The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 0885

"Good, you should blush more often," Cora says on a laugh, bumping her shoulder against her son's. "You've lived far too much of your life without shame."

"My profligate youth!" Jesse sighs, mock nostalgic.

Ella gracefully stands, taking Midnight's finished bowl of ice cream and putting a sack of sweets in its place. Jesse laughs as the girl eagerly digs in, talking to Rafe with a mouth full of caramel as Ella quietly comes to stand with her sister and her nephew.

"So," Ella says, beaming at Jesse. "What are your plans for our little girl here?"

"Ours, is she?" Jesse says, his voice pretending to be full of doubt. "And here I was, thinking she was mine."

"Oh, she's ours,” Ella says, wrinkling her nose at her nephew. "You know I can't resist an orphan. So? Plans? Should we just let her loose in the pantry and let her eat her fill so that she can fatten up a bit?" She looks over her shoulder, letting her eyes move slowly over Midnight's spindly legs, her too-thin wrists and shoulders.

"I'm all for feeding her up," Jesse says with a nod. "But...Ella, could I beg you to please let me have free reign over the roof garden, just for a little bit? I promise not forever but...I need some safe outdoor space and that's the only place that makes sense to me. And it has plumbing which...I'm gonna need."

Ella looks at Jesse like she never imagined that sort of request but then laughs and nods eagerly. "Sure, Jesse," she says. "Whatever it is you need. Now, let me get some more of this," she says, tapping on the side of the ice cream bowl.

"Not too much, Ells," Cora calls after the Queen. "You're going to make her puke, with all that dairy!"

Ella just waves a hand over her shoulder, dismissing the concern, making Jesse laugh.

says, her voice low and a little

turns to her, his

her chest. "When are

sighs, dropping his face and staring at his feet. "How

time as any," Cora says softly, sensing her son's agony and putting her hand on his shoulder, giving

are very different from the gasps and pants that rang through him just a few minutes ago. I smile, remembering it - how this time unlike last night - we really took our time with each other. Tender, and sweet, and

have sex?" I murmur, wondering it for

fingers playing idly with the

I say with a happy

do you

turning my head to prop my chin on his chest and grinning

shakes his head. "Not like, a lot. I'm no Jesse

Jesse a sexpert!?" I ask, my eyes flying wide at

going still and staring

him figure out the roots of the word. When it clicks together

he bursts

don't know, Ari,"

that mental image in his head while