In the Arms of the Elite (Rich Boys of Burberry Prep #4) - C.M. Stunich Page 0,63

he smiles. The way his slightly curled red hair falls over his forehead is enhanced by the diffused light, and his face almost seems to glow. His shirt is partially unbuttoned, and I can see just the slightest hint of chest.

“No, I mean that we’re all eighteen now. Not just me and you, but your other lovers as well.”

“Lovers,” I say, feeling my face heat up. I guess Zayd, Creed, and Zack are lovers, aren’t they? Since we’ve had sex … Although I still haven’t quite braved the blow job yet. My mouth tightens, and I stuff an olive in to keep from blurting out that the molding around the arch that leads into the mudroom still has original hand-hammered nails in it which, really, is unusual from a historical standpoint because they used to use make these little pegs on the end and sort of notch the wood together like Lincoln Logs or something …

“They’re all free to make their own choices now,” Windsor continues, drinking the rest of his wine, and then setting the glass down to refill it. “They might not like the options they’re given, but they have them.”

“Who, specifically, are you talking about? Yourself?” I ask, and Wind shakes his head, pushing red hair off of his face with his palm, so that it sticks straight up.

“Certainly not. I’ve already told you, I want to marry you and ride off into the sunset.”

I snort, but the way Windsor York holds his face … makes me wonder if he isn’t at least a little bit serious.

“Who are you referring to then?” I pull a bowl of grapes toward me, admiring their shiny purple skins before I pluck one out and put it between my lips. Windsor watches, enraptured, and I feel my fingers lingering a bit too long on the curve of my lower lip. I look away, glancing over my shoulder at the beautiful scenery. It’s certainly fall here, with all of its orange and yellow, but the grass is still green and it’s pleasantly warm outside.

“I mean all of them. Zayd, Creed, Tristan, Zack.” He stops talking, and I turn back to look at him. “I must tell you something, but you need to keep it quiet.”

“Infinity Club?” I ask, and Windsor nods, searching my face. He’s done so much maneuvering behind the scenes to keep me safe, to keep me happy, to keep Charlie safe and happy. I owe him so much, this bully of bullies who strode in and chopped Harper du Pont’s ponytail off as a token of friendship.

I’m going to do so, so much more. And not just to her, but all of them. They wanted me out of Burberry Prep Academy, no matter how they had to go about doing it. Well, karma is threefold, motherfuckers. I bite down on another grape, and purple sweetness explodes in my mouth.

And that doesn’t sound dirty at all.

“Tristan’s father, William, is now married to Lizzie’s mother’s best friend.” He takes another sip of his wine as I gape at him. “She’s a wealthy heiress to a massive hotel chain. The entire reason the Waltons didn’t want their daughter with a Vanderbilt—that is, their endless void of debt—is not so important now. It’s going to get paid off.”

“Lizzie told me she won a bet against her parents, so that they’d consider Tristan …”

“And she did, and they did. The marriage only just happened last week; I’m probably one of the first to know about it.” He finishes his wine and sets his glass down. “So … Tristan could choose Lizzie, if he wanted. And maybe then, his father would take him back?”

I have no idea what to say, so I just sit there and let my mind mull that over.

“Zack’s family want him with someone presentable, someone with good blood. Probably one of the very girls you’ve already ousted from the school—or will oust, more than likely.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” I ask, looking up at him again, a veritable god draped in sunlight and quiet cruelty. He’s telling me this because he wants me to know how hard their choice would be, if they were really and truly to pick me.

“Creed, well, you could probably have Creed if you wanted. Easily. Kathleen is essentially a Pleb herself, a self-made woman. She likes you, a lot. They seem like a nice family, too.”

“Seriously, Windsor?” I snap, standing up and feeling my breath come in sharp pants. I’m not sure why I’m