ADAN

“Let me take you somewhere special,” Adan said. He smiled and stole a glance at Lucy before returning his eyes to the road.

She beamed, making her pink lipgloss shimmer in the sunlight.

Lucy had her right arm extended out the passenger window. It was cold out, but dry and sunny. Pretty much as pleasant as weather got in this small college town under the shadow of the mountain.

“Did you have somewhere specific in mind?” she asked.

Adan shrugged playfully. “Maybe. It’s a surprise.”

He shifted his weight so he could drive with his left hand and slip the other one over onto Lucy’s thigh.

She looked over at him and he knew that she was smiling. He didn’t offer her the satisfaction of eye contact. Just gave a quick squeeze on her leg, making her laugh and squirm.

When they got to his place, he opened Lucy’s door to let her out of the car and walked arm in arm with her to the door.

They had a catered meal and a couple bottles of Lucy’s favorite sparkly pink wine.

Adan waited for Lucy to bring up Yena first. He could always rely on her to do that. It was a quick mention of a visit to the palace.

“And how’s she doing?” he asked in response.

“Well.” Lucy hesitated. Not sure if she should discuss her friend’s business.

Adan waited patiently.

“I don’t know,” she continued at last. “She said she doesn’t want to come back to school next semester at the Noble Academy, and I don’t blame her. She’s already at the top of her program there, and only a freshman.”

“Wow,” Adan said. “Well, I remember she asked me about fashion schools in the human world, a while back. Do you think she might study abroad?”

“Yes,” Lucy answered, excited. “She isn’t sure, though. She said she’d miss Nolan too much, even if she went for just a semester.”

Adan smiled and said, “That’s sweet.”

“It is,” Lucy said very seriously. “They are super in love.”

She got a dreamy, faraway look on her face and turned to refill her wine glass.

Adan suppressed a smile.

This was what he was looking for.

“But,” he said quietly, “that doesn’t really sound like Yena. Willing to give up an opportunity to advance her career, just to stay with…”

He trailed off mid-sentence and cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry,” he continued. “I shouldn’t be discussing their relationship. It’s not my place.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Lucy said. “I was actually kind of thinking… the same thing.”

And that was enough for tonight.

Adan took Lucy by the hand and led her in the living room.

YENA

I met Nolan in the fencing room, and he was all business while his attendants loitered around, and while we started our lesson.

Nolan was an athlete, built like a god and quick on his feet. It was fun to watch him, but if I let myself do that at all, he’d score a point against me. Not like I could outfox him in the sport anyway.

But we sparred a bit and had some fun. I took my mask off when I was winded and asked him for a break.

For a second I was surprised that no servants were rushing in to put towels and water glasses into our hands. I looked around and saw that Nolan and I were all alone now.

I turned to look at him and he was giving me a sexy smile.

He’d made sure we weren’t going to be disturbed once our lesson started.

Nolan poured two glasses from a pitcher of ice water and gave me one. Sucked down the other. And started taking his gear off.

I looked at the clock hanging on the wall, thinking about how wiped out I was from just twenty minutes of fencing.

“What’s the matter, Princess?” Nolan asked. “You have somewhere else you need to be?”

“No,” I said, laughing. “Just thinking about how out of shape I am, still. That short lesson kind of killed me.”

“You did great,” he said, shrugging it off. “And you look great.”

He took a seat on a bench near the door and drank down another glass of water.

I went over to him and ran a hand through his sweaty hair.

“And,” Nolan said, “we can keep working out, another way that I know you’ll enjoy.”

“Sounds good to me.”

I took my gear off, but left my clothes on for him to peel off. He started with my leggings.

Then he proceeded to bow down before me and lick wildly at my legs, lapping up my sweat like it was candy. He started at my knees and worked his way upward. I struggled to stay upright.

Just when I thought I’d collapse, he stood and pulled me over toward the wall. He threw me up against it and locked me in place by pressing his own body into mine.

I hadn’t noticed when his pants came off. But he was naked now, and then he was fucking me. I let him pin my wrists over my head and throw the force of his weight into me hard.

He bit into the thin, sweaty t-shirt I still had on and filled his mouth with it. Then he let out one of those loud, wild growls, using my sweat-soaked shirt like a gag to mute himself.

My body went into a new state, somehow hot and cold at once. I wrenched my hands away from Nolan’s grasp and dug my nails down his neck and chest. I looked and saw I’d drawn just a little blood.

Nolan’s eyes were like emeralds, cast under a deep shadow but somehow still glowing green. He threw one of his big hands up against the wall as he thrust into me with all his strength.

His hand went right through the wall, breaking a hole into it with a loud CRASH.

When his hand met my skin again, it was covered in drywall dust.

He threw me to the floor then and finished me off there.

I wore his shirt for our walk back to our suite. He did not seem to mind walking around shirtless.

I was exhausted by the time we’d finally showered, changed, and gotten ready for bed. My legs felt like they were made of lead.

I curled up in bed and snuggled under the blankets, ready to pass out.

Before I could doze off, though, I remembered that I needed Lucy to come over again tomorrow to try on samples. I wanted to text her tonight, so she’d see it in the morning and hopefully not make other plans first.

I sent her a quick message, then put my phone down and plugged it in, and rolled over toward Nolan.

He was looking at his phone too. His eyes flicked up to meet mine briefly when he noticed me watching him, and then he locked the phone quickly and tossed it onto his nightstand.

I couldn’t help but wonder if he was texting Gina.

It would be really gross, if he was. Right after the way we’d spent our evening together.

I closed my eyes and tried to let the thought pass from my mind.

Nolan had been good to me. I shouldn’t assume the worst from him.

But sometimes he made it really hard not to.