Page 112 of The Ruthless Boys (Adamson All-Boys Academy 2)
“Besides the point,” I mumble as Church smirks and lifts his chin.
“How we will secure the pool?” he repeats, as if I’ve clearly forgotten the most important fact of all. “We are the Student Council, that’s how. If I say that pool is ours, it is.” He takes a sip of his tea. “As for the other problem, well, I suppose we’ll just close our eyes until you’re fully submerged then, now won’t we?”
“This is stupid,” I say, eying a bowl of rice with a yellow egg yolk sitting pretty on the top. “I’m not going.”
The twins exchange a look, but they’re not tricking me into this one. No way in hell I’m going tonight.
No way.
Too risky.
Not a goddamn chance.Several hours later, after a day spent relaxing by the koi pond and playing in the Zen garden, I end up getting dragged out a side door by the McCarthy brothers. I’ve got a t-shirt and shorts clutched in my hand; it was the best I could do before they kidnapped me.
“This is stupid; I’m going to get caught, and you guys will be sorry.” They shove me in the changing room, and close the door, standing guard until I come out dressed in my shorts and t-shirt.
I glare at them as I make my way toward the steaming waters where Church, Ranger, and Spencer are already situated, the steam hiding any important bits from view. My cheeks flush anyway, and I get ready to dip my toe in the water …
“No suits!” I turn and find the twins wearing a pair of matching grimaces as the owner of the lodge comes out in her yukata and waves a broom at me. “No suits this side of the pool. You want a suit? Use the other side.” She glares at me, and then gives the twins’ matching cherry tattoos a look. She murmurs something about yakuza—Japanese mafia, I think—before disappearing back inside.
“Great,” I grumble, standing there with one toe touching the deliciously warm waters. Now that I’ve touched it, now that I’m standing here, I want to get in so bad. It’s like being given a lick of frosting before the cake is taken away. “Thanks for dragging me all the way down here for no rea—”
The twins shove me in the pool with a pair of palms on my back. I splash into the onsen waters and come up sputtering, only to see the owner poke her head back out the door. With a groan and a curse, I sink low and pull my shorts off first, tossing them aside. She waits until my shirt is off, and I’m buried up to my chin in the steaming hot springs, before she leaves again.
The lodge door closes, and then quickly reopens, and there’s Mark fucking Grandam.
The twins slam their forearms on either side of the door and then poke him in the chest with a pair of accusatory fingers.
“Student Council only, asshole,” they say, and Mark scowls at them. I can barely see him through the steam, but his ugly expression is so severe, it translates across space and time.
“What the fuck? You faggots sucking each other off out here or something?”
“Does it fucking matter what we’re doing?” Micah snaps, breaking the twin routine to shove Mark back. “We said get the hell out. You come out here again, and we’ll kick your sorry ass to the curb.”
“You guys are fucking worthless. Seriously, what is your problem?” Mark sneers and turns away, storming off as the twins close the door behind him. Tobias turns around and leans his back against it, nodding at his brother.
“I’ll take first watch,” he says, and Micah nods, stripping off his clothes. I can’t look at his naked body without thinking about our little threesome on the pirate ship, so I turn away until he’s safely ensconced in the water.
“I can’t believe you guys dragged me out here,” I murmur, even as the heated water soothes my sore muscles. According to the brochure, these two pools were carved out of rock, and all the hot water is pumped up from some underground stream. It was even insinuated that the springs have, like healing properties or something.
“But you’re glad to be here now, right?” Spencer asks, swimming over to me. My heart pounds, and my body aches at his nearness, very aware of the fact that it would take mere seconds for us to put ourselves into a compromising position …
He grabs my arm and pulls me onto his lap, keeping me situated on his thighs, so that the situation doesn’t get too lewd, too fast.
“I mean, it’s really nice,” I admit reluctantly, looking up toward the ‘upper pool’ with its fancy seating area, and partially submerged lounge chairs. That’s just a little too exposed for my liking, thank you very much. But it’s nice down here, too, with the wooden wall separating us from the other pool, the towering trees, and the garden that curves around the opposite side.
