Page 48 of Wicked Dreams (Fallen Royals 1)

I walk in behind Caleb, surprised at the space. Sure, the house is big, but I didn’t really consider what lay directly below my bedroom. One wall is all books with fancy spines. The type of shit I read wouldn’t be found here, that’s for sure.

“Hey, Mr. Jenkins,” Caleb greets him.

“You can call me Robert when we’re not in school,” Robert scolds. He’s already mentioned that a time or two.

“Yes, sir.”

He’s behind a giant desk. Like, I could lie down on it and throw my arms and legs wide, and there’d still be space for two more people.

I wander closer to the books, reading the titles.

Philosophy of Law, Volume III. The Laws of Human Nature. To Kill A Mockingbird.

The last is a surprise, but it looks old and valuable.

“Ready?” Caleb asks, touching my shoulder.

I jump. “Huh?”

“Did you space out?” Robert asks. “Caleb just asked if he could take you to a late lunch and movie.”

I nod. “Ah, sorry. Did you say yes?”

My stomach twists. Caleb’s managed to finagle his way into my life in more ways than one: he’s in my space in school, he’s in my head out of it, he’s in my dreams. Not that I’d ever admit it.

And now he’s taking my time, too. Time that I would’ve laid on my bed and stared at the ceiling, fantasizing about him. The real thing is better.

Yeah, okay.

The real thing hurts more.

Robert laughs. “I did. Curfew is midnight.”

Caleb takes my hand and leads me out of the room. In the hallway, he leans down and whispers, “I want to fuck you on that desk.”

My gasp gets lodged in my throat.

“No witty rebuttal?”

“Have I ever had a witty rebuttal?”

He shrugs. “Sometimes.”

His hand squeezes mine.

We clean the table quickly, putting the paint and easels away. He follows me into my bedroom.

“I really think I need to kiss you,” he says. That’s the only warning I get before he’s on me, his hands sliding around my neck. He holds me to him as he slams his lips against mine. He’s shockingly savage. I lean into it, winding my arms around his waist, and he walks me backward.

He uses his hand on my neck to lower me to my bed, chasing after me. His weight barely registers. He ravages me. He nibbles on my lips and leaves no inch of my mouth untouched.

I suck in a breath through my nose, hooking my leg around his hips and pressing him closer.

He breaks away, grinning at the dazed expression.

He taps the tip of my nose. “That was fun. Let’s try something else.”

He grabs my wrists and hauls me to my feet, then out the door. We barely have time to shout goodbye, and then we’re in his car.

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