The Sinners - Ruby Vincent Page 0,29
a vow of celibacy while we were apart and I accepted he had a past. But finding out one of the girls who tortured me tangled up in these sheets with the first guy I had real feelings for was not welcome news.
“You’re not sleeping with her.”
Royal’s brows climbed up his forehead, pissing me the hell off.
“You don’t want to test me, Cruz. The same rules apply to you. We’re exclusive, which means you don’t get with anyone who doesn’t have an angel on their arm. Unless you, Cassius, Clay, or Hiro want to cross swords—in which case I’d like to watch—you’re not sleeping with anyone other than me.”
“I feel like we’re missing something, Cas,” Clay said mildly.
To my surprise, Royal burst out laughing. “Relax, princess. Sleeping with her was never on the table. Don’t need to go that far to ask a simple question.” Royal cut to the triplets. “Ember’s not hooking up with anyone outside of the Angels. She was making that clear.”
“I was making clear you’re not hooking up outside of the Angels.” I reclaimed my spot under Cassius. “The reverse is true too,” I murmured to the triplets.
“I’m cool with that,” said Clay.
Nuzzling my neck, Cassius squeezed my knee. “You give me the best gifts, baby.”
“This means you can only sleep with me, Cas. Still on board?”
His hand crept north. “All-access pass.”
“Cassius,” I warned. My giggle took away the heat.
“Pretty sure that’s what we agreed to.”
“Don’t recall that.” I was laughing.
“Should I remind you?”
He snuck under Royal’s shirt and cupped my sex. I wriggled, ineffectively knocking him off and not trying harder.
“We do what we want to do when we want to do it,” I said. “But the whole crossing swords thing. I wouldn’t mind—”
“Behave.” Cassius rolled on top of me and squished me laughing into the sheets. “No one is crossing swords even though I feel how much you like the idea.” Cassius slipped past my lower lips, unheeding of the boys watching.
I escaped him and ran to Clay, jumping on his lap. “Clay,” I cried. “Save me from your brother.”
“With pleasure.” Clay grasped my arms and caressed down to my wrists as he draped them around his shoulders. “You know, I was beat to shit too.”
The cuts, bandages, and bruises on his still-perfect face backed him up.
He brushed his nose against mine. “I could use some cheering up.”
“Oooh. What do you have in mind?” It was entirely possible I was high on sex. It was also entirely possible being near Clay was kicking my pulse into overdrive.
I touched a palm to my chest and the organ fluttering wildly in its cage. Yes to both.
“I could... bring you breakfast in bed?” I teased.
“Not what I was thinking.”
“Want to cuddle up and watch movies?”
He shook his head, eyes lasered on mine. “Before or after, sure.”
“After what exactly?” I whispered.
My lips hovered millimeters above his. Our breaths mingled. Our fingers entwined. Need grew in his eyes and between my legs. We’d been dancing around our feelings for reasons I was sure had nothing to do with Cassius and me. The night in his bathroom said it all. He believed what I truly wanted was to be free of the Angels, and in my darkest, quietest moments, I recognized a lot of terrible things wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t forced their way into my life.
But that moment would pass under the acceptance that a lot of wonderful things wouldn’t have happened either. The Angels made the school back off taunting me. They got Fiona to delete the video of me in the shower. They comforted me after Eli was attacked. And they stood between me and the true person intent on destroying—even taking—my life.
“Come back to my room and I’ll show you,” Clay said.
“Not today,” said Royal. “Cas, off.”
The next thing I knew I was lifted off Clay and placed on Royal’s bed.
“Ember and I have plans today. Tomorrow, I’ll talk to Destiny and we’ll figure out the rest from there. The minimum payments,” Royal said, stopping them as they got up to leave. “Can you cover them?”
Clay and Cassius shared a look. “We’ll have to take on more. Up some of our prices. But yeah, we can cover it.”
“If it’s looking like you’ll come up short, I’ll spot you.”
Cassius scoffed. “Because Rio didn’t just tell us what he thinks of that?”
“My money isn’t marked. He will never know the difference. I warned you guys we have to lie low and coming up short for the pot