Page 46 of Cruel Academy (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 2)

So, that must be it. I’m horny, and Haley is simply the female in closest proximity.

My natural instincts are giving a big middle finger to my preferences in women and are taking control of the reins.

I need to rectify this soon. This dry spell is putting dangerous thoughts in my head.

“Caleb?”

I blink, and Haley is looking at me, her brows furrowed in concern. “You kind of disappeared there for a second. Everything okay?”

“Fine.” I tell myself I wasn’t thinking about how the lips she just had pressed against the mouth of the water bottle would look wrapped around my cock instead. “Just tired.”

“We can stop for tonight if you want and pick back up on Monday.”

“Monday? Do you have plans between now and then? Doesn’t seem like anyone at Prep gives a shit about hanging out with you. And you’ve burned all your bridges at Public.”

Haley frowns, a line forming between her dark brows. “No plans, but I figured you had some. Weekends are when guys like you thrive.”

Now, it is my turn to frown. “Guys like me?”

She brings one arm up in a flex, pouts her lips, and puffs out her chest for a second before smiling at her own joke. “Popular, attractive guys who like to woo the ladies.”

Her smile is so easy. So unhindered. There doesn’t seem to be anything behind it. Nothing it is covering.

Most women have serious ulterior motives when they smile at me. Most of those motives involve the reputation boost that comes along with sleeping with a Golden Boy.

Usually, I don’t mind one bit. After all, my only motive is to fuck them and move on to the next, so it works best if there is no emotional attachment.

Still, something about Haley’s genuine smile feels refreshing.

I widen my stance to try and ease the sudden tightness between my legs. “You think I ‘woo’ ladies?”

She rolls her eyes and her tongue darts out to lick a bit of water from the corner of her mouth. “God, I thought your strutting around was annoying, but false modesty doesnotlook good on you.”

“Fine,” I shrug. “I woo ladies. But you underestimate me if you think I can’t train you and still have time to do some wooing.”

“We should stop using that word.”

I nod in agreement. “I’ll still have time to fuck willing girls into oblivion even if we train tomorrow. Is that better?”

She sticks out her tongue in disgust and then takes another drink from her water bottle before setting it on the coffee table. “Even Saturday? Won’t you be tired from the fights?”

I actually forgot about the fight. Which hasn’t happened in longer than I can remember.

For a few years now, the Saturday night fight has always been in the back of my mind. Now that it’s not…

“I’m not going to fight this weekend.”

“You’re not?” Haley looks at me with wide eyes. “How long has it been since you’ve taken a week off?”

I shrug like it doesn’t matter. “It’s not like it’s my job. There are plenty of people who can fill my spot.”

“You treat it like a job, though.”

My head snaps up at that. “What does that mean?”

Haley seemed to believe I was rich just the other day, and it made me angry enough that I wanted to tell her the truth—I wanted to let her know she didn’t know nearly as much as she thought she did.

Now, at the tiniest sign that she might actually know the truth, the rage is there again, rearing its head.

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