It felt like she was putting an effort in, so I figured I should too, as much as I wasn’t looking forward to it.
The next morning, Elijah came to collect me outside Prentice Hall and carried my bag across campus as we headed for the student lot. We all piled into Mason’s car and sped away from the school. I was a little shocked the guys had given me the front seat, and when I turned around to look at Elijah, Cole, and Finn all crammed into the back, I snorted a laugh.
“Oh, you think our pain is funny, Legs?” Finn grumbled, elbowing Cole, who elbowed him right back.
“Actually, yeah.” I smirked. “I really, really do.”
I swore I heard Mason chuckle, but when I glanced at him, he was staring at the road with a neutral expression. Then he flipped his sunglasses down over his eyes and gunned the engine. I leaned back against the headrest, watching the beautiful scenery of California rush by. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to the vibrancy of the colors out here, as if nature had been saving all its best paint for this part of the country.
A finger slid under the strap of my bra, and I jumped, craning my neck. “What are you doing?”
“Getting your attention.” Finn laughed, his finger still hooked around the strap of my bra.
Heat blazed through my cheeks as he traced his knuckle over my skin, and I shot a furtive glance at Cole. The black-haired boy was watching our exchange, but I couldn’t get a read on his expression. The bruise near his eye had faded to a purplish-blue, a little green around the edges, and I couldn’t help but remember what it’d felt like to run my hands through his hair.
“Well, you have it. What do you want?”
I shifted uncomfortably as Finn’s fingers slid under my other bra strap as well, the contact making little zaps of lightning shoot through me. I squeezed my legs together, and Mason’s head jerked in my direction, although with his sunglasses on, I couldn’t tell if he was actually looking at me.
Fuck. Had he seen that? Did he know what Finn’s touch was doing to me?
Maybe going on a trip with these four boys wasn’t such a good idea after all. They’d promised me I’d have my own bed, but that wasn’t even really the issue. After things had shifted so dramatically at the beginning of the semester, I’d been slowly starting to trust them.
But I wasn’t sure if I trusted myself.
“I’m bored.” Finn snapped both my bra straps, and the little sting of pain made my body clench.
I sucked in a breath and turned around in my seat to glare at him, trying to hide the flush burning up my cheeks. “So what do you want me to do about it?”
“Entertain me.”
He slid a finger under my bra strap from the front this time, tugging on it gently as a wicked light gleamed in his amber eyes. I batted his hand away, and he laughed, leaning forward and hugging the back of my seat until we were practically nose-to-nose.
“Come on, Legs.” He tugged his full bottom lip between his teeth, his dimples popping out as he smiled temptingly. I could smell the mint on his breath, and for a second, I could hardly think of anything else. Not the car, not the three other boys watching us, not the salty ocean air rushing by.
I swallowed, drawing back to escape the bubble he’d put us into. “Fine. What do you want to do?”
“Let’s play a game.”
My nose wrinkled. “What are you, twelve?”
“No, I’m bored.”
“Can’t you just play on your phone like a normal person?” I groaned.
Elijah laughed. “Finn? Normal?”
A shoving match broke out in the back, and I used the opportunity to turn back around to face the front, tilting my head up to the sky and letting the sun hit my face.
Jesus, Tal. Keep it together.
We finally made it to the house, which wasn’t a house at all. Like most homes I’d been to in California, it could be more accurately classified as a mansion or a small palace. It felt like stepping onto a movie set—everything looked too perfect and shiny to be real. A bunch of people had arrived before us, and we walked into a house full of rich kids in bikinis and swim trunks, smoking and drinking like they were going to die tomorrow.
“Come on. We’re in the back.” Elijah rested his hand on my hip, guiding me confidently through the chaos.
They must’ve all come here before at some point, because they navigated the maze of hallways and rooms confidently, leading me to a massive bedroom in the back of the house.
Of course, there’s a room specially designated for the Princes.