Page 28 of Forbidden Heart

“Please, Tate,” I whimper when it’s all suddenly too much.

I want to drive him as insane as he’s driving me, but I don’t know how. All I can do is let go and enjoy the small bits of pleasure he doles out each time before he pulls away.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” a deep voice rumbles as footsteps echo across the gazebo. Charles!

I gasp, and Tate groans. My cheeks flush and I try to scramble away—to get down from the railing and pretend we weren’t doing anything, even though we obviously were—but Tate doesn’t let go of my hands. He keeps them pinned to the solid wood, holding me in place, as he turns his head to look at Charles.

The Beast is holding a tray with three to-go cups in one hand, and a large umbrella over his head. His dress pants are soaked to the ankle, but he’s managed to keep the rest of himself fully dry.

“Charles...” I whisper. I can’t quite meet his eye, so I look past him.

Off in the distance, a lone jogger races down the path back toward campus. Otherwise, the park is quiet.

I glance back at Charles, and his face is completely impassive as he looks at Tate and me. I can’t tell whether he’s mad at me for kissing Tate, or if he’s completely indifferent. He could be happy, for all I know—not that he is, obviously. Not when he just caught me making out with his roommate.

My chest is still rising and falling quickly, and I can feel my nipples pressing against the fabric of my dress. I want to blame the cold, but I know that it was all Tate.

“Roonie...” Charles stares at me, taking me in, and my cheeks flush scarlet. I want to cross my arms over my chest, but Tate still has my hands pinned to the railing, leaving me completely vulnerable to the Beast’s gaze.

Charles sets down his umbrella in the middle of the gazebo and strides toward me. His dress shoes echo across the wooden floor while my heart pounds wildly in my chest. When he gets closer, I nearly stop breathing.

I swallow hard, suddenly nervous and excited and confused, all at the same time. I also can’t stop thinking about our first kiss. The way the guys swiveled the barstool, so I was kissing them each in turn. I can still feel Tate’s lips covering mine—soft, sweet, seductive. I still remember the feel of Charles’s beard as he consumed me with hot, wild kisses.

I know it’s wrong to be thinking about both guys like this, but I can’t seem to help myself. Maybe Angela was right, and this sort of thing is normal in college. As long as Tate and Charles are okay with it, why shouldn’t I kiss them both? It’s not like I’m hiding anything from them, except the fact that I also kissed JJ.

“M-Maybe we should head back,” I tell the guys.

“You’re shivering,” Tate says, and I realize that he’s right. He lets go of my hands, sets me down from the railing and wraps his arms around me in a warm embrace.

“This should help,” Charles adds, holding out one of the paper cups. “It should still be warm, and we’ll head back as soon as you’re done.”

Chapter 12

The guys and I decide to spend the rest of the day watching last year’s a cappella competition. Charles, Tate, and I snuggle on the couch with a warm blanket and hot cocoa to keep us warm, while JJ settles on the soft carpet with a bowl of ice cream and a laptop to cue up videos on the flat-screen TV.

We’re only about half an hour in when there’s a knock on the door, and JJ gets to his feet. “That’ll be Silas.”

Silas? my mind screams, but I can’t seem to get a word out past the panic.

Then the Dark Prince steps into our sanctuary, his anger like a living, breathing thing, replacing the air in the apartment. I look him over, and his arms and face are covered in small scratches. It’s like he got attacked by an army of woodland creatures defending their princess... or in this case, by a row of thorny rose bushes.

His clothes are still torn from earlier, like he never bothered to go home and change... like he spent this whole time waiting to come after me.

I’ll get you for this, Roonie Hill! His shouted words echo menacingly in my head, over and over again. That’s why he’s here. He’s here for revenge.

“What happened to you?” Tate demands, reminding me that I’m not alone. I have my Prince Charming, my Beast, and my Knight in Shining Armor. The three of them won’t let Silas hurt me, unless he manages to convince them that it’s all my fault.

“Nothing happened,” Silas snaps, his eyes boring into mine. “Are we going to analyze competition videos or what?”

“Well, hello to you, too.” JJ shakes his head as he closes the door behind him. He reclaims his seat at my feet, protecting me, and I release a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

“You need another couch.” Silas shoots me an angry glare, like the lack of seating space is somehow my fault.

“Good idea. I’ll order another one,” Charles says smoothly, pulling out his phone. If it were me, I’d tell Silas not to be rude or tell him to leave. Oh, who am I kidding? I’d never be able to say any of those things. I still haven’t managed to say more than a single word to the Dark Prince.

I watch Charles shoot off a quick text while Silas brings over a barstool and sets it next to the couch. He settles astride it like it’s a prized stallion and he’s galloping across the living room like a prince straight out of a fairy tale. I can picture him racing across a meadow, leaping over logs, not once looking anywhere but at the path ahead.

“What are you staring at?” he snaps, and I realize that’s what I was doing. Staring.