by Eve, Jaymin
I didn’t know where to look. I didn’t know what to think. But a huge part of me was literally hyperventilating at the thought of having both of them in this room with me.
“Okay, I trust this is safest,” I said softly, not stupid enough to push this issue out of my own discomfort. “But how is it going to work?”
Jordan gently shoved me toward the bathroom. “You can shower and change, and then we’ll all crawl into your more-than-big-enough bed and try and get some sleep.”
I swallowed hard, attempting to stop what I was thinking from spreading across my face.
“Okay, sure, sounds good,” I said in fake casualness. “Absolutely fine.”
I managed to walk my way to where my pajamas were and grab out a soft pair of shorts and the matching tank top. Clean underwear and we were good to go.
When I closed the bathroom door, shutting out those two perfect, gorgeous faces, I sank back against it.
I mean, this really wasn’t an issue in the larger scheme of things. I was doing stuff with both of them, we’d all been naked—we could freaking sleep in the same bed. I just had a scary suspicion that the fire I had been playing with up to now, trying to juggle both princes, was on the edge of a raging inferno.
And I wasn’t sure I could handle the heat.
The shower helped relax me, and when I was done—hair braided, face clean and moisturized, legs shaved; basically everything I could do to delay the inevitable—I left the bathroom.
Jordan and Rafe were chatting, both of them leaning back on my headboard, long legs stretched out in front of them. Jesus.
A girl could get used to this.
“Bathroom’s free,” I said, and Jordan jumped to his feet, brushing a kiss across my face as he passed me.
Rafe also got to his feet, eyes dragging along my baby pink pjs, and from the heat there, one would think I was in the sexiest, skimpiest underwear in the world. I cleared my throat. “So, uh, thanks for taking my safety so seriously. I’ve never had anyone really give a fuck before. Not like this. So… yeah, thanks.”
I was rambling. I was fucking nervous for the stupidest reason.
“Come here,” Rafe ordered, holding his hand out. His face dared me to disobey him, so of course, that was exactly what I wanted to do.
The darkness in his face deepened, as did the butterflies in my stomach.
“Don’t make me come to you, Violence,” he drawled, eyes turning stormy. “Promise you won’t like it if I do.”
I tilted my chin back. “Hmmm, you might be wrong there. I think I’ll like it a lot.”
His lips twitched, the smallest of smiles appearing.
“How about a compromise?” I burst out before he could follow through with whatever he was going to say next. “I’ll meet you halfway?”
He took a long time to answer, and I heard the water turn off in my bathroom as Jordan finished up with whatever he was doing.
“I don’t compromise,” Rafe finally murmured, almost like he was surprised. “But I will for you.”
And then he took a step forward. I did the same thing, and in two more steps we stood right before each other.
“This is going to get you in trouble,” he said, fisting the thin cotton of my tank.
I snorted. “What? My pajamas?”
Rafe’s smirk grew more pronounced. “Well, yes, but also your smart mouth.”
I gave him my own full smile back. “Hmmm, I think you’re starting to love my smart mouth.”
He leaned down. “You might be right about that.” He said it so softly, but I heard him.
Just as our lips touched, the bathroom door opened, and Jordan strolled out. Wearing just his fucking underwear. He had on boxer briefs, the tight kind, and I blinked as Rafe laughed.
“Well played, asshole,” he said before he brushed a light touch across my cheek and left to take his turn.
“Come on, Vi,” Jordan said, holding out a hand to me. Meanwhile I was busy watching the way those boxers cupped him in all the right places.
I wasn’t strong enough for this. Not. Strong. Enough.
Jordan led me to the bed, pulling back the covers so we could crawl onto the heavenly softness of my mattress. Truthfully, after sleeping in Rafe’s castle for a week, it wasn’t quite as luxurious, but still damn nice.
And I was exhausted.
“Maybe I’ll sleep tonight,” I pondered out loud. “I grew up sharing a room with a lot of kids, and it’s been much harder to rest since coming to the academy.”
Jordan, who was on my right side, rolled over so he was facing me. “We’ll keep you safe. You can sleep without worry tonight.”
I turned my head to see him better, just the light of one lamp illuminating his face. “This feels like a dream,” I whispered. “I don’t want to wake from it.”
He shifted forward until our lips met, and I could have cried at how perfect it was.
This is what I had meant with the dream thing. Something this incredible… it was destined to end.
By the time Rafe was done, Jordan and I were almost asleep, but I felt him crawl in on the other side of me, pushing me over a little as he wrapped his arms around me. Even in my drowsy state, I felt that he too was clad in nothing more than boxers, and I let out a low groan before I could stop myself.
Both princes stilled on either side of me, which I could feel because they were pressed against my body.
Long, hard lengths of skin on skin.
“This is a bad idea,” I half joked.
“Shut up and go to sleep before I show you how bad it can be,” Rafe said harshly, his breathing a little accelerated.
I was never going to be able to sleep like this. Seriously. My heart was about to beat out of my chest, and my vagina was about to go rogue and jump whichever dick she found first.
“Violet,” Rafe warned, like he could hear my thoughts.
With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and tried to think of anything other than the two princes.
Anything.
A warm hand landed on my stomach, another on my thigh. Neither of them belonged to the same person, and both of them moved in slow, hypnotic strokes across my skin. It was soothing, somehow, and I felt a little more tension leave as my eyelids drooped.
I had been tired for a long time, and maybe, just maybe, Jordan was right. I was going to sleep tonight.
The next morning, I woke to slow strokes across my spine, and my face was buried in someone’s chest. I didn’t open my eyes, wanting to enjoy this moment, the sensation of being held and touched like this.
To say I was surprised that all three of us were still in bed would be an understatement. I’d expected Rafe to leave early this morning, but maybe it was actually too early for that. I squinted a tiny bit to find the room was still dark.
“You awake, Princess?” Rafe drawled, his voice close to my ear. Rafe was the one I was half-sprawled over, but I’d somehow managed to get my legs tangled with Jordan’s. He had been asleep, only waking when Rafe spoke.
“What time is it?” I asked huskily.
“Too damn early,” Jordan replied, rolling onto his side and hauling me against his chest. “Go back to sleep.”
I snuggled into his embrace, fully agreeing. Rafe kept hold of my hand that had been draped on his chest, linking our fingers together in that cute, couple kind of way. It hurt my soul because every sweet gesture, every new depth we uncovered in this... whatever the fuck this was... it took me two steps closer to getting my heart broken again.
Suddenly consumed with negativity to the point of feeling physically ill, I extracted myself from Jordan's arms and wriggled off the bed. Dodging two sets of curious eyes, I stretched my arms over my head and yawned.
"We should get breakfast or something," I suggested like a totally awkward loser. Ugh, there should be a handbook on how to handle waking up in bed with two playboy princes who'd both become intimately acquainted with my vagina.
Right when the weight of their assessing stares
was getting next level uncomfortable, my palm reader buzzed against my wrist with an incoming call, and I sighed in relief. "Thank fuck," I muttered under my breath, checking the caller before clicking answer call.
"Hey girl," I said, turning away from the delicious meals lying in my bed. "What's up?"
"What's up?" she snapped back, her voice carrying through the room, seeing as I'd answered on loudspeaker. "What's up with you, dirty bitch? I've been trying to get hold of you all morning, and neither Jordan or Rafe were in their rooms. Know anything about that?"
"Uh..." I couldn't help myself; I shot a look at the two of them. Damn them straight to hell, they just looked casual as shit, grinning at me all smug-like. "Wait, all morning? What time is it?"
"Almost one," she replied, and the background noise sounded like she was in the dining room. "Want me to grab you some food to go? Alex is here with a face like a smacked ass, so I don't recommend coming down yourself."
"Shit," I cursed, running a hand over my loose braid and tugging the end anxiously. Mattie and I had hair and makeup appointments in less than half an hour, and I still had no idea what I was wearing for the Spring Ball. Mattie swore she had it all taken care of, and I was sure she did. But I still wanted to have some idea whether to prepare for a pink meringue dress or not.
Mattie just laughed and said something about bringing me coffee before ending the call, and I whirled around to glare at my bodyguards.
"Did you know what time it was?" I demanded, uncertain which of them I should be glaring at harder.
Neither of them looked shocked, so I was going to assume they did. Bastards.
"You slept well, though, didn't you?" Jordan pointed out with a yawn. "And so did we."
Exasperated, I threw my hands in the air, mentally tallying all the things I needed to do. "Mattie's on her way," I told them. "Let her in when she gets here?"
Without waiting for them to agree, I scurried my ass into the bathroom and closed the door tightly behind me. If I were being totally honest, the biggest reason for my frayed nerves was still in my bedroom. Both of them. But that was an issue for future Violet to deal with.
We had a ball to prepare for, and—regretfully—I had my ex-boyfriend's parents to meet.
Chapter 34
"You look stunning," Mattie breathed, her eyes wide as I turned to face her. The hair and makeup artists had just finished, and I had to admit... they’d done an incredible job. My dress was purple, a deep, rich color that reminded me of berries. It was tight at the top, the material crossing over my body with a single shoulder strap. And the skirt, it was full and puffy. Proper princess mode.
“How did you get it to fit so perfectly?” I asked, twirling and admiring myself like a proper narcissist. I mean, legit, if there was one moment you needed to be self-focused, it was when dressed like a freaking supermodel.
“I measured you while you were asleep,” she replied casually.
I stopped twirling, blinking at her. “I mean, that’s…”
“Creative? Ingenious?”
“Creepy,” I said with a snort of laughter. “Super fucking creepy, but I can’t complain about the end result.”
Mattie shrugged like she didn’t really care about the creep factor of her actions, then grinned. “In all seriousness, you don’t sleep long or soundly enough for me to try anything like that. I stole one of your dresses, and the designer worked from that.”
That did make more sense. Especially recently.
“You did pretty good with your dress as well,” I said with fake casualness. “I mean, if you’re into that whole glamor queen, goddess, dropped-from-the-heavens sort of look.”
Mattie wore gold, the sort of shimmery gold that caught and held the eye without need for any further adornment. Unlike mine, hers didn’t have a full skirt; instead it was slimline, skimming and holding to her body and showcasing her very impressive assets. It was low cut in the front, tits way out for the world to see, and to make it even more intense, was equally low cut in the back.
If by equally, I meant right down to the top of her ass.
Her hair was dead straight, her eyes winged like motherfuckers, and with gold shimmer on every inch of exposed skin, one might think a literal goddess had been dropped in their midst.
“This is my favorite designer,” she said with a twirl of her own. “Cami Loren. She is a legit genius, and I won’t wear a gown not by her.”
I looked down at my own. “Is mine by her too?”
Mattie looked at me like I was insane. “Uh, yes. That’s why it’s so fucking bangin’”
There was a knock on the door then, and I jumped because I’d sort of forgotten that the real world was waiting out there and that Mattie and I hadn’t just spent hours being plucked, prodded, made up and dressed so we could stand around her room and admire ourselves.
“Our dates have arrived,” Mattie squealed, hurrying over to open the door.
“You mean your dates. I have to make an appearance with Ale…”
My words dried up as I got my first look at the two princes in the doorway.
Fuck me sideways and dead.
Rafe and Jordan. Side by side. Both in fancy black suits. Their outfits were clearly custom made to fit their broad shoulders and tapered down to slim hips. Jordan actually wore a tie with his, but Rafe’s was open collar, and as he moved, I caught a tantalizing glimpse of bronze skin.
“Jesus, Violet,” Jordan said as he stalked closer to me, his long-legged strides eating up the distance between us in seconds. “You look unbelievably beautiful.”
He caught and held my gaze, and it was like he’d never seen another chick in his life.
The intensity…
I swallowed hard. “Thanks. I mean, this is all just a fancy designer dress and Mattie’s makeup chick. I didn’t really do anything.”
Rafe’s laugh was low and raspy, and I almost arched my spine as that sound caressed my ears.
“The wrappings have nothing on the present,” he said, finally moving closer. Side by side with Jordan, it was obvious he was a tiny bit taller, a little broader, and a lot darker. But Jordan more than held his own, one of the few men in the world—that I knew of anyway—who could come close to touching the Fallen Angel beauty of Rafe.
His fighting persona was an apt description.
“I already hate tonight,” I whispered, some of my vulnerability appearing. “Watching you two dance with other women, having to touch Alex, that fucking piece of shit.”
Knowing my luck, Brandon would be there too, probably teaming up with Claudette to commit some atrocity toward me.
I mean, I hadn’t seen his pathetic face since the fight, but no doubt he’d had time now to lick his wounds and would be raring for some revenge.
Rafe wrapped his hand around the back of my neck in a sudden, possessive sort of move. Now normally, with anyone else, I would have fought against this type of hold, but with Rafe, I just wanted to step closer. Press against him. Have him strip this fucking dress, which had taken ten minutes just to get on, right off me.
A low rumble filled the space between us, and I realized it was from him. “Tonight is the last night we do this with Alex,” he said softly, but with a deadly undertone. “After this, I don’t care what we have to pay, we are going to end this bullshit.”
Hope. It was a dangerous line to walk because when it was dashed, the pain was beyond devastating. But in that moment with Rafe, I believed what he said. This was the last time I’d have to endure Alex, the last time I’d be forced to touch or kiss someone I detested to keep myself alive.
“Okay,” I whispered. “I can do this. I can do this for one more night.”
Rafe’s grip tightened, not that he was hurting me, but he was forcing me closer and closer. Jordan didn’t move, so I was touching both of them.
“That’s my girl,” Rafe murmured, before he leaned in and kissed me. When he let me go, his hand falling from my neck, I almost groaned at the loss of contact.
> Jordan came to the rescue, distracting me with a kiss of his own. “The virus should complete tonight anyway,” he told me when he pulled back. “If it all goes to plan, Alex will be out of your life for at least the few months it’ll take his family to sort that mess out.”
A few months wasn’t much, but I’d take it. Jordan’s idea would at least buy us some more time for a more permanent plan after Alex got himself out of this one.
There was another knock on the door, and I knew it was time for us to get moving.
As I straightened, Mattie hurried forward and fixed up my lip-gloss, and then we were ready to go.
Nolan hurried inside the room. “Sorry!” he called, giving his sister a hug. “I got my underwear stuck in my zipper, and it took me twenty minutes to free myself without breaking my dick. Was a fucking mission with a cock this size, let me tell you.”
Mattie hauled her arm back, but Jordan grabbed her hand before she could land her strike. Jordan was her date for the night, Rafe and Nolan were going solo, and I was on my way to a date with the devil.
My palm reader buzzed, and I knew it was Alex. Fucker had timing, that was for sure.
Alex: Waiting at the front entrance. Do not arrive with those fucking assholes.
Every word chafed at me, and I was having some doubts I would make it through tonight after all. Hurrying back to the mirror, I took a second to look the dress over again, this time with different eyes.
Rafe’s face appeared behind mine in the glass. “You don’t need your weapon,” he said, a smile finally gracing his face. “I’ll be there.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How did you know?” I waved him off before he could answer. “Never mind. You always know everything. Observant bastard.”
Universal truth about Rafe, nothing got past him.
My palm reader buzzed again, and I sighed because there was no avoiding it any longer.
Time to suck it up and do my duty.
One last time.
Chapter 35
If anyone asked me, I'd deny it. But deep down, as a little girl huddled alone in the cold, feeling the clawing pain of hunger in my belly, I'd pictured what my life would be like as a princess. It seemed like such a silly, little-girl fantasy, but in a world of monarchies, I was sure I wasn't the only one.