The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 26

Luca lets out a dark laugh and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Seriously?” he says, his voice a little exhausted. “You’re here?”

I grimace a little, taking a step back behind the tree. “Is that…bad? I can…go.”

“No.” he says, tilting his head and inviting me closer. “I guess…I mean, I’m not surprised. Who the hell else would I be dreaming about.”

I bite my lip a little, smiling and moving closer to him, stopping about five feet away. “What do you mean?” I ask, tilting my head, my eyes drifting over him and noticing that he’s dressed in cotton sweatpants and a black sweatshirt probably the sort of things he wears when he’s relaxed at home.

Clothes that make him look just…ridiculously good. Like the boxer he is, about to go train for the day.

“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?” he says, sighing and running a hand through his hair. “You’ve been on my mind all f**king day, Shrimp. Obviously my subconscious is trying to figure this out.”

Figure what out?” I ask, my smile deepening as I stare at him, my eyes roving over him a little more freely now. Damn, he’s so deliciously tall, and the way his shoulders fill out that sweatshirt….

“Whatever the f**k this is,” he says, his voice frustrated as he gestures between us with his hands, a little smile lighting his face.

“What?” I ask, my own smile falling a little bit. Because I mean obviously I know exactly what he’s talking about, but to hear him address it so blandly

But, I mean, Luca thinks that this is a dream.

“Seriously, Shrimp,” he says, shaking his head and stepping even closer to me now, so that there’s only maybe six inches between us. “What the hell is going on – I mean, I know that s*xuality is a spectrum, but I’ve only ever been into girls – I have never, ever been into a guy like this before –”

wide to hear Luca admit his attraction. My mouth pops open just a little bit.

–

My eyes go

“What,” he says, laughing and Oh my god lifting his hands to cup my cheeks in his palms, staring down at me. “Seriously? I know you feel it too- or, wait, because you’re an illusion my subconscious created…” he frowns down at me, “are you trying to talk me out of this or something?”

Luca cocks his head to the side, trying to figure it out as I gape at him, my mouth going dry as my mind whirs, trying to figure out what to say.

But I can’t think of anything.

Instead, my body moves beyond me, my hands lifting – shaking a little – and landing on top of his as his thumbs gently stroke my cheeks. I stare up at him, just…completely without words, without thoughts as the tingles that show up whenever we touch flare again.

Except this time, they’re not just under my skin they circle in the air all around us – little silver sparks, swirling around in the wind-

“See?” Luca murmurs, shaking his head. “I knew I couldn’t deny it. What the f**k is this?”

Luca looks at me, and then all around, and then back at me, his clear brown eyes filing my entire vision as my stomach turns over. My breath quickens, my heart pounding, because all I want

My eyes drift to his perfect mouth..my whole body flooded with sparks and butterflies as I unconsciously move closer to him, our bodies brushing against each other now as I tilt my head.

in his hands.

the tiniest little moan stumbles from my mouth, because I – I like this I like the way my breath is coming short, the way my stomach feels just barely pressed against

feel his breath

god. I

wolf, somewhere in the distance, gives a heady howl of joy

howl shaking me out of this, because…

isn’t

take a stumbling step away. Luca he doesn’t even know that this is real that we are both actually, somehow, here!

I drop my hands, as I take a step back. “Luca, wait –”

his hands from my face, “Stop, Ari, I need to figure this

does

my

Ari. Not Shrimp.

Ari.

want this – it feels like my whole soul groans in regret as I give this up I want him to kiss me more than I think I’ve

to know he’s doing it. I want him to kiss me, not what he thinks is some figment of his imagination. It’s not right, and it’s not fair – not to either of

shock and surprise, hurt

10 MAY

Chapter 26

“What

the hell is going

head and backing into the trees, “I should not have done

starting after me, his steps

shut, and beg the dream to end, and my

I’m in my bed, my heart pounding, my

at the ceiling, panting for a moment, and then my head twists,

to Luca’s bunk..

in this late at night. As I watch, Luca sits up in his bed, slowly rubbing his head,

at my bunk. But I don’t move, holding my hoping to hell that he can’t see me awake, staring back at him.

breath.

fast, getting too real. As much as my

know what the right time would be but…it’s not now, now when we’re candidates, not while we

I clench

my

am, for letting it go too far. “Come on, Ariel,” I murmur to myself, “get yourself together.” And, despite myself, I spend the next hour or two wishing my big brother were here to keep

after that, though it must have been late because I was up for hours trying to avoid slipping back into the

because Jesse launches himself onto my bed shouting “Shrimp!” at the top of his lungs and punching me twice on the shoulder before wrapping me in a

of his assault, but I start to rain blows on him when I figure out it’s just my cousin saying hello and not some kind of vicious midnight attack. “Get the hell off of me asshole –”

you

just laughs at me, because he knows he’s not doing me any harm. He sits back, grinning at me.

time for a shower? When did you get