Magic Gambit (Hidden World Academy Book 3)

by Sadie Moss

  “They sound great.”

  “They really are.”

  Theo wraps his arm around me, his expression a bit shy. “I wish I could meet them someday.”

  My heart squeezes in my chest. God, I want that too. I want my parents and my brother to meet all three of my men. I just know Shane would adore Cross, and that Theo would sweep my mom off her feet. Kasian and my dad would get along great, they’re both serious and thoughtful.

  “I wish you could too,” I tell him. “So much.”

  I have no idea which one of us leans in. Maybe it’s both of us at the same time. But one moment I’m staring into Theo’s beautiful gray eyes, and the next moment we’re kissing. Soft, sure, deep. At first it’s just warmth, tenderly making out—which I didn’t think was really a thing. I always pictured making out as hot and dirty, but I know better now.

  It is possible to be tender, to be romantic even, while making out.

  I love it.

  Of course, it doesn’t stay that way. It never really does with my guys. Maybe on the roof of the tallest building on campus—or any building really—isn’t the smartest place to get hot and heavy, but when Theo pulls me into his lap and I can feel him hard against me, his cock rubbing just right between my legs, I can’t possibly resist.

  I grind against him harder, and he makes a noise in his throat, one hand coming up to thread through my hair. He fists it close to the roots, the grip not hard enough to sting but enough to give me something to pull against as I fight to get closer to him, my lips becoming hungrier and more demanding.

  He tugs me back a fraction of an inch, breaking our kiss as he gazes into my eyes, and there’s so much contained within his slate-gray irises that it makes my stomach clench. I rock harder against him, and he releases his grip on my hair to palm the back of my head.

  It feels like he was about to say something, but as his tongue strokes against mine, I realize why he didn’t.

  He’s already telling me everything he needs to right now.

  In the way he touches me.

  The way he kisses me.

  The way his arms band around me and his heart thuds against mine.

  In this moment, I can sense everything Theo feels for me, and the depth of his emotion nearly bowls me over.

  I hope he can feel it from me too—the entirety of my feelings for him. The tenderness and heat he sparks within me, and the way it lightens my soul to be around him.

  Roxie’s propensity for wearing skirts and tops that make her look like she just stepped off a runway has been a source of some annoyance for me, and I’ve been gradually shifting a little closer to my personal style choices in how I dress around campus. But I can’t deny there are some benefits to wearing skirts often.

  Only the fabric of my simple cotton panties separates me from the growing hardness I can feel straining against Theo’s pants, and I take advantage of that fact, rubbing against him like a cat until I find just the right spot.

  When I give a breathy whimper, he growls against my lips, thrusting his hips up a little to hit the spot again.

  The low wall protects us from the elements, as well as from the view of anyone on the ground or inside other buildings. No one but the air and the birds and the sky knows we’re up here, and that thought makes heat bloom inside me.

  Before I met these three men, the most adventurous place I’d ever had sex was in the back seat of a car—and it wasn’t even all that great. But Theo and my other two boyfriends have a way of sparking something inside me that makes me do things I never would’ve had the guts to before.

  It’s a cold day, but a little pocket of warmth builds between us, and when Theo opens my jacket and flicks open the top three buttons of my blouse, I suck in a breath as cool air hits my skin. He tugs the cups of my bra down until my breasts pop out over the tops, exposing them completely. Then he dips his head to draw one nipple into his mouth, and my pussy clenches hard as sensation shoots through me like a bolt of lightning.

  “Fuck. Theo!”

  My words are picked up by the air and carried away as my hands fly to his head, gripping tightly as my fingers delve into his soft, dark hair. He sucks hard before teasing my nipple with his tongue, and when he finally releases it to move to my other side, the air feels colder on my wet skin. The little bud draws so tight it’s almost painful, and I pull my bottom lip between my teeth to keep from making a noise someone on the ground below us will hear.

  Fuck. I thought we were being all sneaky and shit. Theo’s about to make me alert the whole campus that we’re having sex on the roof.

  Of course, we’re not actually having sex yet. There’s still time for us to pull ourselves back together, head back down the stairs, and go back to my dorm room or his where we could have sex on a nice comfy bed.

  But if I’m being honest here, there’s no way that’s gonna happen.

  I’m panting hard, sucking in ragged lungfuls of cold air as Theo buries his face against my skin, the warmth of his mouth a delicious contrast to the cold elements. I wedge a hand between us and pop the button on his pants, tugging the zipper down before working my hand inside.

  When my palm meets warm, velvety skin, I take out every bit of arousal I’m feeling on it, wrapping my fingers around the pulsing thickness and pulling a choked grunt from Theo’s lips.

  Never one to let me have the upper hand for too long, he begins skimming his hands over my body, running them down my spine, palming my ass and massaging it with a firm grip.

  Then he slips one of his hands beneath my skirt, sliding his fingers beneath the waistband of my panties. His warm, calloused fingers caress my skin, and when he slips his hand between my cheeks, teasing my back hole with his fingertips, I jerk in his arms. My eyes open wide, and the grin he gives me is pure, unadulterated sex.

  “I loved being inside you, Gabbi,” he murmurs, and as he speaks, he slips his finger inside the tight ring of muscles, demonstrating exactly what he means and making a stream of incredible memories rush through my mind.

  “Yeah?” I gasp, because I want him to keep talking. His rich, accented purr is making my clit throb harder, and I can tell from the rasp in his voice that the memories are affecting him too.

  “It was incredible,” he murmurs, pressing his finger deeper inside me. My hand grips his cock tighter, my movements becoming a little rougher. “I couldn’t have imagined it would feel so fucking good. You were so tight. I could feel Cross inside you too. Filling you just like I was.”

  Fuck. Oh, holy fuck.

  My core clenches, suddenly feeling incredibly empty. I want that fullness, that amazing, breathtaking feeling of fullness.

  “Theo!” I gasp. It would be a scream, but my lungs don’t seem to have the strength for that right now. I can’t quite catch my breath.

  “Put me inside you, love,” he murmurs, his other hand slipping under my skirt as well, kneading my ass cheek before drawing my panties out of the way. His finger keeps pressing deeper into my ass, pulling out a little before pressing in again, and my whole body feels like it’s on fire.

  His grip on me keeps me steady as I rise up a little, tugging his pants down just enough to draw out his cock. The second I have full access to it, I line him up with my slick entrance and sink down, my mouth dropping open slightly as he fills me.

  “Minx…”

  He breathes the word like a prayer as his gaze catches mine, and I bite my lip hard as his finger teases me and tempts me, putting me right on the edge of ecstasy.

  “Tease,” I groan, and he laughs.

  I’ve forgotten we’re on a roof. I’ve forgotten it’s cold.

  I’ve forgotten, just for a few minutes, why I was sad.

  All that exists is the warmth everywhere I’m connected to Theo, the feel of his hands on me, in me, the sharp sounds of our breath as we begin to move with each other.

  Bracing my arms on his shoulders, I use the leverage to ride him, and every time I sink back down, I feel him everywhere. Pleasure flows
through my body, infusing me, filling my limbs, making my heart beat faster.

  “I love how much you trust us,” he murmurs. “I love that you let me have so much of you.”

  He can have all of me.

  I want him to have it all. I want all three of them to have everything I am, everything there is to give.

  I try to tell him that, but the power of speech has completely failed me. So instead, I just come hard on his cock, sobbing out my release as my whole body tenses and contracts over and over.

  “Fuck, Gabbi. God, you feel so good.”

  Theo thrusts up into me in several short strokes, and I feel him pulse inside me as he comes too, his body shuddering beneath mine.

  We stay like this for a while, resting against each other, and he draws his finger out of me, both hands palming my ass as if he’d like to keep hold of me forever. My breasts press against his chest, absorbing his warmth, and I rest my head on his shoulder and inhale the spicy scent of cardamom.

  “Thank you for bringing me up here,” I murmur softly. “I can tell it’s one of your favorite places.”

  He gives my butt a little squeeze, his chuckle rumbling beneath my ear.

  “It is now.”

  Chapter 8

  None of us leave campus over the weekend.

  Hell no.

  As far as we know, Radcliffe’s grounds are the only place where we’re safe. The academy puts student safety first and foremost, and it’s in a kind of bubble separate from the rest of Valencia. So if anywhere is going to be a cult-free zone, it’s here. I’m sure if the cult got really desperate, they wouldn’t let those protections stop them, but it’s better than nothing.

  I sleep in on Saturday, then haul myself out of bed. I’m planning on spending the day catching up on homework, since even in the midst of all this craziness, it’s important for me to keep my grades up. It’s part of my cover as Roxie, and bad things will happen all around if that cover gets blown. Kasian has TA work to catch up on, Cross has this big group project, and Theo has to entertain a business associate of his father’s who’s in town for a few days.

  I manage to get a fair amount of homework done for my Magical Biology and Ecology class and Alchemy class. Then, after a short break for dinner, I close my books up and focus on the practical stuff.

  I play music on Roxie’s laptop and drill hand gestures for Barnhouse’s class for a while, using the beat of the music to help me memorize and sharpen the movements. It’s a little trick I’ve been using lately, integrating my dance training into my magic studies even more. I can learn complex gestures a lot quicker this way, and it hardly feels like work at all when the music is pouring through me, fueling me.

  After about an hour of practice, I stop practicing the gestures and just start dancing, free-styling in my dorm room and letting my mind go blissfully blank for a little while. All I focus on are the movements, the sharp lines of my limbs and the feeling of my body moving through space—

  My dorm room opens, and I jump in surprise as Bianca steps in.

  “Sup, Roxie.” She grins at me and closes the door behind her, brandishing a bottle of wine.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, wiping the sheen of sweat from my brow as my heart rate slowly recovers. I know it’s not a very polite question, but I’m in genuine shock. I didn’t expect Bianca to want much to do with me outside of our mission to help Roxie.

  The dark-haired girl shrugs, plopping down onto my bed. “What, I can’t hang out with the person who’s been impersonating my best friend for months without me realizing?”

  Underneath her bravado, I can hear an undercurrent of genuine hurt, and I wince. “I really am sorry about the lying, Bianca…”

  She shakes her head. “I didn’t—sorry. I’m not mad at you.” She gestures at herself using the wine bottle. “I’m more mad at myself. I’ve known Roxie for years. We spend all of our time together. And I didn’t realize you weren’t her? I mean, some kind of best friend I am, right?”

  I swoop in to take the wine bottle before she can gesture too hard and accidentally chuck it across the room. “You’re a great best friend. You’re a great person, Bianca. That night at the warehouse—you didn’t know me, you had no reason to protect me, but you did. You killed your boyfriend for me.”

  Bianca sighs, looking a little haunted. “Yeah. That. Another gold star for my fucking observational skills. God, why didn’t I realize he was creepy?”

  I shrug. “Not every asshole guy turns out to be a part of a crazy cult, but they turn out to be abusive, or manipulative, or just a jerk. He was good at what he did, he was manipulating you, and that’s not your fault. That’s on him and him being a jackass.”

  Bianca gives me a small smile. “Thanks. You’re kind of like Roxie that way, you know. She was always really good at making me feel better.”

  “I wondered about what your friendship was like. I worried that Roxie was selfish.”

  “She wasn’t.” Bianca pauses. “Well, sometimes she was. But I can be too. I mean, look at me, I was so self-centered I didn’t see that you were a completely different person.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up about it.” I grab some plastic cups I have left over from the last time I ordered delivery and begin opening the wine. This seems like a conversation that needs wine.

  “The thing is,” Bianca goes on slowly, “it just wasn’t unusual for me to see her behaving differently. It wasn’t unusual for her to just change things up. It was like every few months she wanted to try being someone new. Like she wanted to find herself. We talked a lot about how she felt like… like her parents hadn’t really given her room to become herself, like she didn’t know who she was.”

  “I met her parents, over break,” I confess. “They’re… a lot.”

  “Yeah.” Bianca gives a small, sad smile. “We used to joke about swapping parents. Mine are pretty much the opposite of hers. They’ve never expected anything of me.”

  The way she says that makes it sound like it’s definitely not a good thing. Sitting back down on the bed, I take her hand before I can stop myself. I’m not sure if my attempt at comfort will be appreciated, but to my surprise, Bianca squeezes back in thanks.

  Then she pulls back and takes my face into her hands, studying my features. “Hmm. It’s weird. You do look exactly like her, but now that I know you’re different, I can totally see it in you.”

  “What do you mean?” One of the guys compared it to the idea of identical twins once.

  “I don’t know. It’s like when two people wear the same outfit. Nothing is different, but you wear it differently. I look into your eyes, and it’s just—you’re you and Roxie’s Roxie.”

  “That’s good,” I manage, laughing nervously. “Roxie seems to have this—you know, this crazy, wild, big personality, and here I am with no clue who I am or what I’m doing with my life, just this mediocre nobody.”

  “Eh. Roxie didn’t know who she was either,” Bianca replies with a lifted shoulder. “You two are more alike than you think, if you ask me. Maybe that’s why you’ve been able to pretend to be her so well, this whole time. Underneath… you’ve got the same doubts, the same insecurities.”

  That idea had never occurred to me. “Thanks, Bianca.”

  I really do mean it. It helps to hear about this other side of Roxie. She’s become almost legendary in my head, someone big and bold and untouchable, and it’s intimidating as fuck. But Bianca knows Roxie like the back of her hand, and in a different way than everyone else. She knows Roxie’s other side. And hearing her say that—it means more than I can say.

  “I’m not here just to talk about Roxie though,” Bianca adds. She picks up the wine bottle I set down and pours the wine into the cups with a flourish. “I do want to get to know you. The real you. Since we’re, you know, stuck with each other.” She winks at me.

  “I kinda figured you’d want nothing to do with me,” I confess.

  She shrugs, taking a sip of the maroon liquid. “Yo
u’ve been trying to help Roxie this whole time, putting yourself at risk. You saved her life at Night Elements. I don’t know what the cult has planned for her, but it’s not anything good, and I truly think you’ve saved her. You’re a good person, Gabbi. Of course I want to get to know you.”

  That… that floors me. Of course my guys compliment me and respect me. I know they think highly of me. But it still feels like something out of the blue, in a good way, to hear Bianca say that about me.

  I don’t know, I guess I’ve just been stumbling around in the dark about this for so long—metaphorically—that it never really occurred to me that anyone could look at this mess and think I’m somehow doing a good job at this. I feel like I’m hanging from a cliff by my fingernails, always one sweaty palm away from falling off. But Bianca’s looking at me with something like admiration, and it means more to me than I thought it would.

  “Thanks,” I manage to get out, and then before I can second-guess it, I hug her.

  Bianca gives a small, surprised laugh. “Sorry,” I say, pulling away.

  “No, you’re fine. I’m just—none of us are really huggers.”

  “Well, I am. You’re going to have to put up with hugging from now on.” I grin. “I don’t make the rules, that’s just how it is now.”

  Bianca laughs, then makes a face. “My parents, like I said, they aren’t really big on the whole… affection thing.”

  From there she tells me more—about how her parents ignore her, about how Roxie was the first person who made her really feel understood, and about how because they’re so similar, she and Roxie just understand each other and that means they don’t always talk as much as they should. I tell her about the guys, and God, it’s so fucking refreshing to be able to actually talk about my boyfriends with someone. I didn’t know how to talk about it before with Bianca, when I was pretending to be Roxie, pretending to be someone else. Bianca was Roxie’s friend, not mine.