I opened the door to the closet lined with extra linens and pulled her through, shutting it as quietly as possible behind her.
“Where are we?” Gemma’s hand tightened on mine when the bleak darkness surrounded us.
I pulled her a little farther into the deep closet, all the way until we got to the back. “We’re in the linen closet. It’s almost time for the duty teacher to walk the girls’ hall, but we should be safe here.”
“Should be safe?” She put a clearly implied emphasis on the word “should”, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Her voice grew stern, and I was instantly pissed that I couldn’t see her angry expression. “Why are you laughing? I think I’ve used almost all my luck in the not-getting-in-trouble department lately. I’m bound to get caught for something soon. I am not a lucky person, Isaiah. And I don’t break rules.”
Her dark silhouette shifted in front of me, and I was pretty certain she had her hands propped on her hips. “Then why’d you come?” I asked.
She huffed, her warm breath hitting me directly in the chest. She didn’t answer, though, and a heavy silence filled the small space.
I took a step toward her, finally able to make out her body as my eyes began to adjust in the room, and I wrapped my hand around the back of her head gently. I didn’t know what I was doing or why I couldn’t seem to take my hand away, but when the soft waves of her hair fell gracefully over my skin, I whispered down into her space. “Is your head okay?” My fingers continued to move around tenderly, feeling for a bump that I was certain was there.
The entire Bain situation didn’t make sense to me, and when we’d questioned him further, he seemed to talk himself into circles, laughing casually every so often. Shiner came in during the tail end of the conversation, after shutting down the party as I demanded when Gemma was ripped out of my arms, and he was ready to throw down with Bain.
Shiner couldn’t really understand why we wouldn’t just throw fists for him fucking up Claiming Night by breaking the rules, but in order for him to understand, I’d have to tell him who my father really was, why I was at St. Mary’s in the first place, and yeah, that really wasn’t on my to-do list. Brantley had calmed him down in the end, and eventually, Shiner let it go. But he wasn’t wrong. Bain absolutely needed to be knocked down a few notches. Body-snatching the new girl out of someone else’s arms definitely crossed over quite a few claiming rules, and he fucking knew it. The question was, why did he do it?
“My head is fine,” Gemma’s voice cracked. My fingers were still woven in her hair as I rubbed the back of her head, relishing being so close to her.
Shit, what the fuck was I doing?
Not only was my body humming with something new and exciting with her so close, but my dick was beginning to twitch. There was just something about a good girl being shoved into a dark closet with me that turned me on.
Just as Gemma let out a wistful sigh, something echoed out in the hall, and she screamed. I flung my hand over her mouth and pulled her into my chest, shushing her. “Fuck,” I muttered under my breath.
My uncle’s words echoed throughout my head: Stop getting caught. There are no more second chances. And this was exactly why I needed her to get on board with the tutoring thing. If that were already established, being out of our rooms after curfew wouldn’t be that big of a deal right now, and I wouldn’t have had to shove her into a fucking closet to talk.
If this were a week prior and I was in a closet with someone, mere seconds from getting caught, I’d probably make my chosen girl moan loudly just for the fun of it, but that was before my father had threatened Jack and I was put on probation with the SMC. Now, I was on thin fucking ice, and I wasn’t stupid enough to jump on it.
Her head shook back and forth along my chest as my hand fell from her mouth. She whispered quietly, “Sorry. This is why I don’t like breaking the rules. I’m not a thrill seeker. I can’t get into trouble.”
I stayed silent for the next few minutes, listening for movement. Gemma was still a warm cocoon of all things her pressed against me until my arms began to relax. Then, she slowly took a step away, taking her warmth with her, and I watched as she reached up and ran her hands down her face. I wished I could see her expression. Not that I’d be able to read her. She was guarded better than the fucking El Chapo.
I cleared my throat lightly. “So, what is it that you need from me so that you’ll agree to tutoring?” I asked, cutting straight to the point. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stand in a dark, stuffy closet with her standing so fucking close to me.
“And lie…” she half-whispered. “Isn’t that what you said the favor was? To tutor you and lie for you?”
I chuckled. “Yes, and I’m not at all surprised that you didn’t forget that little piece.”
She shifted, just barely, but I noticed. It was surreal how hyper-aware I was of her slightest movements. “Who will I be lying to?” she asked, as if she were still contemplating her decision.
“The SMC.”
She was quick to reply. “The committee?”
“You know about the SMC?”
“Yes. Sloane and Mercedes were talking about how the SMC hates you. They said that they hate you the most out of everyone…”
Her voice trailed at the end as if she felt bad for what she was saying. I snickered, unable to help myself. “Yes, and I’m just absolutely wounded that they hate me.” My lips split as I held back a laugh. “I’m trying to get in their good graces. That’s why I need a tutor. I gotta get my grades up.”
She paused for a few seconds. “I don’t think you’re telling me the truth. You’re the type of guy who couldn’t care less if someone didn’t like him or the choices he made.”
“Not true,” I hummed, thoroughly enjoying the conversation with her. “I care if you don’t like me.”
She paused. The closet grew quiet. My lips were pressed together as I tried reminding myself that Gemma and I were about to strike a deal and that I needed to take it seriously. But instead, I was toying with her.