“Holy shit. This is beautiful,” I breathe, taking the hand that Gray offers me as we step out onto the rooftop. “How did you manage to…”
My question trails off as he leads us to a spot on the roof where a few large lounge chairs are set up, as if this is a place they frequent enough to call their own. I’m not sure if it’s theirs, or just a little hideaway on campus I never knew about, but I think I love it.
As we settle in, Declan produces a bottle of whiskey that he must’ve had stashed in the car. He uncaps it and holds it out, offering some to me.
I accept the bottle and take a deep swig of the liquid, letting it burn down my throat before turning to a very pleasant warmth in the depth of my belly.
When I hand it back to him, he stands and holds it up as if toasting.
“To Soph, for sharing her art and her soul with us.” His gaze catches mine, holding it for a moment before he takes a drink.
“My turn.” Elias reaches up and takes the bottle from him. Standing as well, he says, “To Blue, who’s got the hottest ass I’ve ever seen.”
His stupid grin is enough to make me reach up and smack his ass playfully.
“What?” he asks, grinning as he brings the bottle to his lips. “It’s the truth. And we can’t all be poets like Declan.”
I roll my eyes, but my heart is thrumming in my chest. I’m not sure if it’s the whiskey that’s already warming my blood or if it’s just the leftover high from the show, but I’m feeling free and on top of the fucking world tonight.
When the bottle r
eaches Gray, he takes a long sip, the column of his throat dipping as he swallows. When he puts the bottle down, he turns toward me, gazing at me through the semi-darkness. “To Sparrow, who has the biggest heart of anyone I know.”
Silence falls for a moment, but none of us seem to feel a need to fill it. I know I don’t. I’m not sure how to articulate my emotions right now, the way all three of these men make me feel.
Gray might say I have the biggest heart of anyone he knows, but that’s only because he and his friends cracked it open, giving it room to expand.
We stay on the roof for another hour, talking and drinking. It feels sort of like those times with Declan when we’d sit together and smoke—easy and comfortable.
That thought makes me pause, and I push out of my chair as Declan and Gray give Elias shit for some prank he tried to pull last year that went horribly wrong. I walk over and stand near the small wall that runs along the roof’s edge, staring out over the dimly lit campus as the men’s deep voices rise up behind me.
Somewhere in the middle of all of this, I’ve become friends with the Sinners. More than just being drawn to them or attracted to them or connected to them by chemistry that I can barely control, I like them. We fit together. They’re all hard in their own ways, all damaged a little just like I am. I never would’ve believed that rich kids could bear the same kinds of scars on their hearts as someone who grew up like me, but they obviously do.
I kind of like their scars though. I don’t think I’d want them if they were perfect.
The whiskey is mostly gone by now, and I’m tipsy. I sway a little as I gaze down at the perfectly manicured lawns and gorgeous buildings. It looks so harmless from up here. So nice.
“Hey, Blue. Come back.”
Elias’s voice drifts over to me, and although he doesn’t tell me to watch out by the ledge, I know he’s worried about me. It’s a strange feeling, having people care about shit like that. But I like it.
I shoot him a glance over my shoulder before walking back toward the group of chairs where the men are sitting.
When I reach them, Elias catches my hand and kisses my knuckles before tugging me down onto his lap. I sit with my back to his chest, resting against him as they all keep talking, listening to the rumbling of his voice in his chest.
His hands are roaming over my body, possessive and casual, as if there’s not a single part of me he can’t touch.
And really, there isn’t.
Slowly, heat sparks to life inside me. The men are still talking, their deep voices quiet in the still night, and Elias is still running his hands over my curves. But with every new place he touches, my body responds more strongly.
I shift on his lap, spreading my legs a little. I’m still wearing the black cocktail dress I had on at the show, and the movement makes the fabric ride up my thighs, baring a little more of my skin. Elias pauses, then moves one hand a little lower, sliding it up my thigh.
His fingertips brush the fabric of my panties, grazing my clit through the thin barrier, and I shudder.
Just like that, the conversation between the men dies out. I realize with a sudden start that the other two Sinners are watching us, totally attuned to every movement.
A little thrill of anticipation runs through me. I feel almost nervous, something I’m not used to feeling when it comes to sex. And the nerves right now aren’t because I’m shy, but because of what all this means.