Page 26 of The King's Maiden
Elaine blotted her lips. “Tara said Gavin Wainscot made her cum on his tongue so hard she saw stars, and she didn’t get a chance to return the favor.”
“Ten bucks he picked her.” I held out my hand, fighting a laugh. “Bet.”
“No way!” She knocked her shoulder into mine. “I don’t make bets I won’t win. That’s why I won’t even wager a guess on who picked me.”
“What do you mean?”
She bit her lip. “Well, there’s definitely someone Ihopepicked me, but last I heard, he wasn’t participating in The Quest. Except he was here tonight, so I don’t know.”
When she didn’t give me a name, I prodded her with my shoulder. “I have no idea who anyone is, remember?”
Blushing, she tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. “You can’t say anything. Especially if he doesn’t pick me. I swear I’ll either die of embarrassment or a broken heart.”
I laughed. “Okay, dramatic. But yes, I swear. Now, spill it before they drag us out there.”
“Landon Scott.”
I didn’t know exactly why, but a chill raced down my spine when she said his name. “Landon Scott?” I cleared my throat around the noticeable squawk. “The King’s right-hand man, right?”
Elaine’s face lit up. “Yes, I’ve had a thing for him foragessince our first year at Camelot Academy. I mean, dark and mysterious, but obviously gorgeous? I noticed him right away and the more I’ve seen him out—I don’t know.” She flushed, pausing to take a deep breath. “God, I must sound like such a dork. But there’s just something about him.”
“Do you think he picked you?”
Her mouth twisted into a frown. “I don’t know. We’ve talked at parties, but never much past that. I don’t even know if he knows my name.”
My eyebrows shot up.
“Oh my god, I probably sound like a stalker.” She laughed at herself. “But that’s just how Landon is. People think he’s standoffish and kind of abrupt, but he’s just focused on the Knights and takes the code seriously. Sure, he comes off a little abrasive, but there’s so much more to him.” She groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Ugh. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“You don’t have to explain it.” I chewed on my lower lip. “He seems nice.”
“Wait.” Her eyes snapped to mine. “You’ve met him? Tell me everything.”
I flinched back when she spun to face me, backpedaling and slightly thrown by her sudden intensity. “I didn’t meet him. He just…helped me out once. Like a pay-it-forward moment, I guess.”
She tilted her head, her nose wrinkling. “Like a charity thing?”
“Uh…Yeah, sure.” I ran my hand over my scalp, searching beneath my curls for the familiar ridge of my scar. “I mean, we didn’t even make eye contact, so I think he just did a good deed or whatever. That’s all.”
I shrugged and turned back to the mirror, grabbing a tissue to fix the lipstick I’d smudged. Peeking at Elaine’s face in the mirror, my shoulders relaxed once hers did.
“That sounds like him. Doing the honorable thing.” She smiled to herself, bouncing happily in her seat before finding my eyes in the mirror. “See. I told you there’s more to him than meets the eye. Have you met anyone else?”
For whatever reason, I decided to keep my interaction with Kingston to myself. But I had no problem telling her about my other run-in. “I met Max Dread. He’s a real peach.”
Elaine snickered. “Oh, boy. Let me guess. He hit on you?”
“Yeah, but…” My brow dipped over the way he acted, but I shook my head, brushing off our brief spark and refusing to read into his behavior. “I take it that’s his usual move?”
“Well, that depends.” She zipped her makeup bag, acting totally casual despite the next question out of her mouth. “Did you go down on him in the nearest coat closet?”
“What? No!”
She cackled at the expression on my face. “Then, to answer your question,that’shis usual move. But only if a girl comes up to him. They approach, he offers, and they say yes.” She shrugged, as if that made perfect sense. “He must’ve been shocked when you turned him down.”
“I didn’t—I mean, he didn’t offer.” I flushed, tripping over my words at the image she put in my head. “Not that I would’ve said yes if he had. It wasn’t like that. He came up to me and?—”
“Wait. He what?”
