Page 252 of Boys Who Taint

“Thank you,” I say through gritted teeth before he finally allows me to steal them.

“You’re welcome. And no, there was no touching involved to get inside,” he adds. “Compliments make women fold easily.”

“You’re so arrogant. God, one of these days I swear it’s going to bite you in the ass,” Grey says.

“As long as it’s one of you two doing the biting, I’m all for it.” He winks.

“It’s time. I have to run. I’ll just go without my books,” I say, planting a kiss on Grey’s lips, before I walk out, but Apollo blocks my way.

“Don’t I get a kiss, Freckles?”

I roll my eyes, but he still makes me smile as I lean in to peck him on the lips. His arm snakes its way around my waist, and he swoops in for a much deeper, longer kiss, burying his tongue in my mouth before he pulls away again. Just a smidge of dirtiness and I’m already hooked.

“Good luck with the test,” he says with a devious smirk.

“You’re both such a distraction,” I say as I walk off.

“If you ace it, I’ll reward you with a good lick and fuck!” Apollo yells as I waltz off through the hallways.

Along the way, I come across a few Phantoms who look at me like they don’t know what they’re seeing, and it makes me blush heavily as I run down the stairs. Luckily, no one saw me exit Levi’s room. But just the fact that I was here will get many people on campus talking out of their asses. I can’t let gossip ruin my life even though I’m pretty sure people are gonna yap all about Apollo, Grey, and me.

The moment my feet touch the ground again, my eyes shoot up to the guy walking up the stairs. His hoodie and that tattoo peeking out underneath make me swallow back the lump in my throat, and he pauses briefly to look right back into my eyes with so much desire it nearly takes my breath away.

But it’s broad daylight, and Phantoms are watching from the hallway and the top of the stairs. Everyone knows our familieshate each other. Everyone knows Levi Torres “killed” my half sister. If they knew what was between us, they’d tell the world.

No one can know how deeply I crave him and how badly he wrecked me.

Not even when my fingers desperately want to reach out to his.

Our secret will have to remain just that.

A forbidden secret.

After all, we’re not ever allowed to even talk. Our families hate each other.

And if my parents ever found out that I fell in love with my sister’s killer … they’d kill him.

So I turn my gaze away and bolt through the front door under his yearning gaze because I must. Because it’s my turn to protect him, even if it makes him hate me.

CHAPTER 58

Grey

I’m just eatinga snack at a table in the cafeteria during my short break between classes, when Xavier, Aspen’s twin brother, sits down at my table and stares me down like I have something on my face.

“What?” I take a sip of my Coke.

“You let her fuck with Apollo?”

I nearly snort up my Coke. “What the—How the hell do you—”

He slams his fist down. “The entire fucking campus is talking about it. Don’t hide it. Are you fucking for real? I told you to fucking protect her.”

“Listen bro, what we do in private is none of your business.”

“It is when the dude is a Torres. And I can’t fucking believe you took her to the Phantom Society.”

“You think I can stop her?” I snort. “Good luck trying.”