“I wasn’t gonna say a single thing.” Luce grins at me from behind her coffee. I still smell of him. It’s like a perfume now that won’t let go.
“So,” Jord finally says. “Hows the dick?”
I shake my head, tying my hair back. “You’re both terrible.”
“No, but seriously.” Luce sets down her mug, and I know that tone. The fun's over. “Ivy, this is getting dangerous.”
My shoulders tighten. “It's fine.”
“Is it?” Jord leans forward, elbows on his knees. “Because from where I'm sitting, you're playing with fire while standing in a puddle of gasoline.”
Heat crawls up my neck. Here come my best friends, ready to call on my bullshit. “Parker's gone for a few days. Nothing's going to—”
“You know we're not talking about Parker.” Luce's voice drops. “But speaking of partners, do you think Camille's just going to roll over? That girl's got claws, and she's not afraid to use them.”
I take a long sip of coffee, buying time. It burns going down. “Camille?” I raise a brow at Luce. “You insult me.”
Jord scoffs. “Keep murder off your brain, that isn't what we're saying. You didn't see her face yesterday when Asher basically told her to fuck off in front of everyone. That's not something people like her forget.”
My stomach twists, remembering the way Asher had dismissed her. The way he'd chosen me, publicly, definitively.
“Look, I appreciate the concern, but—”
“Do you?” Luce cuts me off. “Because it seems like you're content to let this whole thing blow up in your face. And when it does, it won't just be you catching shrapnel.”
She's right. When this implodes, and it will, everyone around me will feel it.
“I know what I'm doing,” I lie.
Jord clucks his tongue. “Sure you do. That's why you're sneaking out of his room at dawn like a teenager.”
Before I can respond, the sound of heels on stone makes us all turn. Camille stalks across the patio, designer sunglasses hiding what I'm sure are red-rimmed eyes. She doesn't look at us.Doesn't acknowledge we exist. Just beelines for the pool house with the kind of determination that makes my skin prickle.
“Shit,” Luce mutters.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, expecting another text from Parker, but it's a notification from an unknown number.
My blood turns to ice water as I open it.
The photo loads, and suddenly I can't breathe. It's a photo of Asher tucking me under his arm last night, kissing my forehead while keeping his eyes trained directly on the camera. Possessive. Protective. Caring, as if I'm not a bomb that could detonate at any time.
A text follows.
Could it be that you're closer to this than you think?
My thumb hovers over my phone as I try to shuffle words in my head.Could it?
No.
I'm merely filling the void.
I wait for a reply, and when the chat bubbles disappear and his next text pops up, my stomach hits the ground.
So he means nothing to you?
My throat swells as I swallow.
Nada.
