Page 52 of The Ruthless Note

Curious, I whirl around and nearly choke on my own spit.

The Kings are swaggering down the hallway like they’re stars of a fashion show. Finn is on the far end—completely dry—while Sol and Zane are soaked to the bone, flashing their delectable pecs through a see-through button-down.

But for all their wet-T-shirt hotness, they’re not the ones who catch my attention.

It’s Dutch Cross.

He’s all long, lean limbs and golden skin… andnaked.

My eyes skip down his muscular frame, the glistening shoulders, slashes of abs and delectable V-line beneath his speedo before I snap my mouth shut and jerk my eyes to the ceiling.

Pandemonium breaks out as other people start noticing The Kings’ grand entrance. The air lights up with squeals followed by scandalized gasps and shrieks of delight.

Girls cover their mouths in shock. Faces turn red with shyness and excitement. Giggles break out like a tsunami.

Even the guys have wild reactions. Some roll with laughter. Others whip out their cell phones to capture the moment.

I stumble back, feeling my face turn hot. My heart is beatingprestissimo; I probably couldn’t get my fingers to keep up with such a tempo.

Unable to help myself, I take another peek at Dutch. Limp strands of blond hair cover his forehead, dripping water over his straight nose and full, pink lips. He’s soaked and shining, like some kind of underwear model straight out of a sensual, barely-legal TV commercial.

The monster’s eyes land on me and I feel like someone stuck fireworks to my body and then set off an explosion.

Memories of our kiss burst through my mind, setting a different kind of explosion.

It’s one thing to feel Dutch’s power and strength pressing into me.

But it’s another thing toseewhat all those muscles and sinewy flesh are in the light.

Damn he’s ripped.

My breath gets thinner and thinner.

I struggle to pull myself together and remember why I set this plan in motion.

When I heard that The Kings had taken over the pool, the idea to steal Dutch’s clothes came to me like a gift straight from heaven.

He called me a whore.

No, worse than that.

He said I wasn’t even good enough tobehis whore.

As if I’d ever want such a position.

Forcing him to endure a walk of shame felt appropriate and totally perfect at the time. But my plan is backfiring. I didn’t expect his body to be crafted like a freaking sculpture. And I didn’t expect that he wouldownhis naked beauty with such ease.

He’s not put off by the attention at all and even stops to take pictures with the girls who request selfies. I may not have Jinx’s app, but I know for a fact that this story will be all over it in thirty minutes flat.

Dutch finishes with the selfies and denies the other people who ask for pictures. His eyes seek mine out and I struggle not to run away. It takes a force of sheer will to remain in place as he gets closer and closer.

Paris is primping her hair and retouching her lipstick beside me. She pulls the top of her cheerleading uniform down so more of her cleavage spills out and takes a step toward Dutch.

Pasting on a big smile, she sticks out her chest. “Hey…”

He walks right past her.

Paris’s reddening face would be pure gold, if I wasn’t being stalked by the Prince of Darkness himself.