Chapter 19
Higher Education
Bash
After my revelation that I wanted Edge in my life, regardless of how difficult it was going to be outside of these walls, our routines sort of slid seamlessly together. I was still awkward and unsure every time I ran into Cutter when I stayed the night in their dorm. For his part, the big, dark-haired heartthrob moved around me like I was a ghost. He was curt and barely on the border of civil with Edge when they were forced to interact, but mostly he seemed lost in his own world. It hurt Edge and made me antsy. I didn’t like the vacant look in his eyes when he stared at my boyfriend. Someone who had nothing left to lose was dangerous. I should know. I was that way when I started my rampage to get my parents to send me to Castle Pines. Edge insisted Cutter would snap out of his maudlin funk any day now, but I didn’t see that happening anytime soon. The boy had a broken heart and he was wallowing. It was evident to anyone who got within a hundred yards of him.
But other than playing hide and seek with Cutter, things with Edge were surprisingly simple. We studied together after class. We went to the gym together, where he worked out and I mostly ogled him and the other hard bodies as they worked up a sweat. Occasionally, I pretended to run on the treadmill or work on one of the machines, but I was there for the view, not my health.
We switched off dorm rooms depending on the roommate situation, and we had a ridiculous amount of mind-blowing sex. Literally, the slats under my bed had snapped after a night where Edge had been particularly forceful. Of course, he’d gotten it repaired right away, upgrading to a queen and a mattress that felt like a cloud in the process. Now, it was nearly impossible to get rid of Mac when he bothered to spend the night in our room.
We still hadn’t gotten around to switching places. He was stingy with that fine ass of his, but less stiff and hesitant when I tried to play with it now. Knowing he was open to letting me in, that he trusted me enough to consider being together like that, was enough to keep me appeased for the time being. Being the bottom in the relationship was no hardship when the top was someone completely dedicated to your pleasure. Edge was all about giving as much as he was taking, so I had zero complaints about offering myself up to him any way he wanted.
We’d also opened up to each other more. Spending more time getting to know one another on a deeper level. He told me about his mother, and about how she’d practically sold him off. His resentment was familiar. His family was as screwed up as mine in a totally different way. My parents wanted me out in front of the whole world to hide their mistakes. His wanted him hidden away and out of sight to forget about theirs. I asked him if he really thought his mother stood a chance fighting against the Darby family. Was a waitress really capable of waging war on the richest family in America? I could see it was an avenue of thought that hadn’t been presented to him before. Everyone in his life was so ready to tell him he was right, that no one ever forced him to consider that maybe things weren’t always the way he thought.
In turn, I let him read some of the stuff I’d been working on over the last few months. I never shared my words with anyone, because once I gave them away, I could never get them back. But Edge took good care of them and me. He told me the mystery and suspense stuff was good—sharp and witty—but what shined was the newer, more romantic elements I’d been weaving in and out of my stories. He told me I should merge the two. And just like that, I had a brilliant idea about an openly gay FBI agent hunting a serial killer who was killing rent boys and falling in love with his main suspect. I told him that escaping into a world I created was the only way to get away from the world I had been trapped in for so long. It was something he understood completely.
We also went out in public together. He took me to the bar where Cutter got in trouble, and to another club that catered to celebrities and social media influencers. We made out in a darkened corner of one, and I let him lead me into the bathroom for a quickie in the other. I was freaked when I saw the paparazzi out front, but he just smirked and assured me it didn’t matter. For days, I waited for pictures of us to show up on the Internet, but he was right, there wasn’t so much as a whisper about the two of us together. It was hard to fathom someone having the kind of power it required to shut it down so completely, and I realized as much as I would never want to subject him to my parents, I was just as happy to avoid his.
For the first time in my entire existence, I felt steady. I woke up happy with where I was, and even happier with who I was with. There wasn’t a clock ticking down the time we had together anymore. Instead of waiting anxiously for everything to start falling down around me, I made an effort every day to make sure we were working on building this thing between us. It already felt sturdy and solid, but I wanted to believe if we tried hard enough, we could make it into something unbreakable.
I was also slowly getting used to the entire school knowing he was mine. They’d all figured out well before me that I was his, but it was still new for everyone to defer to me when they couldn’t get to him. I’d gone from a me to a we overnight, and surprisingly, I didn’t mind the feeling of belonging to someone else, and I didn’t find it nearly as confining as I thought I would.
Currently, that someone was running his fingers over the buzzed strands of my short, dark hair. The floppy, bleached mop was too much to maintain, and I was tired of my teachers making snide comments about me looking like a homeless person. I shaved it off and now my head was covered in dark fuzz Edge couldn’t seem to get enough of. If it wasn’t against the school policy, I would have left a few strands in the front I could dye a fun color, but that was going to have to wait until after graduation. For now, I would enjoy Edge’s warm palm as it settled on the back of my head as he walked me to my room.
“I can’t believe you forgot your notes.” The teasing in his tone indicated he knew exactly why I’d been distracted this morning when I was trying to get ready for the day. Mac was gone when we woke up, meaning there was some very satisfying frottage that led to some serious fucking. Of course, I was scrambled and out of it. I was also five minutes late for my first class and had to sit at an angle because my ass was protesting the fast and furious encounter.
“Pfft. I think you purposely distracted me so I would forget them and you could insist on walking me back to my dorm to get them for a nooner.” Only there was no way I could take him again. I could hardly walk straight.
Edge shifted his hold so my neck was caught in the crook of his elbow. He tugged me closer and brushed his lips across my temple. There was laughter laced throughout his voice when he replied, “I love that I can distract you, handsome, but I know there is no way that cute ass is up to another round today.”
I snorted and looked at him from under my lashes. “We can always play with your ass instead, pretty boy.”
His lips touched my cheek and I shivered as his breath whispered against my ear. Everything about him was a turn-on. He was so effortlessly sexy. It was no wonder I didn’t know where my mind was half the damn time any more.
“Not enough time for that. But I promise I’m working up to it.” He sounded almost ashamed, but I knew his issues had more to do with the illusion of control than anything else. He didn’t like anyone else calling the shots because he’d lived under his father’s rule for so long. In his castle, the king did not bow to anyone. But he was getting there. He was trying, and that was enough for now.
We rounded the corner of the hallway that led down to my room. I was getting ready to tell him I was only teasing, when we both pulled up short at the sight in front of my dorm room. The entire school administration appeared to be standing outside my door, along with two uniformed police officers. Mac was in the middle of the commotion, waving his arms around and screaming that the gathered officials were making a huge mistake.
“What the fuck?” Edge barked the words out and started forward like a man on a mission. I followed behind, watching the scene with narrowed eyes. I wanted to believe it had something to do with Mac’s dad and his shady business dealings, but the way every head in the hallway turned to look right at me as we approached told a different story. They were here for me.
Both the cops looked me up and down, their faces expressionless. One of the guys was young— really young. He looked like he probably just graduated from the police academy. He was also intimidatingly hot. Big and ripped, a lot like Cutter, he was tall and had white-blond hair styled in a trendy undercut. It was the wrong time to be checking anyone out, but his presence was so overwhelming it was kind of hard not to. I noticed Edge did a similar head-to-toe sweep of the guy before demanding to know what was going on. He purposely stepped in front of me, trying to protect me from the eyes boring into me.
Mac wiggled his way around the headmaster, slid past both the cops, and dashed to where Edge and I were standing. Edge reached out to steady him, and I winced when I saw how scared he looked. His frightened face made me shiver when I realized it was all directed at me.
“They searched our room. Can they do that? Is it legal?” Mac’s fair skin was hot pink with an angry flush, making his freckles more pronounced.
Edge dipped his chin in a slow nod. “They can search anything they want on school property. Your parents sign a waiver when you enroll. They’re allowed to look for anything that might be a danger to other students and the administration.” He rubbed his hand soothingly up and down Mac’s arm. “What were they looking for?”
“Mr. Lowell. We need to speak with you.” The hot cop was the one who spoke. Edge growled under his breath when the blond police officer moved in our direction.
“What is this about?” He moved so he was standing fully in front of me, effectively blocking me from the cop’s line of sight.
“Mr. Lowell, I’m Officer Brody, and that’s my partner Officer McKinney. Your headmaster called us in after receiving an anonymous tip that you had illegal drugs in your possession. A search of your room turned up this—” He reached behind him for my laptop bag that his partner was handing him.
This morning, I’d forgotten my laptop bag along with my History class notes. The cop pulled open the bag and I had to lean around Edge’s rigid frame to see. Inside the bag were a bunch of glass vials and syringes. I frowned, having no idea what I was looking at. “Do you want to explain what you’re doing with all these steroids, Mr. Lowell?”
I jerked back and locked eyes with the cop. I put a hand on the center of Edge’s back and sucked in a calming breath. “Those aren’t mine. I didn’t even know what they were until you said they were steroids. I’ve never seen that stuff before in my life.”
The headmaster cleared his throat and took a step closer to our little huddle. “Mr. Lowell, I had to inform Officer Brody of your previous history with narcotics. I was really hoping Castle Pines would be a good influence on you, young man. You have such potential.”
I stiffened behind Edge as Mac whipped around in a fury. “I told you, I have never seen Bash use any kind of drug, legal or illegal. We’ve been rooming together all semester. Those aren’t his and they aren’t mine.” He crossed his arms over his chest in a huff, glaring at the cop and the headmaster.
I shook my head, watching the cop closely. “I got busted with a little bit of weed in a state where it’s now legal. I’ve never touched anything harder than that. I wouldn’t even know where to get something like steroids.”
The cop lifted a pale eyebrow. “Your roommate is a pretty serious athlete, correct?” Both Mac and I nodded slowly. “And you’ve been spending a lot of time in the gym lately, correct?”
I cocked my head to the side and watched the pretty police officer over Edge’s shoulder. “I go to the gym to watch him do pull-ups, not to sell steroids.” I pointed a finger at Edge and watched as the cop let his eyes roll deliberately over me referring to my boyfriend.
The headmaster cleared his throat. “Regardless of how the drugs got there, we found them in your room, Sebastian. That is grounds for immediate dismissal from school grounds. We’ve already contacted your parents. Your mother is on her way. She wasn’t surprised you were in trouble.” He, however, was smug and I wanted to knock his teeth down his throat. Of course, she wasn’t surprised. My mother probably thought I did this to help her out, to draw attention away from my father’s affair. She was so single-minded, she wouldn’t have a clue I was being railroaded.
“You can’t prove those are Bash’s even if they were in his room. He has three roommates, one brings overnight guests back to the room frequently. Anyone could have planted those there.” Edge’s voice was steely and ice-cold. The headmaster took a step back, but the cop held his ground. Edge was every bit the regal king ruling over his kingdom at the moment.
“That may be. But until we print the bag, vials, and syringes, and with his existing record, we have no choice but to take Bash in. He’ll also be removed from school property. Right now, the drugs and syringes are in his possession and that amount is not for personal use.” The cop’s voice stayed totally calm and unimpressed.
I lifted a hand and patted Edge’s shoulder. “I have to go with them.”
He whipped around and grabbed me by my upper arms. “This isn’t right.” His wintry eyes were in full blizzard mode. The storm was raging, and it was oddly comforting that all that arctic fury was on my behalf.
I sighed and leaned forward to press a light kiss to his lips. “No, it isn’t right, and it isn’t fair. But I have fucked up in the past, so the police don’t have a choice. The people in charge here have judged me because of the way I look since I walked in the front door. It’s easy for them to believe the worst and jump at any chance to get rid of me. If I don’t go with them now and get this figured out before my mom gets here, it’s going to turn into a nightmare. I promise you I didn’t do anything wrong.” This time. Suddenly, my wild rampage to get my parents to agree to send me to this school seemed shortsighted and foolish.
Edge sighed and dropped his head so that it was touching mine. “I know you didn’t. I’m calling my lawyer and will have her meet you down at the station. I’ll be there shortly. I need to make a few calls first.” He lifted his head and glared at the headmaster as he dropped those words like they weighed a thousand pounds.
There was no way to miss his unspoken intention. He was calling in the big guns… his father.
I stepped around the protective shield of his body and looked up at the cop. His eyes were an interesting hazel color. Bright gold in the center that flared out to a bunch of different shades of green. If I had to be cuffed and thrown into a cop car, making a scene and starting the gossip mill, at least a total babe was going to manhandle me. Mac snickered and Edge rolled his eyes like they both could read my mind. I fought the urge to stick my tongue out at both of them and solemnly told Officer Brody, “Let’s get this over with.”
I didn’t miss the way the headmaster smirked at me as the cop took hold of my upper arm and started leading me away. I also didn’t miss the way Edge glared at him, anger radiating off every inch of his taut body.
“Don’t worry, kid. We’ll get this figured out.” Officer Brody’s voice was low enough so only I could hear him. “I went to school here a few years ago and that asshole headmaster was the reason I got kicked out right before graduation. He ruined my entire plan for my future. He’s an elitist dick. If you really didn’t do anything wrong, we’ll get you back where you belong, and he can choke on his sanctimonious attitude. That is, if there’s anything left of him when your boyfriend is done with him.” The cop finally let a sliver of respect slip though.
I lowered my chin to hide my grin. Yeah, Edge off the leash was something I kind of wanted to see. Too bad I was going to be in lockup. “We need to get a move-on. When my mom shows up, she’ll have every single news outlet you can think of with her. If you want to avoid a media circus, then I suggest we figure this out sooner rather than later.”
The cop nodded and picked up the pace. I shot one last, longing look over my shoulder and watched as Edge hugged Mac to his chest comfortingly. His gaze was locked on mine, so I gave him a reassuring wink. Normally, I would be freaking out and thinking the worst was going to happen, but I knew deep down, there was no way in hell that boy would let anything bad happen to me. For once, I had someone I could rely on, someone who was looking out for me, and nothing had ever felt better.