Chapter 16

16

KING

Hooking up with Niko yesterday wasn't what I expected to happen, but I don't regret it for one second. I've wanted Niko since the moment I laid eyes on him, and after fighting my way through all his baggage and bullshit, I was finally able to get my hands on him. But it's not enough.

At first, I was so fucking attracted to him—he's so damn beautiful it blew me away. Then I was turned on by his amazing brain. He's such a smart guy and listening to him teach me things was such a turn on.

But now that I've had my hands on him, I don't want to stop. I want to do it every day. Fuck, I want to do it every second. Closing my eyes, I recall Niko yesterday when he was lost in his pleasure. The way he moved his body had me in a daze. I couldn't take my eyes off him.

But the best part of the entire day was what happened after. Niko rested on my chest for a while before we decided to clean off and take showers—separately, which sucked. But then we got back together and studied for another hour before we turned on some TV. We stayed that way, cuddled up, until we fell asleep.

I may have also had some fun playing around with his snakes when he was sleeping. As much as Coby likes to act as though he hates me, he sure loved my tickles. I was able to get a better read on all of them. My favorite has to be Bo, who would not leave me alone, no matter how many times I tried to fall asleep. Every time my eyes would drift shut, he would hiss loudly right in my ear before slithering his tongue close to my face. He kept me up way longer than I wanted to be, but I honestly had a blast hanging with him even if I did stay up way too late.

I finally fell asleep with Niko curled up tightly in my arms. This morning, we woke up late, missing the alarm, so neither of us had a chance to talk as we were both rushing around to get ready.

I barely slid out of Niko's room and to the bathroom door before Mateo was walking out of his room. He must not have noticed anything, because he brushed past me with a quiet, "Morning." I know Niko and I need to talk about what happened, but I'm honestly worried about how he might take it. Not only am I human, but his dad is also my coach. Ah, shit. There's that complication I keep forgetting about.

I groan out loud, then flinch when I get hit in the shoulder. Turning my head to Sam, I glare at him then look at my arm. "What was that for?" I hiss, rubbing at the tender spot he hit.

"Oh, don't be a baby," he whispers, rolling his eyes. "But you were being too loud. You're starting to capture the attention of Professor Fan, and I, for one, do not want to be on the list of people he watches out for."

"He's not going to watch out for us."

"Ahem. Boys, am I boring you?" Professor Fan says, and both Sam and I jerk upright in our seats. The professor is usually a chill guy. He’s part ghost, even though he seems more sentient than the others that roam around the campus. He has an ethereal glow, and a white mask that covers half his face. But right now, I don’t blame him for his vexed gaze; we did interrupt his class.

"No, sir. I was asking for a pencil," I lie, hoping he believes it.

He eyes both Sam and I before turning around and going back to his lecture.

"I need some advice," I whisper to Sam once Professor Fan is out of ear shot.

"After class."

Once class ends, Sam and I head out to the quad and find a spot for us to sit against a tree. A Mummy walks by holding hands with a human, and I smile softly.

"Alright, what's going on?" He looks at me openly, and I smile knowing he's my closest friend at Creelin U, and I can talk to him about anything.

"So, um, Niko and I hooked up last night."

"For the first time?" he asks, his eyebrows squishing together.

"Yeah, for the first time."

"Huh. I assumed you guys have been messing around for a while."

"Why would you assume that?" I ask, baffled he would think that.

"The sexual tension between you two is so palpable, I thought you two were hooking up and fighting at keeping it a secret."

"Oh, hmm. No. We haven't been."

"Is that what you need advice on then?" he asks excitedly, placing his hands in his lap. Oh, my god, he's like a kid in a candy store.

"Well kind of. I don't even know if I need advice. But I want to keep hooking up with him, and more. Definitely more. But back in class, I remembered he's the coach's son, and now I'm not sure if I should try and pursue anything."

"Why not? Have you talked to Niko about this?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Then start there,” Sam cuts me off before I can continue. “Talk to Niko, then base your decision on what he says."

He's right and I know it. Hell, I knew the answer to my question before I even asked it. The more I think about talking to Niko, the more nervous I get. Whatever we have is still so new, and I don’t want to risk pushing him away.

"Come on, let's get some lunch. I'll talk to Niko later."

Walking through the front door of the dorm, I take in Niko. He’s sitting on the couch with a bag of chocolate candy in his hands. He tosses one into the air, and I watch Lox knock it out the way then hiss excitedly.

"You cheater," Niko jokes, flicking Lox while letting out a loud laugh. He hasn't noticed me yet, so I lean back against the wall and take a second to admire him playing with his snakes. Niko is unlike any other monster I've ever met. He stays in his true form all the time, so there has never been a time when I haven't seen him with all his snakes slithering around. He may think that people look at him differently because of his appearance, but I think it's more so people stop and stare because of his confidence in himself. The snakes being badass is a plus too.

Bo notices me first, standing straight up and hissing wildly trying to get my attention. Niko whips his head around and glares at me. "Care to tell me why Bo loves you now, when just a few days ago he didn't."

"Um." I can't tell if he's actually angry with me or if he's messing around. "Well, I played with him for a while last night, and I'd like to think we became fast buddies."

"Wait." He stands up and walks around the couch getting right up in front of me. "You played with him last night?"

"Well, I played with all of them, but he was the one who was awake the longest and wouldn't let me sleep." Snickering, I remember his antics last night. "Every time I tried to close my eyes, he would wake me up, so I stayed up way later than I should have and played with him."

"Oh, my Medusa," he whispers, tears forming in his eyes. He smiles shyly at me, raising on his toes. "Why does that turn me on so much?"

"Yeah?" I chuckle, grabbing him around the waist. "Does that earn me a kiss?"

"Hell yeah."

We both lean forward at the same time, kissing softly and passionately. This kiss is much different than the ones before. The last one was lustful and hot, and this one is sweet and romantic. I grip his head, tilting it, kissing him again. Pulling away, I peck at his lips again, squeezing his hip. "Can we talk?"

Niko smiles at me with hooded eyes. "Sure."

"Okay, so, first of all I really like kissing you. And second, I enjoy playing with your snakes while you're sleeping." He slaps at my chest and I hold onto his hand, placing it in my lap. "I want to date you." I shrug, putting it all on the line. There's no point trying to beat around the bush.

"Me?"

"Of course, you." I laugh, shaking my head, my chest warming at his shocked expression. "I've wanted you for a while, and while it may be hard because you're my roommate, I want to try."

"I'd like that." Niko is beaming widely, and I love that he’s wanting to date me.

"I would, too."

“I do need to tell you something first.” He wrings his hands, looking down at his fingers.

“You can tell me.”

“So, one of the reasons I was such an ass before is because I was starting to realize I was attracted to a human for the first time, and I didn’t know how to deal with it, so I took it out on you. I didn’t want you to know I was turned on by you, so I kept trying to push you away. I’m sorry.” His voice gets soft at the end, as though he’s worried I’m going to be upset.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. All of your feelings are valid, and if you were worried about that, then I’m glad you told me. And got over it?”

“Oh, I’m definitely over it. There was no way I could keep pushing you away.” He smiles while gazing at me.

I give him another soft kiss before taking a deep breath. "But I don't know how your dad–my coach–will feel about this. I don't know if he'll hate it or what, so I want to take your cue on what we should do."

"Well, I've never dated one of his players before, so I can't say for sure whether or not he would be mad." He sits quietly for a few moments, lost in thought. When he offers me a sad smile, I automatically fear the worst. "I think, for now, we keep it a secret. Or not really secret, secret, but something we should at least keep away from him." I don't say anything, so he rushes out, "At least for now."

"Okay." There's no point in arguing with him. He knows his dad better than I do, and I’d rather not get on my coach's bad side. I can't risk being benched before the season even starts.

"Are you okay with that?"

"I really don't have a choice. Plus, if that means we can get to know each other better, and I can date you, then I'll do what I have to."

"This is so weird." He laughs, pushing at my chest. Laying back on the couch, I stretch out, letting Niko crawl on top of me. Raising my eyebrow, I wait for him to tell me what's so weird. "Just this. Me and you. I didn't expect this when I first met you."

"You mean when you hated me instantly? Yeah, I wouldn't have thought we would have ended up here either."

"Oh, my Medusa," he squirms in my arms, hiding his face in the crook of my neck. "I'm still so sorry about all of that."

"I know you are. Also, can I say something?"

"Go ahead."

"I really like when you call me Kingston."

"I do, too."