Page 79 of Forged in Blood

Xavier rolls his eyes, and Ophelia laughs. “I don’t even know if I like dancing. How about food?”

Xavier hums. “We could go to Henley’s. I guess I could force down a burger.”

“No.” Ophelia gasps and shakes her head. “That’s like whereeveryonehangs out. If we go there, everyone will know about us.”

I shoot Xavier a puzzled look. It sounds like she doesn’t want to be seen with us. No, that’s not right. If I know my girl, and I definitely know my girl, she thinks we don’t want to be seen with her. And that kind of bullshit is not gonna fly. “All the more reason we should.”

“Fuck yeah.” Xavier trails kisses over the side of her neck. “I wanna show off my girl.”

Axl stomps into the den and greets us with a frustrated groan. “Can you two not keep your hands off Pyro for thirty minutes? I thought you were prepping for Saturday night.”

“We were, but now we’re taking Ophelia on a date instead,” I tell him.

He stands beside us, hands on his hips, trying to look annoyed, but his eyes are raking up and down Ophelia’s hot body, and I feel the desire for her coursing through his veins. Like he’s any less distracted by her than we are.

“It’s okay. You can work,” she says. “I know the Trials are important.”

I grab her jaw again and narrow my eyes. “What did I just tell you?”

She giggles, and dammit, the sound has my cock twitching so much I’m almost regretting this date idea. Our bed is calling me. Or the sofa. Anywhere I can lay her down and sink deep inside her. I’d also take standing up. Against a wall. The door…

Ophelia has never been on a date before, Xavier says through our bond, actively tuning her out of our conversation and snapping me out of my filthy thoughts.

Yeah, and given that we were complete jerkwads to her these past few weeks, I figure this is the least we owe her, I add.

Ophelia starts to fidget, probably aware that we’re having a silent conversation and wondering what we’re saying.

Not to mention, I want to claim her in front of every person at this school,Xavier growls.

Axl cracks his neck, directing Ophelia’s gaze toward him. “I think we could all use a break from the Trials.”

She sinks her teeth into her lip and flutters her dark eyelashes. “So you’re coming too?”

He tilts his head to the side and licks his lips. “Not a chance in hell I’m missing our first date, princess.”

As it usually is everynight of the week, Henley’s is so full that students spill out into the street. Axl opens the door, and I guide Ophelia inside, one hand on the small of her back.

“Everyone is staring,” she whispers, her cheeks as pink as her hair.

“That’s because you’re so fucking hot, Cupcake.” Xavier presses his lips close to her ear. “And you’re here with us.”

Her heart rate kicks up, and she glances around the crowded restaurant. Sure enough, almost every pair of eyes is on us. I take her hand in mine, and Axl heads to a booth at the back. We don’t frequent this place very often, but when we do, we always take the same table. The six people sitting at our usual table include two Ruby Dragon pledges, and they all move without being asked.

Ophelia presses her lips together and looks at the floor. Axl places his index finger under her chin and tips her head back up. “Hey. No more fading into the background. You’re one of us now, and that means you get treated like a princess by everyone. Not only us.”

She rolls her eyes. “Not entirely sure you can equate how you guys treat me to royalty.”

A low growl rolls out of him, making me wonder if he’s going to punish her for sassing him in public. Instead, he leans down and seals his lips over hers while squeezing her ass in one hand and sliding the other to the back of her neck. I let go of her hand and allow him to have her to himself for a moment. When he breaks their kiss, she stares up at him, her lips parted and her tits heaving. He tugs her bottom lip down with the pad of his thumb. “That was before. This is now, princess.”

Xavier hums and shakes his head. “Except she’s not a princess.” He drags her from Axl’s arms and picks her up, holding her bridal style to his chest. “She’s a fucking queen.”

Her cheeks turn a deeper shade of pink, and she smiles that fucking smile that makes my knees feel weak. I can’t help myself from tangling my fingers in her hair and planting a kiss on those sweet lips of hers. And now everyone in this whole damn place knows that Ophelia Hart belongs to us.

Chapter

Forty-Four

AXL

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