Court Kept (Court High 3)

“I had the jewelers restore it,” he said, clearing his throat a little. “The box was my grandmother’s.”

My eyes widening, I took the key when he guided his palm toward me. He wanted me to take it, and I did.

He passed the box second. “Again, this is optional. Just go along with me for a second here.”

If this kid wouldn’t shut up for a second and let me see what this all was about. I nudged him before putting the key inside the pretty box. Opening it up, I propped the lid open, and I did have to sit back against the seat.

The piece was beautiful, a silver necklace with a circle shape. It was also familiar, and staring at it, my lips parted.

“May I?” came before me, Ramses when he slid the gorgeous necklace out of the box. He held it up. “Do you know what this is?”

I did know what it was, resentful of it each and every time a certain redhead flashed it in my face. She did so as a trophy, bragging about what it was and what it meant. This was a Court-kept necklace, and every girl who wore one of those was “Court kept.” The necklaces meant they belonged to the member of Court who’d given it to her, a symbol of ownership and property.

Ramses let it dangle. “This… well, this means something. To those people, I mean.” He paused, throwing his head in the direction of the school. “It also makes whoever wears it invisible.”

Because they’d be just another body around here, another girl fawning over the Court boys. I pushed hair behind my ear. “You want me to wear that?” He nodded, and I swallowed. “You want me to be your girlfriend?”

“Fake girlfriend actually,” he said, his cheeks suddenly very red. Ramses was usually pretty confident with things, but apparently not today. Without warning, he returned the thing to the box. “I’m sorry. This was a stupid idea and so out of line to ask—”

But it wasn’t, and I showed him that when I got his wrist, the box with the necklace between us. Grabbing him made him stop, and when he did, I sat back. I cleared my hair from my neck. “You gonna make me put it on myself?”

His eyes widened. “You wanna do that? I mean.” More throat clearing. “You wanna be my girlfriend?”

“Fake girlfriend, yeah.” I nodded. “I think it’s a great idea.” Actually, it was beyond brilliant. He was right, this necklace wo

uld make me invisible. I’d be just another dopey girl to these people, and him taking me into Windsor House under this guise wouldn’t raise any questions at all. I’d be his, and I guess he’d be mine.

Ramses swallowed. “You’re sure? This would require a lot of acting.”

Probably not as much as he thought, and I waited, nodding toward the necklace in the box. He didn’t wait this time, taking it out, and when he came forward, I looked away, so this all wouldn’t be so awkward for him.

Ramses Mallick surprisingly smelled really nice, familiar like the comforts of home. He felt safe, and that’s something I didn’t get a lot. I liked him there in that space. I liked his safety, truly.

He panned, facing me. “So we should probably have some terms, like is hand-holding okay?”

Definitely, and I showed him that when I took his hand. He laughed, that deep chuckle he did.

“Kissing?” he asked, bouncing those thick, brown eyebrows. He immediately shook his head with it, and I knew he was joking, but maybe I wasn’t.

I swear to God, he looked like a deer in headlights when I not only rose up in my seat but grabbed his lapels.

“No sex,” I said, then pressed my mouth against his. I started the kiss as a joke, my lips smiling against his, but eventually the expression fell. His mouth was too warm, that feeling of familiarity, that home. It reminded me of someone else, but the opposite. It wasn’t scary or threatening. It didn’t scare me, the feelings that came behind it.

It was over when Ramses bunched fingers in my hair, his hand the same on my back. He had easily a full fist of my coat, and I had somehow made it onto his lap. I had no idea if he’d pulled me or if I’d slid over myself.

Long fingers looped around my dark strands. “No sex,” he promised, then returned me to my side of the car. He turned the car off after that, and when he came around to my side and let me out, I knew today’s show was about to begin.

Twelve

Royal

“What the fuck is this?” Jax directed our group in another direction, and my arm left Mira’s shoulders for the same reason. What the fuck was this?

Hell no.

Voices… my name being called as I stalked away from my friends. I made out Jax’s voice among them, telling me to stop, as well as LJ’s and Knight’s. They were shouting behind me, Mira too, which I didn’t give a shit about as I walked away. The only thing that concerned me right now currently came down the hallway, their hands together like they were a fucking thing.

They weren’t a fucking thing.