This is a bad idea. What was I thinking, walking around in the open as the area was emptying rapidly. I sped up to return to the boys’ dorm. A glint in one of the main building’s windows drew my attention for just a moment, but it disappeared as quickly as I’d noticed.

I breathed hard with relief when I entered the relative safety of the familiar building. I walked past Julian’s and Kiernan’s shared room—don’t think about it—until I reached Lance’s single room.

Knocking on the wood, I steeled myself for the reception I’d receive. When the door opened, I pushed passed him before Lance could say anything. He grabbed my arm and swung me around. His superior height used to intimidate me, but not anymore. 

“You do realize you’re acting like a di—“

His mouth covered mine before I could finish my sentence. I briefly considered pushing him away, but his tongue swept into my mouth, and my thoughts scattered. By the time he pulled back, I was breathless, and my knees shook. I took a deep breath, ready to tell him a kiss didn’t change the fact he’d acted like as asshole. 

But he beat me to it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted at you.” 

How a six-foot-three giant could look like a little boy was beyond me, but my anger melted away until only exasperation remained. “And what about Macha?”

Lance swallowed. “I still think we need to be careful around him, but if you’re sure he’s Slug, then I’ll respect that. If he’s your friend, he’s my friend.”

I nodded, satisfied with his contrition. “Thank you. And now that we’ve cleared this up, we have to talk about our situation. You’re right about one thing: Macha won’t be able to help us. He can’t even look after himself. And Kiernan is not well enough. So it’s up to the two of us.”

With my fingers, I counted out my points. “One, we don’t know where Farkas is. Two, we need to decide what to do next. We’ve got no food. Soon, our teachers will come find us because we’re not attending classes. Three, who of them knows what’s going on here? Four, should we contact the FBMA?”

Lance’s expression had been growing ever more serious as I continued. When I’d run out of points to make, he said, “Let’s start with the most important things first. Food. I’ll go to the shop and see if my token is still good.”

I ran my fingers over the button embedded in my top. It glowed metallic-green, which meant it worked. “You don’t think they might be programmed to let admin know when we use them?”

Lance shrugged. “Maybe. But what choice do we have? I’m not ready to munch dry ramen.” 

He grinned because he knew how much I’d loved to steal Shannon’s stack of soup snacks when I’d shared my room with her. But there was a big difference between having a snack while studying and subsisting of gross noodles because there was nothing else to eat.

“Maybe we could have lunch at the cafeteria?” But of course, we couldn’t. Not until we knew what was waiting for us out there. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. We won’t have to wait long, though. The school shop opens in ninety minutes.”

Lance’s voice deepened, and a smirk played around his lips. “I know how we can kill some time.”

I responded with a slow smile. I hadn’t been alone with Lance for what seemed like weeks. In reality, it had only been a couple of days. But a lot of bad things had happened during that time. 

I squeezed my eyes shut, pushing the memories down. Not now. Not yet. Instead, I said, “Yeah, I’m up for it.”

Before I knew it, Lance was in my personal space again, his lips brushing over my earlobes. He must’ve felt the shiver running through me at the intimate gesture. 

“You like that?” he asked with his smooth baritone. I nodded, clinging to him. How I’d ever thought of him as a boy seemed ridiculous. I’d missed being held by this tall, outwardly cold man. He came across as an aloof, sometimes cruel person. But underneath the exterior, he burned hot. 

Lance wielded fire, and he defied all the stereotypes. Fire mages often were redheads and had a fierce temper. He had that, for sure, though his looks were those of a water mage: green-blue eyes, pale skin, and dark hair. 

His gaze kept me pinned as he took my top off, and the heat in his eyes was about to ignite me. I couldn’t look away. His intense focus made my tummy flutter.

Lance unbuckled my bra, and without missing a beat, his mouth latched onto my nipple. I threw my head back and gasped as the sharp sting from his teeth shot a thunderbolt between my legs.

My hips bucked against him, and my pussy grew damp against the fabric of my panties. His stubble scratched against the tender skin of one breast while his finger pinched the other tip. Rather than hurt, it heightened the sensation.

I felt out of balance as he pushed my upper body backwards to make space for his head. When I couldn’t stand the teasing any longer, I gasped. “Please. Take it off.” 

Lance chuckled. “Take what off, baby? My clothes or yours?” 

I ignored the stupid pet name. “Who cares? Just take them all off.”

Lance’s grin grew wider, and he straightened to his full height. Before I could mourn the loss of his warm lips, he pulled his shirt over his head, exposing his smooth, muscular chest. I’d seen him plenty naked before, but his body never failed to take my breath away. 

He had the perfect physique of a tall man, with thick thighs, a long torso with broad shoulders, and a V-line running down from his six-pack. 

But it all paled in comparison to how he looked at me. As if he couldn’t get enough, starving to eat me up. His eyes softened as I took in the view. 

I ran my hand reverently from his collarbone to the top of his pants. “These, too. Take them off.”

Within seconds, he stood in front of me, fully exposed. His cock was already full, pointing straight at him. I closed my hand around it, marveling at the softness of his skin. His breath hitched as I slowly slid my fingers up and down. A clear pearl sat on top of his slit. I bent and licked it off carefully. Swirling my tongue around the head of his impressive length, I savored every shudder that ran through his body.