Page 111 of Conquered (Highgate Preparatory Academ:y Compendium)
CHAPTER TWELVE
LILLY
W e take a long, gloriously hot shower, where Kai washes me from top to toe until I’m squeaky clean all over, using my new favourite ginger shampoo and conditioner to wash my hair.
Wrapping me in a huge white fluffy towel that he prewarmed on the heated towel rail, he grabs a medical first aid kit Ash brought in whilst we were showering.
Lifting me up, he places me on the sink countertop, setting to work wiping my cuts with antiseptic and covering them with gauze, bandages and tape.
“You are amazing, Lilly,” he tells me softly, placing the last bit of tape on my inner thigh to hold the gauze in place.
“I don’t know why I thought I could scare you off with my darkness,” he adds, looking up at me, his eyes holding equal measure of wonder, awe, and pain.
“The light you have in you shines so brightly, is so strong, that you can take any amount of darkness, and burn it away. People often mistake goodness as a weakness, but you are stronger than all of us, my darling. We would truly be lost without you.”
I don’t realise that I’m crying until I taste salt on my lips, his thumb coming up to wipe my tears away as he leans in closer, his hand then moving up into my wet hair, his fingers tangling in the brunette strands.
“You are my light, Lilly. My soul. Everything that I am, or ever will be, is yours and yours alone. And when we take our final breaths on this earth, our souls will remain bound, travelling the winds together for all eternity.”
“Oh, Kai,” I say in a broken whisper against his lips as he presses them to mine in a kiss so tender and sweet that the stars sigh.
“I promise that I will tell you everything soon. I just need some time,” he murmurs, pulling away and looking into my eyes once more, his hand still in my hair.
“Take all the time you need, my love,” I tell him, his eyes closing and a beatific smile comes over his features at my words. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I lean in, placing my head on his damp chest and wrapping my arms round him in a tight hug, sighing in pure bliss and contentment when he returns the embrace. We stay that way until Loki pops his head past the door, an indulgent and relieved smile on his lips as he looks at us.
“Time to get ready, Pretty Girl,” he tells me. “Your carriage awaits!”
I can’t help giggling when he waggles his eyebrows in that goofy way of his before disappearing again. Kai helps me off the counter, holding my hand as he leads me to the bedroom, exiting wearing only a towel to go to his room and get dressed.
On the bed I find black lacy underwear, a navy cropped T-shirt, and some new mustard yellow Run and Fly dungarees with a bee print. There’s a piece of the hotel notepaper with Ash’s elegant scrawl over it.
Wear these today
I can’t help beaming down at the note in my hand, loving the sweet yet commanding gesture.
He knew I was eyeing these very dungs up.
I do as he says, pairing them with the yellow and rainbow Irregular Choice Shirly Bass shoes that Loki bought me for Christmas.
I walk back into the main living room area to, once again, find all the guys waiting for me, and my gaze immediately connects with Ash’s grey one, the corner of his lips lifting to see me wearing what he laid out for me.
He walks towards me, stepping so close that I’m completely consumed by his spicy ginger scent. Leaning down, he takes a deep inhale, a low rumbling sigh escaping his lips.
“I fucking love that you use my shampoo,” he says so that only I can hear as his hand finds the bare skin on my side that the crop top leaves exposed.
Tingles and goosebumps spread from his touch as he glides his hand upwards, a hissing breath leaving him when he discovers that I didn’t quite follow his instructions. He groans as his fingers skate across my bare breast, my nipple pebbling as his thumb rubs over it.
“Why do I need underwear for a spa day?” I ask in a saucy whisper, my voice slightly breathless, loving the way he almost splutters when he realises what I’m implying.
“Sorry to cockblock you, Blue Balls,” Loki sniggers like a wankstain at Ash’s responding growl. He grabs my hand and pulls me out of Ash’s grip. “But the car and Lexi are waiting.”
I blow Ash a kiss, laughing at the frustrated outrage on his face as Loki leads me to the front doors of the suite. I blow both Jax and Kai kisses as we pass, managing to grab my coat as Loki pulls me out of the door and into the lift.
“That was mean,” I mock scold, my eyebrows raised as he pushes me up against the mirrored back wall of the lift, his hand wrapping around the top of my throat, ignoring the poor attendant who stares straight ahead.
He doesn’t reply, just closes the distance, covering my body with his as he gives me a bruising kiss that makes me forget where we are, or that we have an audience. He pulls away, leaving my head spinning and my heart racing just as the doors ding open, an evil grin on his face.
“I wanted to make sure you thought about me all day,” he says with a smirk, taking my hand once again and leading me out of the lift and across the bright foyer.
“Do you know why Ash was so frustrated this morning?” I ask, a grin to rival his on my own lips.
“Why? His balls about to drop off, they're so blue?”
“Maybe,” I start, glad I grabbed my coat, wool scarf, and beanie hat before we left the suite as the biting January temperature hits my exposed face.
It may be brilliant sunshine, but it’s still winter in England.
We stop in front of the open car door, and I turn to face him.
“Or maybe it’s because I didn’t quite follow his instructions about what to wear today and left some bits on the bed. ”
Giving him a quick peck on his still lips, I climb into the car and shut the door, immediately engulfed in a hug from Lexi.
“Why did Loki look so confused?” she asks, and I chuckle.
About ten minutes later I get an incoming text.
Angel: ::devil emoji:: You naughty minx! He’ll spank you when you get back! Xxx
A laugh leaves my lips even as my thighs clench with the thought of the punishment that awaits me upon my return.
I spend a wonderful day at a high-end spa with Lexi, drinking champagne and being pampered to within an inch of my life. We have full body hot stone massages, pedicures and manicures, mud wraps, facials with the most wonderful smelling products, and spend time in the hot tub and pool.
The car that picks us up takes us to The Hard Rock Cafe, where the guys and Ryan are waiting. We gorge ourselves on burgers, fries, and milkshakes, all whilst listening to nineties rock music, and admiring the memorabilia lining the walls.
Yawning, we head to the car that’ll take us back to the hotel, Lexi kissing me goodnight, saying that we will see them tomorrow. I must fall asleep on the way home because the next thing I know I’m being carried into our suite.
Looking up, I give Jax a bleary-eyed smile as he holds me effortlessly, even though he still looks pretty tired himself. He sets me down gently on the bed, helping me to strip off, and then we crawl under the covers, Loki joining us a moment later.
I fall back asleep surrounded by warmth and love, feeling so safe sandwiched between two of my guys, like nothing can ever touch me as long as they are near.
I wake up, unsure at first what woke me, then hear the hint of a piano melody caressing my skin being played somewhere nearby.
Gently extracting myself from the sleeping men in my bed, I pad naked across the plush carpeted floor and out the door, heading towards the main living area and the haunting sound.
My skin tingles, a tentative smile drawing my lips upwards as I gaze at Ash sitting at the instrument, the lid down so to quieten the sound, wearing only light coloured sweats.
His tattooed hands are on the keys, his eyes closed as he plays a piece that makes my soul ache.
It’s utterly beautiful whilst also being desperately sad, and moisture stings my eyes as I watch him shrouded in darkness, the only light in the room coming from a streetlight outside that casts everything in an eerie orange glow.
I remember the story Kai told me, about when they were thirteen or so, and Ash had tried to run away to become a concert pianist, but then his father had found them, and by the sounds of it, punished him severely.
I thought he no longer played, that was the impression Kai gave me anyway.
But as his fingers effortlessly move over the keys, my heart swells to know that he must have found a way.
He wouldn’t be this good if he hadn’t played all these years.
As the piece draws to a close, he looks up, his hands not faltering even as a banked heat enters his grey orbs when he spots me leaning against the doorframe, naked, watching him.
“It’s called Opus 38 , by Dustin O’Halloran,” he explains, his voice gruff as the last note resounds in the still night air. “I learned it after Luc...died.”
My feet carry me closer to him without conscious thought, the need to comfort him overwhelming.
“I had no idea that you still played,” I whisper, not wanting to disturb this moment, this suspended time we are currently inhabiting.
I come to a stop next to him, my hands reaching out and running through his dark, silky hair, loving the feel of the strands as they move through my fingers.
“It’s not something that I can broadcast,” he tells me, his own voice quiet.
He leans into my touch, resting his head on my stomach, his arms coming around my hips.
His breath sends shivers racing across my body, my nipples becoming hard points even though the room is warm.
“My father, well, you’ve met him, does not approve of his son playing a musical instrument.
Thinks music is for, and I quote, ‘queers and faggots.’” He practically spits the words, clearly disgusted by his father’s bigotry. “But fuck him.”
I smile at that.