Page 47 of Crown of Thorns
Gaël shrugs. “I felt it in my heart. I wanted to keep him for myself, didn’t want to share him. Come on, tell me his name.”
“Nah.” Pressing a bottle of water into his chest, I grab my own and leave a twenty-euro bill on the counter. “Keep the change. Thanks, cous.”
“Wait, what. You fucker. You coward!”
But I’m already on my way, flipping him the bird. I pass the group of nerds and blow Dominique a kiss, laughing when I hear Gaël growl behind me. Possessive fucker, that’s what he is. Oh well, I guess that runs in the family.
Someone’s sitting in my seat. Someone with that same dark hair, dark eyes, and same haughty expression as I carry.
“What do you want?” I ask Arthur. “And what are you doing in this class? Not that I don’t want you here. I just don’t want youherehere.” I point at the chair. “My chair.” Plopping down on the seat next to him, I add, “Oh well, for family, I can make an exception.”
“Why do you think I’m here, huh? Where the fuck were you last night? And why the hell did you not reply to my messages?”
“I came back earlier, but you were busy.”
“I wasbusy?”
“Very busy, bro. Too busy for me, if you catch my drift.”
He snorts, gaze already on his phone, as if being reminded of what he should be doing. Or who he should be checking on. Since it is clear to the whole, fucking world my twin is obsessed with Régis, he’s been guarding his prized possession with ridiculous control. Wanting to seal his fucking deal. He even has security shielding my poor little stepbrother. But hey, consequences, consequences.
“You’re up to something,” he says. “Even Dominique’s picked up on it.”
“Then perhaps Gaël should put more effort into occupying him.”
“Ha. Funny. Ha.” Arthur’s dark eyes land on my own. “Seriously, what’s going on?”
“Nothing, man. Now, get your ass out of here, before Montague kicks it through the door himself.”
“Wouldn’t you like to see that?” He jokes, but the image leaves me fuming.
“Fuck off.”
“Ouch, touchy subject. Didn’t know you’d become such a geek for the guy.”
I scoff, flipping him off when Noah walks into the classroom, eyes zooming in on his every appearance. Cool. Collected. And motherfucking sexy.
Those glasses.
That messy hair.
Thatmouth. Full of denial and wet as sin.
There was nothing collected about him last night when he trembled against me, my cock deeply buried in his throat while I sucked the cum out of him.
Noah’s piercing gaze lands on Arthur, before it flips back to mine. And just like that, the balance tips. My blood chills. I’m no longer the golden boy, just the twin seated next to the smarter one. The quieter one. The one who doesn’t come with complications and chaos.
Arthur’s all clean lines and logic. Noah’s world is made of footnotes and control.
They have that in common. Noah likes to study. Lives by his research.
“Good morning, everyone. Today, we’ll be looking at the results of your case study regarding the Hawthorne effect.”
Next to me, Arthur lets out an appreciative whistle, the sound ringing through my ears. I don’t even know if it’s pointed at Noah. I don’t even know if it was meant as an appreciation, but I don't care. I react on instinct. A caged animal unleashed. My hands clench as rage catches me faster than a high-speed train. I’ve caught my brother’s nape before his next breath, holding his forehead down and against his table.
“Louis!” He barks. “What the fuck, bro?”
White hot fury prevails, rendering my fist powerless—because I can’t strike him, not really—but also in full control, because he knows I could. Because he knows Iwantto. And that’s enough to make him still.
