I wink at her. “Wear something easily accessible tonight.”
“For Colton, or for you?” she sasses with a smirk.
A flash of anger cuts through me at her words, and I grit my teeth before glaring at her. “Say that again, Little Swan, and see what happens.”
Her smirk vanishes, and she audibly sucks in a breath while her gaze darkens.
Maverick once again shoves his face in front of the screen. “Was that a threat, Ledger?” He looks pissed, but it’s laughable compared to how I feel right now.
“Move. Your face.Away,” I grit out.
He scoffs and opens his mouth to say something, but the phone is shifted away from him, and Cignette comes into view again.
“I was joking,” she tells me, then rolls her eyes. “You’re going to kill the guy anyway, so I deserve to at least crack a joke on his behalf, don’t I?”
I tilt my head to the side. “On his behalf? Since when have you turned into a martyr for the unlawful?”
“Since when have you turned into a martyr for the unlawful?” she says in a mimicky voice, making the crew laugh.
“You go, Cigs!” Alex hollers. “Stay classy, youqueen.”
She chuckles. “Aww, thank you, Alex.” She raises a brow at me. “See? That’s called appreciation.”
“I’ll show you appreciation tonight,” I tell her.
She purses her lips. “Promises, promises,” she sings before smirking at me again. “I’ll see you later, then, princeling,” she says, and disconnects the call, leaving me aching for more of her.
Fuck my life.
“She’s good, huh?” Varsha muses, having noticed my state.
“The best,” I tell her with a shake of my head, then rise before getting back to work.
42.
“I’m coming with you tonight, since you’ve decided to become so stupidlyunhinged,” Mave says as soon as I put my phone back into my purse.
“Correction: you’re going to drop me off at the nightclub, and then you’re going to go home.”
He reduces the space between us and glowers down at me. “I will do no such thing.”
I cross my arms across my chest. “Oh, but youwill.”
He scowls. “If you simply needed a chaperone to go meet your psycho boyfriend whenever he calls on you, then why the hell did you even involve me into all of this? If you didn’t actually need me, why didn’t you keep me out of this bullshit?”
“I think I’ve already told you why, Mave.” I uncross my arms, then grab one of his hands and give it a squeeze. “Lying to yousucked, and I wanted to put a stop to it. Also, keeping things from you just felt…wrong.”
He studies me for a bit. “I get that, Nettie, and I respect that. But it’s my job to protect you. Hell, it’s more than that for me. I don’t like it when you’re alone with Dorran and his friends; I’ll feel at ease if I’m close by and can keep an eye on you.”
I swallow when I see the raw emotions in his eyes. He genuinely cares about me, but I’ve yet to convince him that so does Dorran.
I squeeze his hand again, then let it go before smiling at him. “I’ll be fine with Dorran,” I say, and avoid flinching when his expression hardens. “And, if something goes wrong, I’ll call you.”
“You wouldn’t have to if I’m already at the club with you,” he counters.
“Please?”
He doesn’t say anything.
