Page 74 of Crown of Steel

Those moments have become an unofficial ceased fire between us, as if our rivalry is valid between the hours of six in the morning until eight in the evening.

It makes me fucking restless.

Because he is unpredictable.

I have spoken to his teacher, Montague, but the twink won’t give away anything about Régis’s subject for his presentation.

Unpredictable.

And yet…I can’t stop myself. Can’t stop myself from coming to his bed every night, from inhaling his enticing scent and wrapping my stronger hands around his delicate frame. From brushing my lips against those lush curls and purring into his ear. Because I love how he responds, whimpering even when he snarls at me to go away and leave him in peace. I love how he quivers against my hold, my cock buried deep inside his ass, and mewls for me to go on and never let go.

Never let go.

That’s a long, fucking time.

“Arthur, hold up!” It’s a Friday afternoon after class when I make my way up the stairs. Outside the storm is raging, screeching and roaring as it clatters against the arched, floor-to-ceiling windows that take up the entirety of the wall across from the stairs. A light flickers, right before I turn to face my brother. He’s soaking wet, football shorts stuck to his thick thighs and his tee plastered against his wide chest.

My lips twitch at the sight. “Let me guess, football practice finished early?”

Shaking out his wet hair like a dog after a bath, he shoots droplets all around, grinning as he catches up with me. “Not even.” Together we climb the stairs. “Coach makes us work really hard this year,” he mumbles. Following the narrow hall toward our room, Louis leans against the wall, a shivering mess, while I unlock the door. By the looks of it, we are the first ones to arrive.

“Get in.” Kicking open the door, I nod at him to go first.

He pats my shoulder as he passes me, his wet hand making goosebumps scatter across my shoulder. “Thanks, bro, I’m gonna head for the showers first thing.”

Following him inside our bedroom, I watch Louis as he dumps his duffle bag in the corner, toes off his football shoes,then rolls off his knee socks. “Fucking hell, everything’s soaking, fucking wet.”

I huff out a laugh. “Yeah, gotta love an outdoor sport.”

He grimaces as he hopscotches for balance, then tosses the wet socks right by his shoes. Lifting his hand to pull his shirt over his head, he says, “Yeah, well, let’s just say that the others finished practice a little earlier than I did.”

“Oh?” I frown. “What the hell did you do?”

Louis shimmies off his wet shirt, followed by his shorts, then tosses the whole lot in the hamper. In nothing but his boxers, he saunters to our bathroom, where he halts and turns over his shoulder. He shoots me a crooked grin, but I don’t miss the slight flush on his cheeks. “Got a warning for bad behavior.”

My brows shoot all the way to my hairline. “A warning for bad behaviour? Does that even exist? This feels like old school, dude.”

“Yeah, well—” He shrugs, then walks inside the bathroom, clearly not wanting to elaborate. I’m about to call him out on it, when I hear the front door open. I turn around, hoping that it’s Régis, only slightly disappointed when I catch sight of my cousin. Gaël hops in, gaze searching around. He grins when he catches sight of me. “You guys are already here? Sweet. I’m thirsty.”

Deciding to leave Louis and his suspicious excuses, I walk back into the living room. “You got it.” Grabbing two bottles of Moët & Chandon from the fridge, I stride back to the couch, where Gaël’s already plopped down, his naked feet propped onto the coffee table. His green eyes flash when I hand him the bottle, the glasses already on the table.

We polish off our first glasses with random chit-chat about the week. Right as we empty our first bottle, Louis heads out of our bedroom, joining us. He’s back in his normal black sweats and a Harvard University hoodie I don't recognize, holding a small, golden box that he passes to Gaël.

“Here, Aunt Marie-Louise sent you some new lotions and creams by the looks of it.”

“Sweet.” Gaël puts his glass aside, tears open the sides, then peeks inside. He smiles. “The new collection of edible lotions have arrived. Can’t wait to try these on Dominique.”

Louis lets out a huff as he pops the second cork. “Save me the details, bro.” Then he sets the bottle to his lips and takes a large gulp.

“Dude,” Gaël nudges him in his side and I laugh when my brother jerks, nearly dropping the damn champagne onto the floor. “We use glasses for those, you ass.”

“Hey, it already comes in a glass.” He takes another drink, then wipes his mouth off with the flat of his hand. “Fuck, I needed that.”

“He got punished on the football field for bad behaviour,” I specify. Gaël’s eyes turn wide as they dart between me and my brother, as he lets out a snicker.

“Yeah, well, I’m not the one pounding into my little stepbrother’s ass every night.” Louis points the bottle in my direction, a dirty smile on his lips.

“You fucking ass,” I growl. “I told you not to—”

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