Page 19

18

Summer

A lice and I shop for hours, and by the end of the day, I swear there isn’t a single bralette or crop top I haven’t tried on in all of Camelot. Alice put everything we bought on her gold card, even though I protested heavily every time she brought it out. Unfortunately for her bank account and me, she seemed to come down with temporary deafness when we reached the checkouts. At first, I thought it might be pity that made her so eager to pay for my things, but every time she used the card, a malicious gleam sparked in her eyes. She definitely had other motives for pulling out the card, which hadn’t been present when she used her phone credits earlier in the week.

When we arrive home, it doesn’t stop there. Alice makes me try on everything at least twice before we settle on the white co-ord, with the long-sleeved cropped top, matching miniskirt, and black chunky heels. It’s not exactly the warmest option, but it’s got sleeves. I stare at my reflection in the mirror, unease churning in my stomach. It’s not because I’m not looking forward to the date. I’ve just never done something so… formal .

Alice claps from where she is sitting on my bed. “You look perfect. That outfit was an excellent find!”

I glance at her over my shoulder. She’s the picture of calm, laying in my bed wearing a gray onesie. The graphic on it makes it look like it’s covered in blood splatter. When she picked it up at the store earlier, she insisted she needed it so that when it’s actually drenched in blood, no one will notice. She rolls out of bed and stands next to me. I smile at our reflections in the mirror as she snaps a photo of us.

I look at the photo and laugh. “That’s honestly the perfect picture.”

Alice opens the Nexus app and posts the picture.

Alice looks me over in the mirror again. “Damn. You know, if I weren’t cursed with heterosexuality, I’d snatch you up.”

I snicker, nudging her shoulder.

Connor knocks on the door at precisely seven, and I answer, my stomach doing somersaults.

“Woah.” The word escapes him on a whoosh of air as he takes in my outfit, and I take a moment to appreciate the effort he has made. His black jeans fit him perfectly, and the white button-up shirt must be tailored to him. He’s clean-shaven, and his eyes are glowing slightly.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.”

Connor blinks, still staring at me. “Woah.”

“Hello?” I wave my hand in front of his face. “Are you still in there?”

Connor blinks and slowly shakes his head. He clears his throat. “Sorry, just… damn.” He clears his throat again and holds out his elbow. “Shall we?”

I roll my eyes, but a smile teases at my lips as I slide my hand through his arm.

“Have her home by midnight, Morningstar!” Alice shouts from inside, having made a nest on the couch.

“Will do.”

“And use protec?—”

I close the door before she can finish her sentence and sigh. “Sorry, she’s?—”

“She’s Alice. Yeah.”

I laugh and shake my head as we leave Kelpie Hall. I can almost feel Connor’s gaze on my face, just taking me in.

“I’m trying to get my brain going again, but it’s taking a minute,” Connor admits, clearing his throat again. I sigh and stop walking. Connor turns and looks down at me, concern creasing his brow. “Summer? Are you?—”

Grabbing his face, I pull him down and kiss him deeply. Connor groans and backs me against the wall of Ammit Hall, crushing me between it and his body. Suddenly, the wall behind me vanishes, and I fall back. Connor’s arm wraps around me, keeping me from landing on my ass. I glance over my shoulder to find a student standing there, blinking at me. I blush when I realize Connor hasn’t backed me into a wall but up against a door to the building.

Connor grins at the guy. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

I bite the inside of my cheek to stop my laugh and grab his hand, pulling him away from the dorm. The laugh bubbles up my throat, and I can’t hold it back anymore.

“You’re laughing at me?” Connor squeezes my hand, his mouth pulled into a broad smile.

“With you, big guy. I’m laughing with you.” The pet name seems so familiar, and it leaves me almost instinctively. It fits him so well, and my chest warms a little when I use it.

Connor smiles bigger and drapes his arm along the back of my shoulders while still holding my hand as if he has to have me as close as possible. That does not make some of the knots in my stomach ease. It does not .

“Where are we going for dinner?” I ask as we wander toward the gate. The sun is only just starting to set, and the orange light stretches over the grounds, casting everything in a warm, romantic glow. The mist that normally lingers at the edge of campus is absent.

“I thought we’d go to Magnolia Bistro. There’s a not-so-secret space in the back that is quiet and intimate.” He brushes his lips over the top of my head. “Let’s hope we don’t run into the doom master again, or he might invite himself on our date.”

My lips twitch, hearing the fear lacing his voice. The headmaster seems to terrify other people, too, not just me. Thank gods.

“I have to say, I was a little shocked you came over.”

I glance at him, unsurprised to find him already looking at me. “Me too.”

It is unlike me to seek someone out and risk rejection or even give someone the chance I’ve given Connor.

“I hope you know,” he twirls a lock of my hair around his pinky, “I beat the heaven out of Zach and Zane.”

The memories of last night threaten to overwhelm me. How it had felt to believe that he had used me, betrayed me for his own gain. I can’t go through that again and repress the thought, shoving away the emotions that so eagerly seek to strip the joy from tonight. Super healthy of me, I know, but I refuse to return to that place of weakness.

“Please tell me you filmed it. I’d pay to see that.”

Connor snorts. “Not this time, but don’t worry, knowing them, it won’t be the last time I have to do it.”

We walk through the wards and into Camelot. It is the most perfect summer evening. Flowers bloom in large pots along the sidewalk, and the air is still and calm. A bit like Connor, or maybe that’s just the way I feel when I am around him. There is an ease that comes with being with someone who seems to… see me or at least one version of me.

We arrive at the bustling restaurant, and Connor waves at the hostess. She is a student from Avalon and chats animatedly with him as she leads us through the main restaurant and past a curtain to our table. There are fewer booths back here, and soft music wraps around us. Lit candles on each table create a lovely ambiance, casting an air of romance throughout the room completely different from the one next door.

We slide into the booth, and I smile at Connor as she hands us our menus. Connor holds out his hand, waiting for me to take it across the table. I raise an eyebrow and stare at his hand, unused to romance. Some would say I’m allergic to it.

“I won’t bite. Unless you want me to.” He winks at me.

I exhale and place my hand in his with a glare, though there’s no anger in it. Connor absentmindedly runs his thumb over my knuckles as he watches me. “You’ve never done this, have you?”

I tilt my head. “Eaten at a restaurant?”

Connor laughs. “Dated. With the plan of more.”

“More?”

“Of being… committed. Sometime in the future,” Connor says, holding my gaze.

“That’s not the plan.”

He smirks. “Oh, it so is.”

I roll my eyes and try to pull my hand from his, but he catches it and interlocks our fingers. “Nice try.”

I narrow my eyes at him, giving him my most intimidating glare, but he simply lifts my hand to his lips and presses a soft kiss to my knuckles. “We’re going to take it slow. Super slow. Just a kiss after the first date.”

I blink. “Wait, what?”

Connor looks down at the menu. “I’m starved.”

I snatch the menu out of his hand. “What was that about taking it slow? We’re still going to fuck, right?”

Connor blinks, releasing a small, strangled sound. “I thought you wanted to take it slow?”

I do want to take it slow. In fact, I don’t want it to be any more than what it currently is. But withholding sex isn’t taking it slow. I tug my hand from his. “You were knuckle deep in me like seven hours ago.”

The waiter clears his throat as he approaches. Connor blushes deeply as the server fills our wine glasses, but I just watch him, waiting for an answer, undeterred by the intrusion.

When the waiter leaves, a slow smile creeps across Connor’s face. “So you don’t want to take it slow?”

I sit back in my chair. “We’re not taking it anything. We’re on a date and we fuck.” I tilt my head, my smirk filled with challenge. “Are you up for it, big guy?”

His stupidly handsome smile just keeps growing, and he shifts around the booth, pulling me in closer to him.

Connor grasps my chin gently and leans in, his lips a breath away from mine. “You want to fuck, we fuck,” he says, his voice husky and low. Those damned butterflies surge in my stomach, but I don’t pull my gaze from him. “But I have one condition.” I quirk a brow, waiting. Connor brushes his lips over mine. “While we are. I am the only one fucking you. And you are the only one fucking me.”

I shiver at the small show of possession, at the desire in his voice. Fuck, why does that make me turn to fucking putty? There is something seriously wrong with me.

“Fine,” I agree. It’s not like I’ve encountered anyone else that I want to fuck, anyway.

Connor kisses me again, the touch of his lips whisper-soft. I scoot closer, wanting more, but he releases me and pulls back a little. “Good, because I think about last night and that… thing you did. Constantly.”

I glance at his lips. “What thing?”

Connor’s cheeks flush. “You know, when you,” he swallows hard, “grabbed me.”

I purse my lips, thinking. I know he’s talking about when I pulled him into me, that moment when I took control, but it’s more fun to play with him. “Hmm…” I lean in, biting his ear and whispering, low and filthy, “Maybe you should follow me into the bathroom and show me.”

I pull back, appreciating how his pupils have almost completely swallowed up the blue of his irises. Sliding out of the booth, I glance at him one more time before turning and heading toward the restroom.