The Envy of Idols (Rich Boys of Burberry Prep #3) - C.M. Stunich Page 0,10

and I swear to god, I nearly tumble over that railing onto the stupidly green lawn below us. Creed stands up straight and turns toward me, putting an arm on either side of me and grabbing onto the railing. I’m now trapped between his arms and staring up into his eyes. Heat rushes through me, consuming every logical thought I’ve ever had. Now, all I can feel is this insistent, foreign throbbing between my thighs, and the way my nipples have peaked to points beneath my sundress. I’m not wearing a bra either, and I feel like he must notice. “I don’t usually finish that fast.” He raises his hand to brush hair from my forehead, and then leans in so close that our lips nearly touch.

“I wasn’t concerned about that,” I choke out, and he laughs, this low, sensual, lazy sound, almost a purr. Creed puts his face up against mine, his lips near the top of my ear.

“Good. There’s just something about you, I guess, that my body responds to …” He breathes and my hair flutters in the warmth. Without meaning to, I reach up and put my palms against his chest, and he shudders on the end of a long inhale. “Marnye, you’ve been avoiding me ever since. Now that I know about the bet, it all makes sense.”

“Creed,” I start, as he adjusts himself so that he’s looking right into my face. I have literally no idea what’s happening right now, no clue what our relationship is—or if we even have one at all. Maybe he’s just my ex-bully, and brother to my best friend?

But no.

When I look into his eyes, I can see that’s not it at all.

There’s something else.

“You know, after our little make-out session,” he starts, moving in and pressing a light kiss to the corner of my mouth, “something changed in me.” He kisses me again, and I start to tremble. I’m trapped here, frozen in place. I couldn’t move if I wanted to.

And I don’t.

I don’t want to move.

“I started to think about you …” Creed continues, running his tongue along my lower lip and making me shiver. My body throbs in desperation, and I start wondering what might’ve happened if I hadn’t fled the hot tub, if I’d just let him explore underneath my swimsuit … “As mine.”

Creed’s words—and his mouth—slam into me like a storm, his tongue sliding between my lips, tasting me. His kiss is not as lazy as his words. No, he’s kissing me the same way he moves in a fight: fierce, fast, and frenzied. In an instant, I find myself lifted and set on the edge of the balcony railing. Creed is so tall that it doesn’t make much difference for him, other than that instead of him leaning over to kiss me, I’m bent slightly at the neck to kiss him.

My arms are wrapped around his neck now, his body between my thighs. The railing’s a bit high, so our, um, crotches aren’t exactly lined up which is probably a good thing because I wouldn’t want him to finish in his pants …

A scoffing sound snaps me out of the moment, and I look up to find Tristan Vanderbilt standing in the doorway. He’s watching the two of us with that cold, gray gaze of his, calculating and detached. As I stare at him, my breath coming in short, sharp, pants, I notice shadows flickering in his eyes. His jaw tightens as he tucks his fingers into the front pockets of his black pants and stares at the two of us.

Creed scowls as he pulls me off the railing and sets me on my feet.

“Don’t you fucking knock?” Creed snaps, and I’m just so … flustered and confused, I do nothing but stand there and stare at the two of them. “Or do you feel like you own the whole world anyway, so why not waltz into somebody else’s house uninvited?”

“Your sister let me in, you useless sloth,” Tristan growls back, his raven-dark hair showing off its blue highlights in the sunshine. He takes a step forward, and I stumble away, my back bumping into the railing again. I’m not used to seeing Tristan Vanderbilt in tank tops or shorts or sandals. It’s … mind-blowing.

“Mm.” The sound comes out of Creed in a grunt as he rakes his fingers through his hair. “That wasn’t my real question: why would you think we want you here?” He stays where he is, partially in front