Page 11 of A Lesson in Deceit (Mystic Riegan Duet #1)

River

“ D id you send the girlfriend a good morning text?” Grayson inquired, biting into his breakfast burrito he’d woken up early to go pick up. It was from our favorite local place that was highly underrated.

I dipped my hand inside the greasy brown bag and pulled out the one he’d gotten me, nodding. “Of course I did.”

“If you would have been more persistent, she would have slept here last night, and we could all be headed to school on the first day.” He wagged his burrito in my direction, as if he was scolding me.

“She wants to get accustomed to campus life. Who am I to stop her, hmm?”

Grayson shoved the rest of his food in his mouth. “You can be quite persuasive when you want.”

I smirked over at him. “True. We both know you just wanted her here so you could attempt to jump into my bed and cuddle with us.” I started to open my mouth, about to take a bite of my burrito when I noticed him leaning against my kitchen counter, crossing his arms over his chest.

His deep brown eyes sparkled with that flirty mischief that I knew so well.

We had been best friends for as long as I could remember and at some point, during high school, our relationship shifted.

Grayson had always been so open about his bisexuality, and I’d admired him for it.

I did have the inkling for a fleeting moment that I was bisexual, and I’d kissed him, which shocked both of us one night while we hung out.

He didn’t push me away, but he’d simply asked me how I felt about it.

I had enjoyed it but knew there was still something gnawing at me.

Simply saying that I was bisexual wasn’t accurate, and I would be lying to myself if I thought otherwise.

I’d still been struggling, trying to figure myself out, and Grayson had been the one to remind me that I didn’t need to label myself if I didn’t know or if I wasn’t ready.

One night I’d snuck out with him to Shamir, a popular gay bar in Oakland, and ended up drinking way too much but also having the most enlightening conversation with a man who explained pansexuality to me in a way that kind of spoke to my soul.

Once I came to that realization, I’d felt a lot lighter, and it even seemed like my powers were more settled and less sporadic once I was comfortable with myself.

Grayson chuckled before shaking his head, licking at his bottom lip.

I followed the movement almost like an instinct.

The last time Grayson and I had fooled around with each other was a few months before I met Riley, and I’d completely cut that part of our relationship off once she and I had become serious.

We could still maintain our friendship without sex.

He’d been fine with it, especially since he kind of fell in love with her as well.

That was overtly apparent, and I was still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I was more than okay with that fact.

I opened my mind up, letting my powers filter into his. I internally groaned at his thoughts, even though I knew he liked to fuck with me and think things that would antagonize me.

Better put that burrito in your mouth before I replace it with something else.

I pointed my food at him. “Watch your thoughts, buddy. I have a girlfriend.”

“I respect that. And I adore her, but that doesn’t make my thoughts untrue.”

“Actually, it does. I happen to remember that more often than not, you were the one with your mouth full.” I raised my eyebrows, taking a large bite of my food. Grayson laughed, using his shadows to reach up and ruffle my hair.

I heard footsteps upstairs, alerting me that my brother was about to barrel downstairs with the most unamused expression in history.

I’d lived with him since I was sixteen; I knew my brother like the back of my hand.

It was nice that we lived so close to campus and the fact that he didn’t make me pay rent, but sometimes I did have the urge to move out.

Asher would usually sit me down and explain that once I graduated then he would help me look for a place, a solid job, and anything else I needed.

The lighter, more brotherly side of Asher came out probably four times a year, but I looked forward to it.

We both cared but we had our own lives and as long as I abided by his house rules, then we were civil enough.

My brother rounded the corner, stopping when he noticed both of us.

His green eyes, that matched mine, looked Grayson and I up and down as if he was making sure we were both fully dressed and ready to go.

I opened my mouth to say something, but he rushed past me to the fridge, pulling out his overnight oats.

I wrinkled my nose at it. “Well, good morning to you too.”

Asher mumbled a form of greeting, letting the fridge close on its own.

He had a grey button-down shirt on with black slacks, both of which I knew he’d ironed himself.

He had trimmed his beard, so it sat nicely right at his jaw.

He placed his food in his lunchbox, throwing the handle over his shoulder. “Am I driving you?”

I shook my head, grabbing my backpack from over near the front door. “Grayson is driving me.”

Asher clucked his tongue. “Surprised you aren’t driving that death machine of yours.

” The look he’d given me when I’d parked it in our driveway lived rent free in my mind.

We weren’t overwhelmingly wealthy, but our parents did well for themselves and we each had ample money in our bank accounts to show for it.

I’d used some of my money to purchase my first car, but I’d also paid for motorcycle training and when the time was right I traded my sensible car in for a bike.

I had to remind nearly everyone that I was still making straight A’s and that I would be extremely careful.

My mom had always been the slight rebel of our family before I came along, so there was a gleam in her eye as if she wanted to know more about the bike.

Asher and my dad were disgruntled about the entire thing, but they ultimately shut the fuck up because I’d gone to Mystic Riegan like they’d wanted, majored in mental magic—like they wanted, and this time I did something for me, along with the designs I’d drawn and tattooed myself on my arms and legs.

I scoffed, placing a hand over my heart. “Don’t talk about my motorcycle like that. I am the most cautious driver there ever was. Perfect score all around during my license test.”

My brother nodded as if he couldn’t care less about my defensive words and walked past me, shifting his messenger bag over his head so the strap sat across his chest. “I emailed you my classes this semester and the faculty meetings I have so you’ll know when I’ll be unavailable.”

“How generous of you,” I said, sarcastically as he pulled open the door, ignoring me.

“Be nice to your students!” Grayson shouted.

Asher gave my best friend an incredulous look. “I am nice. Maybe they should stop thinking I’m going to turn my chair around, sit in it backwards and speak to them like we’re friends.”

“Someone slept on the wrong side of their incredibly large bed this morning.” I said under my breath.

I’d walked into his office enough to notice all the red marks on his students’ tests and papers.

He was thorough and I suppose fair, but man, could he use a vacation or to get laid.

Neither was an easy feat when it came to him.

He sighed, the annoyance brewing in his very being. “Also, I would prefer if dad didn’t come to my office hours and talk about how you avoid him anytime you see him on campus.”

“Maybe he shouldn’t be so fucking needy.

” My dad hadn’t been over to the house in months.

He just made things awkward and doted fully on Asher which in all honesty…

I preferred. I didn’t even know if Asher liked the attention, but I never cared to ask.

It was silent around the room, and I hated it, so I changed the subject.

“Riley is coming over tonight, so try not to be a dick.”

Asher was almost out the door when he turned on his heels. “Why?”

I narrowed my eyes. “She’s my girlfriend.”

“Doesn’t she live on campus now? Go there.”

Grayson and I walked around him so we could get outside. “I could, but I don’t think her roommate would love bearing witness to all the things I would like to do with her.”

Asher locked the front door and then clicked the button on his keys to unlock his car. “I didn’t think you cared if someone watched.”

“Oh, that’s a point to Asher, I think.” Grayson said, pointing at my brother. I gave him a shocked look. “I have to give my points out fairly.”

The fact that my brother knew things like that about me had me wanting to fall down in a fit of laughter.

Asher and I may have had a complicated relationship, but the only reason he was so aware of my sex life was that we’d let a pretty woman share a bed with us before.

He was always the let’s think this through kind of guy and getting him to just shut up and go with the flow was the most difficult task I’d ever been given.

I succeeded, though. I’d succeeded a few times. It didn’t happen very much anymore, but I still found myself chuckling as I remembered all the times I had to tell him that I was of legal age, and we triple checked to make sure the girls we were sharing were as well.

I liked to think I’d try anything and everything once and sex in front of other people was something I’d learned I wasn’t opposed to early on.

I didn’t bring up that idea to all my partners, but slowly I would learn their interests and figure out what worked for both of us.

I was Riley’s first sexual experience, and she was my first virgin, so I treated things delicately.

The more time I spent with her, the more times we had sex, she showed me that maybe I didn’t have to be so delicate.

She liked when I was a little rough and when I grabbed her ass in public, telling her simple but effective dirty things in her ear.

Her brown skin would get a red hue from her blush that drove me wild.

She didn’t mind when I pulled her hair and the nervous, yet excited look she had when she saw my Jacob’s Ladder piercing could have been my undoing.

She admitted with the most innocent look in her brown eyes that had just a tiny lining of gold near the center, that she liked to turn around and be on top, so that she could watch the silver balls go inside of her and I’m pretty sure I came the minute the words left her mouth.

And then her dad died, and I pulled back for a few months. I was there for her, but anything physical was all her call. I’d been easing us back into our flirty, sexy routine with the most care I could muster.

I walked over to Grayson’s car that was parked next to Asher’s.

“I’ll let Riley get to know her roommate more and then I’ll ask her if she’s okay with me openly fucking her in front of another person because my brother would really appreciate it if I didn’t bring her over anymore, even though he has no reason to dislike her except that he has a stick up his ass.

” I heard Grayson unlock the car, throwing the door open. “Better?”

I heard the words fucking brat leave my brother’s mind and I wanted to laugh.

I mean he isn’t wrong. I thought, sending what Asher said to Grayson’s mind. He gave me a look to not provoke the beast.

You are the worst kind of brat, Riv. I heard him say in his head.

“I won’t be home anyway, so I actually don’t even care. Just keep her out of my stuff, River!” Asher yelled from inside his car. He zoomed out of our driveway and headed towards the school.

“Oh pare .” Grayson settled into the driver’s seat, looking at me. “I think he likes her.”

“That’s because you think everyone should like her.”

“So do you.”

I put my backpack on the car floor in front of me and pressed the button to roll my window down slightly. “He just thinks because she’s human, she’s incredibly fragile, so she needs to find another fragile human to be with. I consider that his version of caring.”

“Or maybe he says that ‘cause he likes her.”

I shoved his shoulder right before he cut on the car. “Shut up.”

He hummed, throwing me a lopsided smile. “He is wrong though. She is stupid powerful; how else would she get you to come at her every beck and call?”

I leaned my head against the headrest, turning to lazily look at him. He raised his hand to stop me before I could even get a word out. “I am well aware that I’m not immune to her sorcery either.”