Page 103 of Kingmakers, Year One

It’s like a million tiny fireflies underwater. Each fresh wave from the ocean increases their supply and their agitation. Soon the whole cavern is glowing, and Anna’s mouth is open in awe.

That’s when I kiss her again. Her lips are already parted, and I slip my tongue into her mouth, tasting the warm remnants of the beer and the sweetness of Anna herself.

I pull her hard against me. I was trying to restrain myself, but it’s impossible when the taste of her makes me starve for more, and the feel of her lean, tight body against mine makes me want to rip every scrap of clothing off her so I can see that naked flesh I’ve been obsessing over since the very first day of school.

My hand cradles the side of her throat. I let my fingers slide down to her collarbone, and then the top of her breast. I dip my fingers under the tight material of her top, down the warm swell of her breast, my ring finger just grazing her stiff nipple before Anna puts her own hand over mine to stop me.

“Wait,” she says.

I stay still, though I don’t want to. I still have one hand gripping her hip and the other resting on that perfect breast. I want to pull her back into me, yank her top down entirely, and take that hard nipple in my mouth.

“I’m not . . . very experienced,” Anna stammers. “You’ll have to go slow.”

It’s in that moment that I realize that Anna is a virgin. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought a girl that gorgeous could come to college still a virgin. Bare minimum, I’d assumed that she and Leo must have fooled around at some point in their past. I can’t imagine how he had that cherry in the palm of his hand without popping it.

If I thought I was infatuated with Anna before, it’s nothing compared to the obsession that seizes me now.

I silently swear that I’ll take Anna’s virginity or die trying. I’ll be her first lover. And that’s what will bind her to me, no matter what Leo tried to do after.

I literally salivate at the thought. I have to swallow hard before I can reply, “That’s alright. I understand.”

If Anna says I have to “go slow,” that means she’s going to let me try. She’s going to keep seeing me. Which means I have to be careful not to fuck it up, not to scare her off. Even if it seems impossible. Even if it’s torture trying to keep my hands off her.

So that’s what I do. I kiss her again, slowly and gently. And then I take her back up to Kingmakers, back to her dorms. I don’t try to push it any further, so she’ll believe I’m respectful. So she’ll come out with me again.

And all the while I’m plotting how I’ll be the first person on this planet to fuck Anna Wilk, so I’ll have that piece of her always. So she’ll belong to me.

In the weeksthat follow I pursue Anna relentlessly. I take every possible opportunity to keep her away from Leo, inviting her to sit with me in our shared classes and during meals, constantlytrying to tie up her time with dates and activities that don’t involve him.

The first challenge of theQuartum Bellumis the best part of all, because Leo himself is forced to pair Anna and me together so I’ll have a babysitter. Granted, it does prevent me from sabotaging, but it also gives me plenty of opportunities to remind Anna what a great team we make together, and to dramatically rescue her from jail.

I’m irritated when Kasper Markaj gets himself kicked out of the competition so easily, but at least the Freshmen place last of the three winning teams. Best of all, Leo loses his stupid bet with Calvin Caccia.

He has to come down to breakfast the next morning stark naked.

I expect him to back out of the bet, or at bare minimum to slink through the dining hall with an appropriate level of embarrassment.

Everyone in school has heard about the terms of the bet, and every single seat is packed with students waiting to laugh and jeer at the sight of the cocky Freshman literally stripped bare.

Instead, Leo strolls into the dining hall at the stroke of eight, naked as the day he was born. He’s grinning and waving at his friends, freshly showered and wearing only a pair of flip-flops.

He takes his time selecting his bacon and eggs from the chafing dishes, then chooses a seat right in the middle of the hall, attacking his breakfast with apparent enjoyment.

While some of the Juniors and Seniors continue shouting and jeering at him, it’s impossible to come up with much in the way of insults when Leo is such an undeniable physical specimen.

I fucking hate his guts, and even I have to admit that his height, his tan, and his physique leave little to scoff at. In fact, I think it’s making him more popular than ever, especially whenthe girls get a good look at the package swinging between his legs.

Gemma Rossi leans forward in her seat, openly staring at his cock, practically salivating—something that doesn’t go unnoticed by Anna.

I expected to enjoy Leo’s humiliation, and instead I’m seething with irritation long before he even sits down.

It doesn’t help that I can see Anna’s eyes irresistibly drawn toward Leo again and again while she tries to ignore him, eating her breakfast next to Chay.

Before Leo even finishes his food, the jeers turn into a chant, led by the Freshmen and a substantial number of Sophomores who don’t seem to give a fuck that they lost their place in the competition.

“LEO! LEO! LEO! LEO!”

Their voices echo around the dining hall and the plates rattle as they pound the tables with their fists.

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