I smile and pull the covers up to my neck before I roll over onto my side to face her.
“Oh God.” She laughs.
“What?” I ask.
“I know that look. You like him,” she states matter-of-factly.
“I…”
“Like really, really like him.” She wiggles her dark brows.
I pull the covers over my head so she can’t see my cheeks turn the color of her Cheetos.
She rips them off and smiles down at me. “He needs someone like you.”
“What does that mean?” I ask, sitting up and pulling the covers with me. I dig my hand into her bag and take a chip.
“Grave can be a good guy. He just needs someone who is willing to straighten him out.”
That didn’t help me understand one bit. “Either I’m still asleep or I’m too drunk to make sense of your words.”
She sighs. “Grave isn’t one of those guys who hides his feelings. He feels more than anyone I know, and when I got here last night, I could tell he cares about you.”
My heart races at her words. “Why? What did he do?”
“The fact that he didn’t leave until I arrived tells me all I need to know.”
“How well do you know him?” I don’t get to spend time alone with Jasmine, but I remember Grave talking about knowing her really well.
“I’ve known him all my life.” She eats another Cheeto. “After his mom passed, he?—”
“Wait.” I lift my hand. “His mom died? When?” That was how I met him. He ordered flowers for his mother’s birthday.
“Uh, let me think.” She taps her finger against her lips. “He was eighteen when she died. Maybe seventeen. We were in high school.”
I stare at Jasmine, trying to figure out why he ordered flowers for her if she’s dead. I mean, I know people place flowers on the graves of loved ones they’ve lost, but he never once mentioned that. He made it sound like she was alive. He even told me she loved them. Why would he…
I close my eyes, the reason hitting me. I wrote on the card. He left it blank, and I thought it had been a mistake. I was wrong.
“Fuck,” I whisper.
“What?” Jasmine asks.
I open my eyes and scrunch up my face. “I think I did something bad.”
“Oh.” Her green eyes get big with excitement. “Tell me. Tell me. I’m awesome at keeping secrets.”
NINETEEN
GRAVE
IKNOCK ON the door of the hotel suite at Kingdom.
“Coming,” Natalie calls out. Seconds later, the door opens. “Grave, hi.”
“May I come in?” I ask her.
“Of course.” She steps to the side, allowing me to enter. “Everything okay?” she asks from behind me.
