In the Arms of the Elite (Rich Boys of Burberry Prep, #4)

by C.M. Stunich

“She wasn’t supposed to tell you about the deal. None of us were. But it’s … as long as we’re the only ones who know she broke it, and that I’m breaking it again now, it’ll be okay.” “What’s the consequence?” I ask, and Zayd picks up a handful of pennies from the fountain, sorting through them and looking at the years before he tosses them all back in, and then goes for his wallet. Of course the rich dickhead doesn’t have pennies on him, so he gives us each a quarter to throw. “The consequence is that the no long-range weapons clause is removed. Like, Creed climbed behind the wheel of a car and raced on a track for that. He almost flipped it and died.” Zayd looks back at me, and then squeezes his quarter, tossing it into the water with a splash. I wonder if his wish has something to do with me? “The Harpies and the Company, they can’t use guns or crossbows or anything like that on you. At all. Trust me, if they could you’d probably already be dead. Lizzie could’ve fucked us by telling you that.”

“And Tristan?” I ask trying to stay calm here. Zayd smiles softly. “He wasn’t supposed to sleep with you, not until we graduated. I think Lizzie was trying to give herself a fighting chance she never had. Tristan’s been in love with you since he first laid eyes on you, the very first day of first fucking year.”

“Bullshit,” I snort and Zayd lifts his head up to look at me, brows raised. “Is it? Because he told me when he saw you, that he felt like his entire life was being rearranged inside his chest. I think it’s why he hated you so much, to combat the other emotions.” I say nothing, but my throat feels tight again, and I’m fighting back those strange tears at the corners of my eyes. “And the consequence for him?” Zayd nods at my quarter. “Make a wish,” he tells me,

“Tristan, look at me,” I say, but when he does, his expression is written in anger. “I fucked Lizzie,” he says, voice cold. “You’re lying,” I say, and then louder. “You’re lying.” “I wanted to do it, too. You think I’d ever be happy with a charity case like you?” Wow. He’s really putting it on hard, this bullshit act. But he forgets that I saw right through him in the bathroom, and even more so when we fell asleep in each other’s arms that night. I’m not buying it. I walk up to him and put my hands on his chest. “You think lying to protect me will work? It won’t. I don’t want your lies as a shield against the bad things. I only want you.” I lean up on my tiptoes and kiss his mouth hard. I kiss him as possessively as any of the other boys have ever kissed me. When Tristan starts to shake and his hands come up to touch my arms of their own accord, I know I’ve caught him red-handed. I pull back slightly and look him in the eyes. “Did you fuck her?” I repeat. Tristan stares at me, emotions warring in his gray eyes. “Not yet,” he whispers finally, and I feel this huge surge of relief as I throw my arms around his neck. I know then an undeniable truth: I will not be able to give up Tristan Vanderbilt at the end of the year. I don’t know exactly what that means overall, only that I can’t not have him.

A split-second later, Myron Talbot comes storming in the door, his face a mask of wild fury. “Did you sleep with her?” he asks, looking at his best friend like he’d dismember him if the answer were yes. “Did you?!” “No.” Tristan’s voice is a single, soft note, and then he just collapses, sitting down on the kitchen floor. I sit beside him and throw my arms around his neck, possessive as fuck. “Thank god,” Myron grumbles, moving over to kneel down in front of Lizzie. “You do not hide things from me. You don’t lie.” “Myron, I love him.” “So what?” Myron hisses, and I realize that while my boys might be threaded through with cruelty, this man is literally made of it. “He’s in love with Marnye. And I’m in love with you.” He cups the side of her face, but she looks away sharply and refuses to make eye contact. Myron stands up and pulls Lizzie along with him, swinging her into his arms. “You two make a perfect couple—you can match each other’s bullshit,” Creed snaps, crossing his arms over his chest. “Careful. I don’t like you. I don’t like your girlfriend either. The only people in this room I care about are Tristan, and this girl here.”

“True. But it’s not always the ending that’s the most important. Sometimes, the journey to get there is just as good.”

“I’ve been reading all your manga, you know,” Creed says, trailing his lazy fingers down the row of spines on my bookshelf. “And I swear, your favorite character archetypes show a strong resemblance to me and Tristan.” “Did you think I was joking when I said I wanted to see you get topped by him?” I ask, and Creed scowls at me. “Never. If anything, it’d be me fucking him.” I lean back on the bedspread, and Creed comes over to lay beside me, an angel with white-blond hair and the palest eyes. “I’d be okay with that, too. Only, I want to watch. Does that make me a perv?” “Only in certain circles,” Creed drawls, turning onto his back and looking up at the ceiling. “I hate Tristan, but I have wondered how he got so many girls to sleep with him. Are his kisses like magic or something?”

“What are you two up to in here?” he asks, voice smooth and dark. “Just discussing what a little male-male action might look like on you two.” Tristan pauses for a moment, and then he walks over to the bed, crawls up between Creed’s legs and touches the side of his face. “The fuck are you doing?!” Creed manages to get out before Tristan leans down and captures his lips. It’s a long kiss, too, much longer than you’d expect from two assholes who hate each other. Creed puts his boot between them and pushes Tristan off with a shove. “What the hell …” He slides his arm across his lips as Tristan smirks and stands back up, crossing his arms over his chest. “Does that suffice?” he asks, and Creed flips him the finger. “You only wish it would go further than that,” he snaps, and Tristan shrugs, like he’s not entirely opposed to it. I try not to hold out too much hope. “Did you come over here for a reason?” I ask, and Tristan glances my way with a small tilt of his head, raven-dark hair sliding across his forehead.

“I’ve never been so happy to lose in all my life,” he says, and then I throw my arms around him and kiss him. Not just him either, but all of them. Windsor, Zayd, Creed, Zack. “I feel like I should make us a round of—” “Don’t say it,” Creed interrupts, putting two fingers to his temple. “Nobody wants your boiled plant water.” “I was going to say cocktails, but since you just insulted the national beverage of my homeland, I should kick your ass before I serve them.” Windsor glances over at me, and flashes a blinding grin. “A mocktail for you, Milady, since I can’t exactly serve you a virgin drink anymore.”

“Marnye, shut up,” Zayd whispers, burying his face in my hair. He holds me tight and close until the crying passes, and then he steps back, looking me in the eyes without flinching. “Nobody tells me what to do. I make my own rules. If I want to date a girl with four other boyfriends, I will. Fuck the world. It’s none of their business anyway.”

“Charlie …” he starts, and then he shakes his head, reaching up to scrub a hand down his face. “He raised an amazing daughter.” I keep smiling, even though everything hurts. Everything. My heart, my soul. “I’m in. I … don’t want to know what college is like without you.”

“You know I’m here for you,” Windsor says, voice soft and low. “Always.” The wind tousles his hair, and he smiles. “Maybe one day, you’ll really marry me. You can even keep these assholes around. I don’t care.”

“I knew it when we kissed on the boat that night, in the cold,” Creed interjects, stepping forward. “You’re my so...

“Told you!” Miranda calls from somewhere nearby, pulling a small, sad laugh...

“So when I decided that I was in love with you, and that you were mine, I chiseled that decision on my heart in stone.” He steps forward and puts his fingers under my chin, lifting my face up to meet his. “You’re mine, Marnye, and I’m not letting go. Not even if I have to share your heart. The way you love, it’s infinite. That’s more than enough for me.”

“Group hug, everybody? Yeah, yeah, group hug.” He throws his arms around us next, and even though Tristan makes a growling sound, he accepts it. Creed is next, then Windsor. Zack wraps us all in his huge arms before Miranda comes bouncing around the corner, dragging Andrew with her.

“I miss you, Dad,” I whisper, putting his picture on my bedside table, grabbing my bag, and heading out the door to join my new family for our first on-campus dinner. I blow him one, final kiss before I close the door behind me, and step out into my new life. “And I love you. Forever and always.” The End…