Playboy Princes (Royals of Arbon Academy, #2)(78)

Jordan gently shoved me toward the bathroom. “You can shower and change, and then we’ll all crawl into your more-than-big-enough bed and try and get some sleep.”

I swallowed hard, attempting to stop what I was thinking from spreading across my face.

“Okay, sure, sounds good,” I said in fake casualness. “Absolutely fine.”

I managed to walk my way to where my pajamas were and grab out a soft pair of shorts and the matching tank top. Clean underwear and we were good to go.

When I closed the bathroom door, shutting out those two perfect, gorgeous faces, I sank back against it.

I mean, this really wasn’t an issue in the larger scheme of things. I was doing stuff with both of them, we’d all been naked—we could freaking sleep in the same bed. I just had a scary suspicion that the fire I had been playing with up to now, trying to juggle both princes, was on the edge of a raging inferno.

And I wasn’t sure I could handle the heat.

The shower helped relax me, and when I was done—hair braided, face clean and moisturized, legs shaved; basically everything I could do to delay the inevitable—I left the bathroom.

Jordan and Rafe were chatting, both of them leaning back on my headboard, long legs stretched out in front of them. Jesus.

A girl could get used to this.

“Bathroom’s free,” I said, and Jordan jumped to his feet, brushing a kiss across my face as he passed me.

Rafe also got to his feet, eyes dragging along my baby pink pjs, and from the heat there, one would think I was in the sexiest, skimpiest underwear in the world. I cleared my throat. “So, uh, thanks for taking my safety so seriously. I’ve never had anyone really give a fuck before. Not like this. So… yeah, thanks.”

I was rambling. I was fucking nervous for the stupidest reason.

“Come here,” Rafe ordered, holding his hand out. His face dared me to disobey him, so of course, that was exactly what I wanted to do.

The darkness in his face deepened, as did the butterflies in my stomach.

“Don’t make me come to you, Violence,” he drawled, eyes turning stormy. “Promise you won’t like it if I do.”

I tilted my chin back. “Hmmm, you might be wrong there. I think I’ll like it a lot.”

His lips twitched, the smallest of smiles appearing.

“How about a compromise?” I burst out before he could follow through with whatever he was going to say next. “I’ll meet you halfway?”

He took a long time to answer, and I heard the water turn off in my bathroom as Jordan finished up with whatever he was doing.

“I don’t compromise,” Rafe finally murmured, almost like he was surprised. “But I will for you.”

And then he took a step forward. I did the same thing, and in two more steps we stood right before each other.

“This is going to get you in trouble,” he said, fisting the thin cotton of my tank.

I snorted. “What? My pajamas?”

Rafe’s smirk grew more pronounced. “Well, yes, but also your smart mouth.”

I gave him my own full smile back. “Hmmm, I think you’re starting to love my smart mouth.”

He leaned down. “You might be right about that.” He said it so softly, but I heard him.

Just as our lips touched, the bathroom door opened, and Jordan strolled out. Wearing just his fucking underwear. He had on boxer briefs, the tight kind, and I blinked as Rafe laughed.

“Well played, asshole,” he said before he brushed a light touch across my cheek and left to take his turn.

“Come on, Vi,” Jordan said, holding out a hand to me. Meanwhile I was busy watching the way those boxers cupped him in all the right places.

I wasn’t strong enough for this. Not. Strong. Enough.

Jordan led me to the bed, pulling back the covers so we could crawl onto the heavenly softness of my mattress. Truthfully, after sleeping in Rafe’s castle for a week, it wasn’t quite as luxurious, but still damn nice.

And I was exhausted.

“Maybe I’ll sleep tonight,” I pondered out loud. “I grew up sharing a room with a lot of kids, and it’s been much harder to rest since coming to the academy.”

Jordan, who was on my right side, rolled over so he was facing me. “We’ll keep you safe. You can sleep without worry tonight.”

I turned my head to see him better, just the light of one lamp illuminating his face. “This feels like a dream,” I whispered. “I don’t want to wake from it.”

He shifted forward until our lips met, and I could have cried at how perfect it was.

This is what I had meant with the dream thing. Something this incredible… it was destined to end.

By the time Rafe was done, Jordan and I were almost asleep, but I felt him crawl in on the other side of me, pushing me over a little as he wrapped his arms around me. Even in my drowsy state, I felt that he too was clad in nothing more than boxers, and I let out a low groan before I could stop myself.

Both princes stilled on either side of me, which I could feel because they were pressed against my body.

Long, hard lengths of skin on skin.

“This is a bad idea,” I half joked.

“Shut up and go to sleep before I show you how bad it can be,” Rafe said harshly, his breathing a little accelerated.

I was never going to be able to sleep like this. Seriously. My heart was about to beat out of my chest, and my vagina was about to go rogue and jump whichever dick she found first.