Page 124 of Cruel Prep (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 1)

We told each other every bad thing we’d ever done. Every shameful thought we’d never shared, and every fantasy.

Some of them we even made come true.

I don’t think I’ve ever talked so much in my life, but at the end of it, rather than feeling weak and scared, I felt powerful. I felt more in control of myself and my emotions and my actions than I ever had before, and it was all thanks to Lily.

It made us closer.

Still, even with all of that practice, I don’t want to talk right now. I want to tear her clothes off and bury myself inside of her.

But that won’t happen until I unburden myself.

“The first day back sucked,” I admit. “People used to be scared of me because my family was rich and powerful. Now, they’re scared of me because they think I’m insane. I felt like a freak show on display all day.”

Lily frowns and cups my jaw in her hand. “I’m sorry.”

I shrug. “At least people know better than to bring any of it up to me. So, I didn’t have to deck anyone, and that is a positive.”

She smiles. “I’d say so. Getting into a fight on your first day back wouldn’t be ideal.”

“Probably not.” I wrinkle my nose and shake my head. “What about you?”

“Fine,” she says, lifting one of her shoulders. “Mrs. Becker is letting me do an independent study instead of the normal art class curriculum. She thinks I have a lot of talent and is going to help me hone my doodles and find a medium I can work within.”

“That’s amazing,” I say, grabbing her sweater and pulling her close for a quick kiss. “You’re amazing.”

Lily grins. “I think it will be fun.”

“I’m sure it will be. What about the rest of your day?”

Her eyes dart away and she bites her lower lip, hesitating.

“What?” I press. “What’s wrong?”

She looks up at me from beneath her brows. “Nothing’s wrong … and that’s kind of the problem.”

I frown. “Okay, that doesn’t make any sense.”

She sighs and leans against me, her fingers drawing small circles on my thighs. “I guess I feel kind of guilty because you’re having a harder time than you were before, but my life is, like, way better than it was.”

A surprised laugh bursts out of me. “You feel guilty because your life is good?”

She twists her lips to the corner of her mouth and nods.

I grab her chin and lift her face up, forcing her to look at me. “Hey. You don’t need to hide anything from me. Or be afraid to tell me things. Or feel sorry for me. Do you understand?”

She nods, her eyes angled down in concern.

“You’re my queen. Your successes are my successes, and vice versa.”

“Your queen?” she asks, a coy smile on her lips.

“Do you like the sound of that?”

Lily presses herself more firmly against me, the distance she forced between us a few minutes ago all but forgotten.

No matter how hard we try, we can’t keep our hands off one another for long.

“Definitely,” she says. “I love it.”

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