by Ruby Vincent
My head snapped up. “Who says I want him?”
She gave me a knowing look. “You wouldn’t be so disappointed right now if you didn’t.”
“That’s not— I didn’t— It’s not like that,” I protested. “I’m already sorting out my feelings for Jaxson, Maverick, and Ezra. I’m not trying to add the massive fucking disaster it would be if Ryder and I got together.”
“I don’t know who you’re trying to fool, but it’s not me.”
“Sofia!”
Her laughter rang through the room. “Okay, okay. I’ll give you a break, but I still think you should talk to him.”
“And I think you need to go. Zane will be here to pick you up in a minute.”
“I like how you changed the subject.”
I pointedly ignored her grin and rescued my jewelry box from her. I held up the teardrop diamond earrings she once said she loved and helped her put them on. “There. Perfect.”
“Thanks, Val.” She scooped me in a tight hug. “Aren’t you going to get dressed?”
I spoke into her hair. “I’m going to be late.”
“Why?”
“No date so I might as well wait until the action gets going before making an entrance.”
“Okay.” She pulled back to look me in the eyes. “But you have to come to the party. We promised that we were finally going to enjoy a year at Evergreen. We’re way overdue.”
“Fine, I’ll come.” We heard a knock from downstairs. “That’s Zane. See you at the dance.”
Sofia practically skipped out the door. I loved that she was so happy. I didn’t want to take that away.
My eyes traveled to the phone lying on my nightstand.
Not like Ace is trying to take away mine.
The texts hadn’t stopped since yesterday. The floodgates had opened as my unknown harasser taunted me with what they wanted me to do—warning me of the consequences if I refused.
My feet were soundless as I padded across the carpet to my bathroom. Light flooded the space with a single flick and I met my reflection in the mirror. I saw the tears roll down her face. I watched her hand shake as she reached for the scissors.
I saw the moment she realized she was trapped.
MY GOWN TICKLED THE blades of grass as I glided across the quad. Eyes followed me as I went, beating into me like physical blows. I held my head high, eyes fixed on the sports complex and the banner hanging over the beautifully decorated doors.
Cade and Ciara sat at a table before the entrance, checking people in. The line of people shifted to stare at me as I approached.
“—can check your coats and your bags here. Then—” Ciara’s eyes popped when she looked up at me. “Valentina?!”
“What the hell did you do to yourself?” Cade threw in.
I marched past all of them without a second glance.
Stepping into the gym was like walking into another world, or maybe another country. Paris had come alive in Evergreen Academy. Soft lighting warmed the space and cast its glow on the mini Eiffel Tower set behind the deejay. Iron tables like you would find outside of a Parisian café were scattered around the dance floor. This was Evergreen, so instead of a buffet table, black-tie waiters swept through the party with trays loaded down with treats. The room was something to behold, and yet, when I walked in, everyone looked at me.
How could I blame them? I had done my best, but a razor would have been better for the hack job Ace demanded I do to my hair. Lock after lock had fallen into the sink, mixing with my tears, as I cut my growing chestnut hair down to the scalp.
“Wow.” A voice made me turn my head. A pack of junior boys were posted up near the drinks table. The appetizers were forgotten in their hands as they looked at me with varying degrees of disbelief. “Why the fuck did you do that to yourself?” asked Darren. “You look terrible.”
Eyes stinging, I fought back against the despair that roared up. “Bald head or no head,” I shot back, “I look ten times better than your toady ass.”
I flipped him off as his buddies howled. Darren’s face crumpled into a sneer. “What the fuck did you just—”
He broke off. Behind him, his friends’ laughter dried up as the scowl melted off his face.
“What were you going to say, Rosewood?”
I spun around. Inches from my nose was a hard chest. Maverick towered over me, but his eyes were for them.
“I’m waiting, Rosewood. You have something to say to Valentina. I want to hear it.”
“I-I was going to tell her... that I like her new look.”
“That’s what I thought.” He jerked his head and that was all it took to hear the sound of their retreat.
My eyes were stinging worse than ever. The lump growing in my throat threatened to choke me as I spoke. “You didn’t have to do that,” I whispered.
“Of course I did.” He placed his finger under my chin and tilted my head up until I saw the soft smile on his lips. “I like the new look too.”
“No, you don’t.” I shook him off. “It’s awful and I know it. You don’t have to make me feel better.”
“I’m not. Why wouldn’t I like it?” He took my chin once more. “I did the bald thing too, but on you, it’s actually cute.” A tear traveled down my cheek that he gently wiped away. “Everything about you is beautiful, Valentina.”
His words slipped in and pushed back against the rage and violation trying to overtake me. “Maverick,” I whispered. It was all I could manage, but I didn’t feel I needed to say more.
“Come.” Maverick’s hand left my cheek to curl around my fingers. “Dance with me.”
I quickly rubbed at my eyes. “I thought I was the only one allowed to see you dance.”
“I’m making an exception just this once.”
Maverick led me through the stares and whispers to the middle of the dance floor. Ace could have been among the crowd, basking in their victory over me, but as Maverick placed his hands on my waist and pulled me close, I forgot all about them.
“You really do look amazing.”
“Thank you.” I rested my head against his chest, breathing him in.
Sofia had gone with fun and flirty, but the gown I chose was different in every way. Waves of tulle fell to the floor in a shimmering green waterfall. A matching drawstring purse hung from my wrist, bumping me as we swayed. My front was covered by a jeweled top while my back was exposed to the warmth of Maverick’s hand. He trailed his thumb along my spine, rubbing slow circles that made me shiver.
“Are you going to the party after this?”
“Sofia wants me to go, but I can’t say I’m eager to go back there again. I can’t tell her that though.”
“Then tell her you’ll be with me. I don’t want to go there either. So why don’t you come back to my... room with me?” Nerves crept into his voice. “There’s something I want to show you.”
“Maverick Beaumont.” I looked up at him so he could get the full force of my grin. “Is that a euphemism?”
His eyes popped. “What? No! I mean— Not that I don’t want to. If you want to— But that wasn’t what I— I do want—”
“You do?” I slid my hands over his chest and draped them around his shoulders. “What do you want to do?”
He lowered his head, resting it against my forehead as he closed his eyes. “Fuck, Valentina. I want to take you back and show you something... and if more happens, I want that too.”
“Maybe more will happen, if I like this something.”
“Oh, you’ll like it. Trust me.” Said in that deep, husky voice, the words were a straight shot to my core. My pulse quickened as Maverick drew me in.
“Maybe we should go see it now.”
His hand tightened on my waist. “I can’t.” He sounded like the words hurt him to say. “There are three more Knights dying to dance with the queen.”
“Three?” He can’t mean Ryder?
“Yes. All I ask is that I get to be with you after the dance.”
&nbs
p; “I can make that happen.” I rose on the tips of my toes, seeking his lips.
Buzz. Buzz.
I felt the vibrations against my body as Maverick kissed me. It pulled me out of the moment as every message did now, filling me with dread at what the next text would say.
We broke apart moments before I felt a tap on my shoulder.
“Valentina?” My friend’s voice turned me away from Maverick. Sofia looked stricken as she stared at my fuzzy brown head. “Can I talk to you?”
Maverick’s hands disappeared. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
Sofia snagged my arm the minute he left. She pulled me off to a shadowed corner behind the drinks table.
“Val, what happened? Why did you cut your hair?”
“I just... wanted a change.” I tried to hold her gaze, but looked away.
“Bullshit.”
“Sof—”
“Don’t ‘Sof’ me.” Sofia folded her arms, staring me down. “I told you that you can’t fool me. You’ve been excited about growing your hair back to the length it was. The first time you cut it was because you were going through some tough shit, and on top of that, you’ve been acting weird all day. I know something is up. What is it?”
The truth sprung to my lips. I wanted to tell her badly, but even without Ace’s warning hanging over my head; she could never know about Scarlett. That was our secret.
“There’s nothing, Sofia. You don’t have to worry.”
“I don’t believe you.” Her expression softened. “Val, it’s me. Tell me what’s going on.”
Her concern tore at me. She was going to make me cry again after Maverick had so perfectly lifted my spirits. “I don’t... know where to start.”
She took my hand. “We’ll start with stealing a tray, or three, off the waiters and going up to the roof to talk. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.”
I loved her so much I did cry. Tears collected on my lids as I smiled. Ace may have taken my hair, but they could never take away a friend as great as her. “I would like that, but not tonight, okay?” I swiped my hand across my eyes. “I want to have fun tonight—with you, the twins, the boys... Maverick. We earned tonight, remember.”
She smiled back. “Yes, we did.”
We stepped out of our corner to find two people waiting for us. Zane held out his hand for his girlfriend and Sofia took it immediately. He swept her off as Ezra stepped up to me.
“Is everything okay? Looks like you and Richards were having an intense talk.”
“Everything is fine.”
“Great, then I can steal you away.” He held out his arm which I linked with mine. “Are you hungry? It’s quiet on the other side of the gym so we can eat.”
“That would be nice.”
We weaved through the bodies toward the scent of heavenly food. Out of the corner of my eye, I peeked at Ezra.
“Aren’t you going to ask about my hair?”
He shook his head. “No, but I do have a question.”
“What?”
“Do you keep the rest of you as hairless? Because I could be into that.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. I thought I was getting used to the real Ezra and his love of raunchy jokes, but every day he managed to think of something to make me blush harder. “Ezra!” I hissed. “Will you behave yourself?”
“Around you? Never.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re too much.”
Together we walked up to a free table, and proving that there were many sides to Ezra Lennox, he pulled out my chair and pushed it in for me to sit. He took his seat and pulled it closer to me.
“The waiters should—”
“Good evening, monsieur et mademoiselle.” The man appeared as if summoned. “For your pleasure, we have a lovely onion soup, arugula salad, and the main course, beef bourguignon.”
“Delicious,” I replied. “Thank you very much.”
The man bowed and then left. Ezra’s hand found mine under the table.
“You know...”
I held my breath, bracing myself for the questions about my hair.
“...I have one more labor left.”
“Oh.” I blinked. “But you’ve already given me what I wanted. I feel like I know you so much more now. Maybe too much.”
He cracked a smile. “I hope you’re not disappointed.”
I wove my fingers through his. “Not even a little.”
“I’m glad, but there’s still one more thing I want to do to show you that I’m worth it.”
“Worth what?”
“You.”
Ezra’s dark eyes used to be unreadable to me—not anymore. The depths of his emotions shone so clearly, I had to look away or be lost. I leaned forward to rest my head on his shoulder.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
We sat there in silence, his cheek pressed against my head until the waiter returned. I roused myself to eat. I could have stayed like that with him for the rest of the night.
“Ezra,” I began after finishing my salad. “I was thinking about getting a pass for next weekend. I thought you could get one too.”
He froze with the fork hovering over his plate. He shot me a wide-eyed look that confused me. “You mean you want to... go away with me like you did with Jaxson?”
My jaw dropped. “Like I did with Jaxson?”
The fork clattered onto the table. “If you’re ready to have sex with me—”
“Ezra, oh my—” If I thought my cheeks were on fire before. “How did you know that’s why Jaxson and I went away?”
He cocked his head. “From Jaxson, of course. Did you think he was going to keep it a secret?”
Groaning, I clapped my hand over my face. “What did he say?”
“Don’t worry, he didn’t give us the dirty details.” I could hear the amusement in his tone. “He only wanted to make sure we knew we were never going to measure up after that weekend.”
“I’m going to kill that guy,” I grumbled.
“So why do you want us to get passes?”
I let out a breath, growing serious. “I thought we— I could go speak to your mom. You don’t have to come with me, but either way, I’m going to tell her the truth about the football game.”
Ezra’s grin melted off his face. “Okay. Yeah. Then I will come. It will make more sense to her when I tell her what I did too.”
I nodded. “If we are ever going to go away together, then we should have everything out in the open. Start fresh.”
Ezra bent closer until I could feel the heat from his body. “We will go away together.” He loaded that sentence with twice the suggestion. “And when we do, I promise I’ll measure up.”
Whatever could be said to that, I didn’t know.
“I want you, Valentina. I know I don’t deserve you, and that I may never have all of you, but you can have all of me.”
I rested my head on his shoulder again, heart filling with so many emotions I thought it would burst. “I have a feeling you’ll have more of me than you think.”
Ezra pulled back. I looked up only for him to capture my lips in a sweet, chaste kiss.
We broke apart, grinning like fools, and finished our food. After, Ezra led me to the dance floor and spun me to a slow song. He kept a respectable distance between us the whole time, but there was nothing respectable about his mouth.
“Do you want to go up to the roof and take advantage of me?”
“Ezra!” I cried, fighting a giggle.
“Just for a little bit.” His grin was wicked. “No one will even know we’re gone.”
I glanced around. Girl, why are you still here?
“Okay, just for a little—”
Ezra grabbed my hand and ran off before I could get the words out.
Laughing, we slipped out of the gym and hurried to the back of the building. We burst out onto the roof and I threw him on the couch. I straddled him as we went at each other like starving animals.
Being with Ezra felt wild and
dangerous and thrilling all at once—like jumping out of a plane with no parachute. Our lips clashed in a frenzied battle. Moans filled the night sky.
I always wondered how Ezra would kiss me when he didn’t have watching eyes keeping him gentlemanly, and now I knew. Kiss was too small a word for what he was doing to me.
Our hands roamed over each other’s bodies with abandon and it wasn’t enough. I scrabbled at his collar and pulled, ripping open his shirt and exposing his chest to my seeking fingers. But my fingers weren’t the only ones seeking.
We were surrounded by a sea of tulle. Ezra slipped his hand under the fabric and found my thigh. The night was cold, but his hands were warm on my body as he moved closer and closer.
I broke our kiss, chest heaving. “Do it.”
He didn’t wait for another invitation. Ezra’s finger slipped inside the fabric of my underwear and found what it was looking for.
I gasped, arching my back as he probed my core. My cries got louder as he picked up speed, pushing me closer to the edge. Ezra cried out too, but my nails were digging so fiercely into his shoulder that might have had something to do with it.
In a breath, fireworks were exploding in the sky, or at least, that’s what it seemed like as I collapsed against him.
“Wow,” I breathed. We were both panting like we had run miles. “I have to take advantage of you more often.”
He chuckled. “That’s what I keep saying.”
It took a few minutes—and a couple more kisses—to straighten up and go back downstairs. Ezra caught my arm before I could round the corner for the front of the building.
“I have to go back to my dorm and change my shirt. I’ll find you later.” He gave me one more searing kiss before running off.
I tried to keep the smile off my face as I walked back into the dance. I didn’t give a shit about the stares anymore. Ace thought this would get to me—ruin my night. But I had been through so much worse within these very gates.
My eyes swept the room, looking out over my dancing classmates and the professors who watched over them.
If you’re here, get a good look. You haven’t beaten me.