The Princess and The Jester - A.D. McCammon Page 0,67

not to fall in love with you.”

It’s good to see both of them so happy again. Violet forgave Thatcher after reading the letters he sent over the summer. There were no more secrets between them. She knows about everything he’s been through and everything we did to make it right again.

Violet moans as Thatcher kisses her, and I turn my attention to Gwen. She’s chatting with Mia, who’s currently pouting about Cory escorting another girl onto the field. According to Gwen, those two have been hooking up for a while now. Mia played hard to get at first, hating that Cory spent years crushing on her best friend. Can’t say I blame her there.

My hand lands on Gwen’s thigh, slowly moving up the thin material of her joggers. She slaps a hand over mine to stop me without even bothering to pause her conversation or gaze my way.

“I can’t wait to get you in that hotel room tomorrow night,” I whisper, squeezing her leg. “I’m going to make you come so many times your entire body will feel like Jell-O.”

The hardest part about not living in Gwen’s house is not being able to hold her at night. But coming in as a close second is not being able to be inside of her whenever I want. It hasn’t been easy fitting in the time.

Since we’re all stuck going to this stupid dance tomorrow night, I figured we should make the best of it. We’ll make an appearance at the dance so I can support Arwen and show off my hot girlfriend. Then I’m stealing her away for some much-needed alone time.

Gwen stops mid-sentence, her head snapping in my direction. “I’m counting on it, Masterson.”

She winks before returning to her conversation with Mia, and then the heat from someone’s stare warms my skin. My gaze wanders through the crowd on the bleachers in search of the source. When I peer over my shoulder, it lands on Shane. He doesn’t even bother to look away, his eyes narrowing, lips curling into a crooked smile.

He hasn’t been a problem since our little chat in the parking garage. Gwen hasn’t received any more ominous messages, and I haven’t heard anything about him running his mouth. But the evil gleam in his stare makes it clear he isn’t done causing trouble for us yet.

Gwen hasn’t tried to tell me what he had on her since she agreed not to. Though I meant everything I said that day, it still plagues my thoughts occasionally. Whatever he had on her must’ve been pretty awful. Bad enough to hurt me and cause issues between us.

If Shane’s sitting on that kind of ammo, why isn’t he using it? I’ve learned a thing or two over the years about how people like him think. And my guess is, he’s simply waiting for the best time to take his shot. He’s planning to go in for the kill.

The chatter and laughter around me fade into the background as Gwen begins to descend the stairs. She’s wearing a long emerald dress with a neckline that dips down to her abdomen, placing her incredible cleavage on display. Her long hair is pulled back on the crown of her head, a cascade of dark waves falling down her back. The sight takes my breath away. It reminds me of the first time I laid eyes on the princess in a pretty dress, and I fall for her all over again.

I meet her at the bottom of the stairs, motioning with my finger for her to spin for me. She rolls her eyes, but there’s a smile on her lips as she gives me a twirl.

She faces me again, and I hum with appreciation.

“You like? The pockets are what sold it for me,” she jokes, her smile widening as she stuffs her hands into the pockets of the dress.

“I love it. You’re gorgeous, Princess.”

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she says.

“Not bad?” I tug on the lapels of my jacket. “We both know I look fine as hell.”

My emerald green velvet jacket, trimmed with black satin lapels, matches her dress perfectly. It’s paired with black suit pants and dress shoes. The purple bowtie and pocket square give the outfit an extra touch of style and personality.

She giggles as I lean in to kiss her, settling for her cheek since we have an audience.

My mother coos over Gwen, handing me the purple corsage I picked out for my date before she gives Gwen a hug. “You