But I’m not going to tell her that.
It’s not personal, anyway. I wouldn’t be able to standanythingright now, because I feel like I’m in a spiral.
A spiral with Rayne fucking Colson right at the center.
“Cute as hell,” the redheaded girl says, taking multiple photos of us with her phone.
We’re sitting on a wooden bench under a tall oak tree that lines the Luros house property. The girl kissing my cheek smells like mint gum, and even after her friend is done taking pictures, she lingers near me, pressing another little kiss to my earlobe like she wants more.
I’m letting her do it, even though I want to push her away.
“This is perfect for the scavenger hunt,” she says as she finally leans away. “We were supposed to get a picture with a hot stranger. You’re way hotter than the guy Kim got a picture with.”
“Hey, fuck you,” the redhead says, glaring at her friend.
They both laugh, and the brunette turns back toward me. “You should come to our party tonight. Girls from Luros and a couple of the Greek sororities.”
I could easily turn this into more, if I wanted to; I could fuck her, and maybe fuck both of them, if they were into that sort of thing. But right now, my dick doesn’t have any interest in them, even though they clearly want me.
I can feel them eye-fucking me as I stand up from the bench.
“Busy tonight, unfortunately,” I tell them.
There’s only one person from Luros that I want to see, and I know she isn’t going to be at the party tonight.
Briar is the closest thing I’ve had to a real friend in years.
A friend who actually just wants to talk to me.
Not a friend who is using me for something.
Not a friend in a crime family who sees me as a means to an end.
I clench my jaw and my skin prickles at what Rayne said to me, just ten minutes ago. Somehow, he found out that I’d known people from the Thornwick crime family in London, although there was no shot in hell he knewwhatthat involved.
No one else could know.
Certainly not Weston.
I know Rayne won’t say shit to Weston yet. But I need to find out how to make sure Rayne doesn’t ever tell a soul.
I lean back on the bench and look down at my phone and there’s two messages.
Rayne: We’re talking when you get back.
I ignore that one, looking at the other, instead.
Briar: Sorry!! Just give me two more minutes, I’ll be outside soon.
I glance up and see that the brunette is still looking down at me. Probably still wondering if she can rope me into something tonight.
“Nice day,” I say, but I can’t fake a smile.
“Oh my God, I love fall,” she says. “Always makes me feel… invigorated.”
“Slut,” her friend chirps from beside her. “She’s trying to say it makes her horny.”
“No I am not,” she protests. “Maybe it makes me feel a littlesexy, but what’s wrong with that?”
