Broken Empire A Reverse Harem High School Bully Romance - Callie Rose Page 0,72

lingered, although precious and sweet, would be paid for in pain later.

And I couldn’t stand the thought of that.

The dark-haired boy refused to rush home though, carefully helping me get dressed before seeming to forget what he was doing and shoving his hand back down my pants, drawing another toe-curling orgasm out of me. Once we were finally put back together, he held my hand as we slipped out of the back seat and took our spots up front again.

A strange combination of euphoria and worry filled my chest as we drove the rest of the way back to Oak Park. When we pulled up into the student lot, Finn was already waiting for us. Cole got out to open my door, and when he pulled me from the car, I craned my neck, going up on the tiptoes of my good leg to press a kiss to his lips. He seemed startled that I’d done it in front of Finn, but his reaction to my kisses seemed to be automatic—his arms wrapped around me as he kissed me back.

It wasn’t long or deep, but it was enough to communicate what it needed to, and when our lips broke apart, his blue eyes were as bright as stars.

“See you Monday,” he said gruffly.

I nodded. “Be safe. Text me so I know.”

He squeezed me once more and then released me. Finn stepped up to my side as we watched Cole drive away, and I felt his large hand slide into mine, lacing our fingers together.

“He okay? He texted me but didn’t say much other than to meet you guys here.”

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. It was late afternoon now, but it felt like days had passed since I’d left campus with Cole and Penny. Everything that’d happened in the interim was beginning to catch up to me, and I felt exhausted.

Finn blew out a breath, puffing out his cheeks. “Motherfucker. The sooner we all graduate and get the fuck out of here, the better.”

I braced myself for the twinge of panic that always seemed to come when I thought about graduation, about the five of us scattering to the wind—but it didn’t come. Maybe it was all in my head, or maybe it was the way he gripped my hand as he spoke, but when Finn said “we”, I felt certain that word included me.

We walked slowly across campus, and when we got back to my dorm, he made me put my feet up and take a pain pill. I’d been standing for longer than I should’ve, and all the maneuvering of having sex in a car probably hadn’t helped my leg either.

The other two Princes came over about an hour later, and we spent the evening studying together. A lame Saturday night, maybe, but it was exactly what I needed.

If only we weren’t missing a piece.

I counted down the minutes until Cole’s return on Sunday, and only when he texted me to let me know he was back on campus did my stomach unclench.

The week seemed to fly by in a blur of homework assignments and exams. We were in the final stretch of classes, and I could feel it. It was like no teacher wanted to be the one who was accused to going too easy on us, so they all rode us extra hard, just to be sure.

Adena was both better and worse all week.

She’d gotten what she’d wanted—she had ousted the Princes from their place of power and made half the school think they were little better than trash like me. She’d gotten into Harvard. And she would most likely be voted fucking prom queen.

Now that she’d achieved her goals, she switched tactics, parading around the school like a gracious queen and offering false magnanimity, congratulating the Princes for getting accepted to schools she obviously thought were inferior to hers.

I could practically see her salivating with glee as she stood over our lunch table on Wednesday, talking too loudly, her voice too syrupy sweet.

Mason started to get up, possibly intending to try to decapitate her with a lunch tray, but I grabbed his hand and squeezed. He sank back down beside me, and I let myself enjoy a small moment of satisfaction that real fear had flashed across Adena’s face.

She was playing with fire taunting the Princes like this. And I was serious about trying to keep them from doing something they’d regret, but that didn’t stop me from indulging in a few daydreams where they