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Chapter Twenty-Seven
As I descend the steps, it seems like the guys all had the same idea as me - to dress up for our last night. I’m wearing a short black body con dress with a chiffon cape that I feel really good in. Judging by the appreciative looks on the guys’ faces, they think I look good too. My mouth waters when I spy them standing in front of the Jeep. They’re all in smart black slacks, dress shirts and thin coloured ties. They look insanely good. I wish that the school didn’t have the stupid no phones rule so that I could take a photo of them to remember this moment forever. Mentally I scan them, taking a picture in my mind, trying to preserve their image. I hate that with time my memories of them will fade. I hate that tonight’s the last time I’ll ever see them again. I swallow and plaster a smile on my face, determined to enjoy these last few hours with them.
“Princess,” Ace holds out his hand for mine and gently kisses my knuckles when I give it to him, “Beautiful.”
“You look stunning, Princess.” Thorn steps forward and kisses my cheek. I drink in his sunshine summer smell before he’s rudely elbowed out of the way by an ever impatient Rebel who grabs me in a full-body hug and slides his hands under the hem of my dress to cup my ass.
“No panties? Naughty girl! You are so fucking hot,” he growls in my ear, sending tingles all the way down my spine.
And then it’s like the parting of the Red Sea, they stand to one side and my gaze zeros in on Jax’s unreadable face. The whole world fades away in an instant, and it’s just him and me, eyes locked. I nibble my lip and hold my breath waiting for his judgement. When he gives me the tiniest nod I sigh and sag in relief and rush forward into his outstretched arms. He pulls me close, holding me tight in his embrace, and I feel his hardness press against me.
“How could you doubt the effect you have on me, silly girl?” he whispers in my ear.
I love it when he’s soft and tender like this, but the moment’s over too soon as he pulls away and heads to the driver’s side door of the car. The other three guys all climb into the back but when I go to take the front seat - the only free seat remaining - Jax tells me to climb in the back and sit on the guys’ laps. Confused, I comply, settling on Rebel’s lap and letting him pull me close to his chest.
“I thought the party tonight is inaccessible by car?” I asked.
“It is, but we’re not going straight to the party.”
“Where are we going?”
“Shush Princess. Sit back and relax. You’ll find out soon enough.”
It’s not easy to follow Jax’s instructions with Rebel holding me close. His fingers are absentmindedly tracing patterns on my bare thigh. At first, it tickles, but soon it morphs into a heat that has me squirming on his lap.
“Hold still,” he tells me.
“Can’t.” He smirks. He knows exactly what he’s doing to me, the git. But then again, judging from the impressive hardness pressing into my side, I’m having a similar effect on him too. Good. Karma’s a bitch. I hope he gets blueballs.
When we arrive at our destination, I'm surprised to find we’re at the beach. It’s a lovely summer evening, so I’m a bit shocked that the car park is deserted. All of the guys except Rebel get out of the car, and Jax tells the two of us to stay here for ten minutes.
“Don’t worry,” Rebel smirks, “I’m sure I’ll find a way to keep her occupied for a while.” I quickly punch him on the arm, thinking about how much I’ll miss hitting him after tonight. I settle back into his arms, thinking we may as well enjoy our time together. We sit together in companionable silence. I expect him to put the moves on me as soon as we’re alone, but he seems content to just hold me.
Since the incident at the last party, Rebel’s been even more protective than the others. It’s driven me crazy at times, but I’m actually touched by how much he cares. I can tell from the tense set of his shoulders that he’s not entirely happy that we’re going to the grad party tonight. I don’t think he plans to let me out of his sight. I let out a gentle sigh, and Rebel asks me what’s wrong. I’m spared from answering however when Thorn knocks on the window, making me jump.
“Don’t worry. Let’s go,” I tell him, jumping from the car and letting Thorn take my hand to guide me.
My first thought when we approach the beach is how strange it is that the beach is deserted - I mean, I know it’s late June so not quite tourist season yet, but the locals are usually out and about, especially on a night like this. But as we turn the corner and I see what the guys have done for me, all thoughts of other people fly from my head. In front of me, set to a backdrop of a beautiful ombré sunset over the ocean, is possibly the most romantic scene I’ve ever seen. An enormous picnic rug is spread out and surrounded by hundreds of tiny candles in glass jars. On the rug there’s a pile of blankets and cushions, a traditional wicker basket, a bottle of pink champagne and a box of what looks like my favourite chocolates - made by Ace. And my guys are all standing to one side by a small fire, waiting for me.
They remain standing until I enter the ring of candles and settle back in the middle of the rug on a pile of cushions. It’s warm still, so I don’t need the blankets yet, but I appreciate the thoughtfulness that they’ll come in handy later. Once I’m comfy the guys all step into the circle to join me. I giggle because it kind of reminds me of a witch’s casting circle, but I don’t say anything. Rebel sits on my right, Ace takes my left, and Thorn and Jax sit down by my feet. Jax immediately grabs the champagne bottle, gently pops the cork and pours us all a glass of fizz.
Initially, I thought this was all down to Ace, it’s so romantic that it’s just the sort of thing he’d do. But as I start to look around and notice the small details, I realise that all of the guys had had a hand in making tonight special for me. The beautiful warm scent of jasmine caresses me, coming from the gently flickering candles around us. It reminds me of a conversation I had with Thorn about jasmine being one of my favourite scents. I’m touched that he not only remembered but that he went out of his way to source jasmine scented candles for tonight.
Classical music’s playing softly in the background, and I know that Rebel’s responsible for the playlist of my favourite tunes. Ace will have handmade and prepared everything in the picnic basket for us. And Jax... well, he will have been responsible for making sure everything came together perfectly to make tonight a reality. I also strongly suspect that he’s the one who made the beach empty tonight, but I have no idea how.
“What are we celebrating?” I ask.
“What do you want to celebrate?” Jax counters. He always does that - turns my questions back on me with another question. It drives me crazy. His stare is intense.
“Erm, how about the end of the exams?” Jax pulls a face that tells me he isn’t impressed with my idea. “Okay then, the end of term? The end of the year? Leaving this place?” More faces, each one more sour than the last. I huff in frustration and throw my hands up in the air. “I give up! What are we celebrating then?”
“How about we celebrate you, Princess?” Rebel suggests. I pull a face. No thanks. Despite having four boyfriends, I’m actually not that comfortable being the centre of attention.
“Yeah!” Thorn exclaims, jumping to his feet and coming round to sit down behind me. “Let me show you how much I appreciate you, Princess.” He reaches out and begins to knead my shoulders, my head flopping back and a groan escaping my lips because it feels so good.
“Oh, she likes the idea now,” Rebel chuckles.
“So good,” I murmur.
