“Ella…” He pushes his hips forward. “Fuck. Faster.”

Watching his face is the most thrilling thing ever. His cheeks are flushed and his eyes are hazy, and when I kiss him, his tongue tangles with mine until we’re both breathless.

The throbbing between my legs starts up again and Reed seems to sense it, because his fingers find me and then we’re frantically trying to drive each other wild. And it works. I clutch him tighter, because if I’m going to lose it, I’m taking him with me. His mouth is on mine and we move in perfect sync until I’m lost, drowning in a state of blissful happiness.

25

“Have you seen Reed?” Callum asks someone in the hall.

The sound of his voice so close to my door jerks me upright. A heavy arm clotheslines me, sending me straight back to the mattress.

“Probably went to football practice,” Easton replies.

“Huh, it’s early. Shouldn’t you be at practice, too?”

“Trying to, but someone’s grilling me about my brother’s whereabouts,” is Easton’s snarky response.

Callum grunts or laughs or huffs a breath. I can’t really tell. I shake Reed’s shoulder until his eyes snap open.

“It’s your dad,” I hiss.

He shuts his eyes in response and rubs his cheek against my hand.

Callum speaks up again. “I got a call from Franklin Auto Body saying Reed brought in a car, but I see his Rover out there. Ella’s car is missing. She hasn’t run off again, has she?” There’s a strained note in his voice. I wonder if I upset him over the money talk. Or maybe he thinks he upset me and that’s why he’s worried I might’ve run.

“Nah, Ella’s car had an unfortunate honey accident and she was too embarrassed to tell you. Reed took it in for her.”

“Honey accident?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it, Dad,” Easton says, and then their footsteps fade down the hall.

I glance at the clock, which tells me I need to get moving if I want to make it to the bakery on time. Lucy gave me a second chance, and there’s no way I’m blowing it again. I crawl out from under Reed’s possessive arm and realize I’m in my underwear.

Walking around barely dressed in front of Reed is somehow more awkward than taking my clothes off for a bunch of strangers. I find his discarded T-shirt still clinging to the edge of the bed and quickly slip it on.

Reed rolls onto his back and tucks his hands under his head. He watches with intent interest as I buzz around the room getting ready.

“You didn’t need to cover up for me,” he drawls.

“I didn’t cover up for you. I covered up for me.”

He laughs, a low, sexy, gravelly thing. “You still have your V-card, little Miss Innocent.”

“I don’t feel very innocent,” I mutter.

“You don’t look it either.”

I duck in front of the wide mirror that hangs over my desk. My hair is crazy wild. It looks like a family of forest animals took up residence in it. “Oh my God! Is this what sex hair really looks like?” Though is it still considered sex hair when you didn’t have sex?

Behind me, Reed rises from the bed, looking way too good at this time of the morning. He brushes aside some of my sex hair and presses a hot kiss against my neck.

“You look gorgeous and hot and if I stay in here any longer, your virginity will be on the floor somewhere next to yesterday’s panties.”

Then he gives my butt a hard slap and saunters out of my room wearing only his boxers. Thankfully, he isn’t greeted with any horrified exclamations from Callum.

With Reed gone, I dunk my hair under the sink, throw on a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a rather smutty black-lace top that I used to wear at a truck stop where I worked before Callum found me.

Reed walks by my room as I step out. He stops, runs his eyes over my body, and then holds up a finger. “Hold it right there.”

I don’t stay, because as I’ve told Reed a million times before, I’m not a dog.

I follow him to his room, where I find him rifling around in his closet. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for a uniform.”

I roll my eyes. “There’s no uniforms on Fridays.”

Friday is the one day we’re allowed to break out our non-school-issued wardrobes, though Headmaster Beringer seems to prefer everyone wearing something to support the football team on game day.

“Doesn’t mean you should be wearing something that will cause a riot at school.” Reed emerges with a button-down shirt in white with tiny blue checks. “Don’t suppose you’d wear my jersey, would you?”

I make a face. I’m not ready to declare to the world that I’m back together with Reed Royal. I already have enough shit to deal with at school and I’m not sure how this is going to complicate things.

Reed sighs but doesn’t argue.

I let him push my arms into the shirt and then flap the excess fabric in his face. “How am I supposed to wear this?”

He waves his index finger in a circle. “Do the thing with the sleeves. The roll-up thing. Aren’t boyfriend clothes supposed to be in?”

His use of the word boyfriend has me feeling twenty degrees warmer, but I can’t let Reed know how easily he affects me or he’ll use it against me all the time. “It’s boyfriend jeans, and fine, but just this once,” I grumble, scrunching up the sleeves so I can actually use my hands at the bakery today without Reed’s cuffs getting in all the flour.

We grab a couple snacks from the kitchen before heading out.

“So what do you want to do this weekend?” Reed asks once we get on the road to the bakery.

“I don’t want to go to an Astor party.” I wrinkle my nose. “And we should do something with Val because Tam’s an asshole and I don’t want her to be alone.”

“There’s a farm that has a big maze and a pumpkin toss we could go to.”

“We? As in you and your brothers we?” I ask hopefully.

“Yeah, all of us. We’ll take our testosterone out on the fruit and then you and I can go make out in the maze.”

“You sound very sure of yourself.”

He smirks. “I have scratches on my back this morning.”

“You do not!” I exclaim and then suck in breath. “Do you?” I ask quietly, looking at my nails.