So, once again, he had no one to blame but himself.
The plastic irritated my skin, but I met Max outside.
He’d removed his hoodie and wore a black long-sleeved shirt with black pants that fit his body like a glove. Even his goddamn abs were visible through his shirt, and when he caught me tracing them with my eyes, he snapped his fingers.
My head shot up.
He pointed at the trees beyond the estate. “Run.”
I blinked in response. “Sorry, what?”
Pinching the outfit, I pulled it away from my skin.
Max narrowed his eyes on my hand. “Your training. You run into the forest and hide. If I find you, you lose.”
I muttered under my breath, “That’s not the phrasing you’re looking for.”
“If you don’t want to take this seriously,” he sighed. “If you’re looking for a way out because it’s too much for you and you don’t want to win, then quit. It’s my job to give you skills you need for the Final Trial, not deal with you being a brat.”
I scoffed. “Oh, please! So, what? You storming out of our sessions is youdoing your job?”
“If you’re just here to get through to me.” He scoffed a laugh. “Thinking there’s hope for us or whatever lame girl shit you’ve cooked up in your head, I can’t do what I need to do.”
Gritting my teeth, I refused to take that bait.
He didn’t need me to respond. “If all you want is answers, then I’m out. I won’t keep talking to someone who won’tlistenor hear me.”
I flinched at his words.
He studied my reaction.
While I thought through my options, the silence between us grew more uncomfortable. Sweat built at my temples, and I rocked back on my heels. The plastic potato sack he’d given me to wear rubbed against my skin, and I regretted my evil plans the longer we stood there.
But if my choices were letting go of my hope, what he so rudely kept calling my need for answers, or continuing to push for the truth, I’d already decided to fight for him.
Still, I hated the way he’d said that. Like no matter which path I took, I’d lose. I wanted to find a way around admitting it, so he wouldn’t run off immediately.
Luckily, my discomfort outgrew my hesitancy to speak.
“Oh my god. This thing is awful, Max.”
I cracked and dragged the zipper down, needing air on my skin more than I cared about anything else.
Like my naked body underneath.
Or the zipper being at the front of my jumpsuit.
So, while I hadn’t intended to go with risqué outfits and my naked body unless I ran out of options, fate had intervened.
I flashed him as soon as I unzipped it.
As far as unintended consequences of my own actions went, this one worked out in my favor.
Max growled. “Why the fuck are you naked?”
Spinning away from him, I fanned the open flaps of the jumpsuit to create a breeze. “Your instructions were unclear.”
I didn’t intend for my hasty explanation to be snarky, but I couldn’t think past the overwhelming itchiness.
