the king, this land was vastly different, and… Well, it’s not my story to tell, so I won’t say much more. But just know that this family has been forged in fire, and that’s why they carry their strength so elegantly.”

  I swallowed hard, all of a sudden feeling sick that I’d judged Rafe so harshly for his actions and attitude. Mattie didn’t exaggerate things like this. She also wasn’t overly dramatic. And that meant…

  Fuck.

  “The twins?”

  They were incredibly cute and funny, and I adored hanging out with them. Lucy-Liun was legitimately a mini, female version of Rafe, and she obsessively loved her big brother, hanging off him all the time.

  Jean-Luc was like Rafe too, especially in personality. He was reserved and protective, keeping an eye on his sister, even when no threats were around. They were very grown up for only being eight years old. And that added more dread to what was already accumulating in my stomach.

  “They were too young,” she said simply. “Rafe and his father copped the worst of it. The crown heirs.”

  I tried to remember when the grandfather had died, passing the throne on to his son, but it wasn’t immediately coming to me. Clearly within the last twenty-one years since Rafe was that old.

  “Should I ask him about it?”

  Mattie looked torn, and we both fell silent as we reached a set of doors that were opened for us by two uniformed guards. The chill of the outside air hit us, and since the sun had almost completely set, it was only getting colder by the minute.

  “Quick, we need to get our asses in the water before we freeze,” she gasped.

  Our pace picked up, flipflops slapping against the gorgeous travertine floors that lined the outside of this area. I heard the catcalls of the guys before we reached them, and it was with no surprise I found Nolan cannonballing off one of the large, rocky overhanging’s.

  These natural springs had not been altered from what had been built into the land by nature itself. The castle had been molded to fit around them, and they were beyond spectacular. The sight took my breath away, forcing me to stand there in awe until I got too cold and had to move forward.

  “Just be careful,” Mattie whispered, and it took me a second to realize she was answering my question from before. “Rafe… Don’t push him too far. He has a line.”

  I nodded, understanding exactly what she was saying. I could ask about his past, but if he refused to answer, it was safest not to push him. Didn’t mean I’d follow that, but I definitely understood.

  Rafe’s reticence was mostly the reason why I considered us nothing more than fuck buddies. If you didn’t let someone go deeper beneath your skin than a little P in V, then there was nothing more there. Jordan pushed me for more. For deeper.

  Rafe did not.

  Why this was bothering me so much, I was so not ready to examine.

  “Get yo’ asses in the water,” Nolan called before he catapulted himself off the ledge again, disturbing the peaceful calm of the eerily blue waters.

  Mattie and I hurried to the small hut that had places to hang our robes and stash our flipflops. There were tons of towels and other items there for our use as well, including snacks and a sound system.

  Right now it wasn’t on; all of us had grown accustomed to the stunning silence of this area. Silence and Nolan’s obnoxious catcalling.

  I stood there a second, shivering my ass off in nothing more than a two-piece swimsuit, then hurried into the water. I sighed in relief as the warmth wrapped around my legs and then my thighs, like a bath. It was almost too hot at first, but as my chilled skin adjusted, everything inside of me relaxed.

  “These waters are rumored to have healing properties,” Rafe said, swimming like a fucking fish and popping up behind me.

  Shark might be more accurate, silent and deadly, the apex predator.

  “Is that why your family built your home here?” I asked, keeping an eye on him as he circled around me. The springs weren’t that deep here, but I did have to bob up and down to keep my mouth out of the water. It tasted sort of salty, but not in a bad way. And my skin had felt amazing after each time I’d swum here.

  “My great-grandfather was the one who owned this land originally,” he said, gaze on me, the fading light highlighted behind him. “We lived here with Grandfather, but this wasn’t how the house looked. It was ugly, all stone and harsh lines. Big and imposing, it blocked out the natural landscape, rather than working with it. Dad had that shithole knocked down the second his father died. We’ve never looked back since.”

  Fuck. Perfect timing to ask some of my questions.

  We were alone—Mattie, Nolan, and Jordan were all rock jumping—and he’d brought it up first.

  “Your grandfather,” I said softly. “He’s the reason this was a prison?”

  He stopped swimming and lifted himself out of the water to stand straight. I was distracted by the fucking massive expanse of smooth, muscled skin, tattoos, and the way the water hugged and loved him, running in arcs all over his body.

  Rafe smirked, no doubt
noticing the way he affected me, and I quickly shrugged it off. He pushed in closer to me then, and whatever cool I’d managed to recover was lost in the hard body that was crowding mine.

  “Did I ever tell you that red is my favorite color?” he murmured, lips scraping across my jaw, tongue following as he caressed my skin.

  A choked, breathless laugh left me. “Would have guessed black.”

  “Like my soul?” he asked, pulling back a little. “Or maybe my heart.”

  He shifted, like he was going to move away, and before I could stop myself, my hand shot out, grabbing onto the waistband of his swim shorts. Why the fuck I’d decided to grab there, so close to his dick I could practically feel it under my hand, was beyond me. All I knew was that I needed him to stay.

  “Your soul is not black,” I said harshly. “Or your heart. I’ve known evil people, Rafe. I’ve loved them and suffered for it. I know the difference between someone who is a moody bastard with a problem tolerating the weaknesses of others, and someone who is straight up dark.”

  He kissed me. It was hard and fast, and I gasped, releasing his shorts as I was pulled firmly against his chest.

  “Fuck,” I gasped again, unable to catch my breath. “What are you doing to me?”

  He took my lower lip between his teeth, biting down almost hard enough to break the skin. “Anything I fucking want,” he replied. His tongue slammed into my mouth, taking what he wanted, just as he’d said, and I gave it willingly.

  "Raffa!" A high pitched squeal echoed across the pool, and Rafe's pained groan made me laugh.

  "Go away, Lucy!" he shouted back at his little sister, barely sparing her a glance before dipping his head to kiss me again. Silly boy, he should have known better.

  "Ewwwwwww!" The little girl’s shriek sounded a whole lot closer now. "Are you and Violet kissing?" Her utter horror made me dissolve into giggles, and I sank into the water to escape her prying eyes.

  Rafe, though, turned on his little sister with murderous rage. Fake murderous rage, I was pretty sure, but she didn't know that. The little princess let out a shrill scream, bolting when her big brother jumped out of the spring and chased after her.

  It was cute as shit seeing him play with his siblings like that. But also, what a little cockblocker! I needed to keep my eye on young Lucy-Liun.

  "Rafe gone to murder the munchkin?" Nolan asked with a laugh, swimming over to me with Mattie and Jordan not far behind. "That kid loves him so damn much."

  I grinned. "I know. It's weird seeing this side of him."

  "We all have our layers, New Girl," Nolan told me with a wink. "But you know what this party needs?"

  "This is a party?" Mattie asked with sarcasm.

  Nolan just rolled his eyes. "Anything can be a party with the right company, sister dear. And booze. It needs booze."

  Mattie smiled broadly and nodded. "Hell yeah, it does."

  "Well, come on then, womb mate. Let's get some drinks!" Nolan jerked his head in the direction of the palace. It wasn't like they needed to get out of the water or anything; there was a little service window where the water met the side of the palace that they could just swim right up to. Still, Mattie wrinkled her nose.

  "You don't need my help, Noles. Just go order from one of the staff."

  Nolan flicked an apologetic glance at Jordan, then grabbed Mattie by the shoulder. "Come and help me get drinks, Mattie," he repeated, speaking slowly and clearly as if she were hard of hearing. "Now, Mattie." He gave her shoulder a tug, and she rolled her eyes.

  "You're acting really weird, Nolan," she grumbled, but swam away with him to get those ever-so-important drinks.

  I snickered a laugh. "He really is acting weird," I commented to Jordan, agreeing with Mattie. "What's going on?"

  He shrugged, gliding closer to me in the warm water. "I might have asked him to distract her for a few minutes."

  My brow hitched, and butterflies started flapping around in my belly. "Oh yeah? And why's that?"

  Taking my hand in his under the water, he swam leisurely backward, pulling me with him until we reached the far side of the springs, as far away from our friends as we could get while still inside the hot water.

  "Because I’ve missed you, Violet," he finally replied in a soft voice. "All week I've been trying to steal a moment alone with you, but..." He trailed off with an exasperated sigh. I knew what he meant, though. Between sharing a room with Mattie, tea with Queen Jacinta, and games with the twins, alone time had been nonexistent.

  "Hmm," I murmured, swimming closer to him and snuggling into the embrace of his arms. "Well, how long does it take for them to get drinks?"

  "Not anywhere near long enough," he lamented, "but I'll take what I can get."

  The way Jordan kissed me always seemed to turn me into a puddle of goo. The dance of his mouth over mine, the way he nibbled and caressed my lips and his hands roamed my body made me feel like the whole center of his universe. Like I was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Like he cared a hell of a lot more about me than he should for this casual thing we had going.

  It was a worrying thought, but I shoved it aside to deal with later. Mattie and Nolan would be back any moment, and I didn't want to waste even a second of our time alone.

  "You have no idea how badly I've needed that this week," Jordan whispered as his lips moved to my neck and my back rested against the cool stone at the edge of the spring. "It's like I've been in withdrawal. And I'm wondering if Rafe assigned the rooms deliberately."

  I snickered at the idea, then quietly admitted that did seem like something he'd do. If he couldn't get any sex while in his parents house, no one else could either.

  "Jordan..." I groaned in warning as his hands found the scrap of fabric masquerading as my bikini bottoms. "Mattie and Nolan will be back any second now."

  Still, when his fingers rubbed me through the wet cloth, I didn't move away. In fact, I arched into his hand, encouraging him to keep going.

  "Shh," he laughed, pressing light, teasing kisses to my lips. "So long as you're quiet, I can make you come before they get back over here."

  I whimpered, but who was I kidding? I needed the release just as badly as he needed to give it, so I looped my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, relaying my consent silently.

  He pushed the crotch of my briefs aside, sliding two fingers into me and rubbing at my clit with his thumb, and I jerked against his grip.

  Holy shit, it was like he had a sixth sense or something because there was no fumbling around for the right spots. I wiggled against his hand, panting as I nipped his neck, begging for more.

  "Shhh," he shushed me again with a breathy laugh. "You don't want Nolan to hear us. He'll want to watch."

  I whimpered but bit my lip to hold the worst of the noises back as Jordan fucked me with his hand, working me into a frenzy within moments. Right as two shadowy figures appeared in the steam, I spasmed and bucked with my climax, but Jordan generously swallowed my screams with his mouth.

  "Guys, seriously?" Mattie called out, wading ever so slowly closer with a tray of drinks in her hands. "Quit making out. I'm so not down to being the fifth wheel if this turns into an orgy situation."

  Jordan laughed at her joke, easing his fingers out of me and righting my bikini under the water. Thank god it was already getting dark and there was little chance of anyone seeing anything amiss.

  Noles and Jordan traded some joking insults with each other, and Mattie handed me one of the fruity cocktails she'd had the bartender whip up for us. When Rafe returned soon thereafter, the five of us just spent the next few hours splashing and laughing and getting way too damn drunk.

  It was heaven, and I refused to think about what waited for us back at the academy. Nothing could douse the happiness I felt in that moment.

  Chapter 33

  The journey back to Arbon Academy was mostly silent, though not in an uncomfortable way. The five of us had bonded on a whole deeper level over the week we'd spent with Rafe's
family. It was more just a pensive kind of quiet.

  On the plane, after we'd reached cruising altitude, Rafe had unbuckled our seat belts and pulled me into his lap. That was it. Just pulled me into his lap, looped his arms around me, and stared out the window silently until we were told to return to our seats for landing.

  It was a sweet gesture, but it sparked something painful in my chest. I knew I was playing with fire with this thing going on between him, Jordan, and I... But I couldn't stop. I couldn't walk away from either of them, no matter how badly it was destined to end.

  We’d made our return to the academy as late as possible without breaking the dean's strict instructions, but it meant that the whole campus was asleep by the time we got in.

  Nolan and Mattie wished us good-night and both disappeared into their dorm rooms, leaving me with my two princes.

  "Thanks for this week," I told them as we reached my door. "It was... amazing. Thank you for sharing your home with me, Rafe."

  He gave a nonchalant shrug, not meeting my eyes as he replied. "Not a big deal, Cinderella."

  I bit my lip to keep from calling him on his bullshit. "Okay, well. Thanks anyway. See you guys at breakfast?"

  Jordan quirked a brow, brushing past me as I opened my door and entering my bedroom.

  "You didn't seriously think we were leaving you alone tonight, did you?" Rafe asked, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Catch up, Vi. You remember what my father said?"

  Trust no one. Nowhere is safe outside this palace.

  That included the academy. I knew that. But...

  "Both of you?" I asked, following them into my room and closing the door carefully behind me. "Might be a tight squeeze." I forced a laugh, and it fell really fucking flat.

  Jordan ran a hand through his hair, giving me a sympathetic look. "Violet. You're not safe here. Not when Alex and his dad are willing to let the nurse literally drug and violate you. What's next? They rape you? I'm sorry, we're not leaving you alone for even a second. Either of us."