The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

"Ariel," Luca sighs, shaking his head and smiling as he turns back to me, buttoning his pants. "It's not going to happen like this."

"What's not going to happen!?" I ask, tossing out a hand.

"It's..." Luca says, his emphasis on the word, and his raised eyebrow making it very clear what he means, "not going to happen like this."

I jump to my feet in protest, my hands fisted at my side. "Luca!" I hiss, angry. “I mean, you don't get to decide that for both of us! There are two of us here!"

He sighs a little through his nose, frustrated, and then lightning-fast he reaches for me, grabbing me by the waist and pulling me tight against him, running his fingers through my hair and wrapping them lightly around the back of my neck before I have time to even think, to process what's going on.

head and staring into my eyes with his pretty brown ones. "With my uncle, and your bodyguard, and a passel of teenage boys on the other side of that wall?" He

I didn't think about it that way. But even as I know that's not what I want, my hands move to his waist. And then I watch Luca shudder, and press his eyes shut as I flatten my palms against his ribs and

me as he was pretending to be

I whisper, soft and

he twists and spins me, and presses me back against the lockers. I gasp when my shoulders clang against the metal, but it's not that it hurts - not at all, Luca's very careful with me - but the sound of it, and

stare up at

back of my neck up so that he cradles my

the same time, he slides his other hand down the length of my body until it rests against my thigh. And then he slowly starts to bunch the fabric of my dress