Page 149 of Study Buddies

“I don’t know. I guess you take some time to process all this shit I just dumped on you. And I guess I probably should talk to Tori about what she wants me to do. And at some point, if you’re still willing, you look into the audio file or whatever it is you have to do.”

“All right.” That was what I’d do then.

40

TORI

Never,in all my life, had I shared a bed with someone until recently. Therefore, waking up next to another person—especially a man—was a new experience.

And I loved it. I couldn’t say exactly why. Sometimes they hogged the covers. Sometimes they woke up with morning wood—which was a term I hadn’t even heard of until I moved in here. But it was just so amazing to wake up next to someone I liked—and who liked me. And to touch them and hold them—and have them touch and hold me.

The small windows in the basement didn’t offer much in the way of natural light, but that gave me an excuse to snuggle up next to Jayden. My alarm hadn’t even gone off yet, so I had time. Plus, it was Saturday—a good day to sleep a little late.

Things had worked out better than I expected in the last few days. Lucas was able to provide proof that the recording of Kyle saying those awful things was fake. It was a huge relief to know that my faith in Kyle hadn’t been misplaced.

Because of Lucas’s evidence, the ample documentation I’d provided, and a written statement from Jayden, the cheating charges were dropped.

And then, to top it all off, Professor Abrams had offered to take over as my advisor, and I’d jumped at the chance. She wasn’t part of the education department, but it seemed like a good fit. She taught college English, and I wanted to teach high school English. I was thrilled that I wouldn’t have to work with Dr. Mitchell again.

Jayden yawned, and without opening his eyes, he rolled onto his back, pulling me with him. I giggled as he immediately started stroking my hair as I rested my head on his bare chest. He had such talented fingers, and I knew I was likely to get a mini-scalp massage before we got up.

“Morning,” he finally said, a bit gruffly. That was another fun thing about waking up next to one of my three roommates. They were usually a bit grumpy and out of it in the morning—which, for some reason, always struck me as adorable.

I planted a kiss on his chest, his skin warm under my lips. “I should pack up my things, since I’m not allowed to sleep here tonight.”

Jayden groaned and squeezed his arm tighter around my shoulders. “Who made that rule?”

“You and Lucas,” I said with a laugh. The rule—or at least a pretty firm guideline—was that I wouldn’t share a bed with a person I’d been on a date with. And tonight was my first official date with Jayden. I couldn’t wait.

He wouldn’t tell me what the plan was, but I was pretty sure it would be on the fun and casual side. And definitely not involving any secret clubs.

Jayden stretched, and I watched the way his abs moved. I’d rapidly become a fan of shirtless men. Especially when those men were Jayden, Lucas, and Kyle.

I tilted my head up to see him better. “So, can I get a hint about what we’re doing tonight?”

“Right. Tonight.” His voice was scratchy and sleepy.

“Don’t tell me you forgot?”

“No, I didn’t. But there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Okay. You can talk to me about anything.”

“Let’s hope that’s true.” He squeezed a handful of my hair and then let it glide through his fingers. “There’s no subtle or indirect way to ask this…”

“Just ask.” Now I was really curious.

“Okay. Are you ready to take things further with any of us? Or, I should say, do you want to?”

Wow. I hadn’t expected that. Further probably meant actual sex, right? All three of them had already proven that they could make me come hard. My sex life was already a hundred times better than it ever had been before. But I did kind of want more. “I do, yes,” I finally answered. “But I’m not entirely sure what you’re asking.”

“Okay, let me rephrase. Is there any chance that you’d want to explore doing a bit more with all of us?”

My face flushed, but I knew I wanted that. “Like when I’m sharing a bed with one of you at night?”

“Not exactly.” He exhaled softly. “More like all four of us in a bed together.”

“Oh.” My breath caught in my throat, and then my heart started pounding wildly. I didn’t know how to answer that—though my body was clearly on board.

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