Even still, I shouldn’t have given him the power to rile me. Not when so much was on the line.
A Darling I would be.
Even if it killed me.
And how was the afternoon?
Great. Franny did well.
I just needed the conversation to end so I didn’t dig myself a hole by telling him the afternoon was sprinkled with me thinking of his hands on me even though he was a Diamond. He was a dangerous murderer, and yet I had the audacity to encourage my sister to get out of an abusive relationship? I was so ridiculous.
Tomorrow I’d reset and be able to handle him.
A teacher should elaborate.
I growled in frustration.
In the afternoon, she picked a state to learn about. She was delighted to hear that you can see snow and the beach in the same day in California.
No mention of the academy incident?
I think having you to talk about instead made her forget that for a day.
And you?
And me what?
Did it make you forget about the academy for the day?
I froze in the middle of the kitchen. Had Archer told him about my nightmares? I didn’t want to explain if he didn’t know. But if he did know, I needed to explain. Maybe he was gearing up to find a reason to fire me. To let me go and get rid of whatever complication I was creating.
Not only was I the teacher that saw something I shouldn’t have at the academy, now I was mixing business with pleasure.
Of course he’d be having regrets and want to get me out of here.
I mentally kicked myself and combed a hand through my curls before replying vaguely.
I’m fine. If I can’t sleep, I just get a glass of water and read for a bit. It usually helps.
I set the phone down and opened the cabinet to reach for a glass, but each one of them were now at eye level.
The lowest shelf.
So I didn’t have to reach.
Jameson
“SO YOU CAN’T SLEEPthen?” The little devil of a darling jumped at hearing my voice.
Good.
It was better if she thought she had something to fear, although I had men and security in every part of this house to the point of overkill. Cal had given me an earful about it twice today, but I didn’t give a fuck.
I was watching her and Franny’s rooms constantly too. It’s how I knew she’d walked down here, and that was after I saw her give the hallway camera a one-finger salute. She was containing the fire and anger behind her composure, her formalities, and her professionalism.
Fuck, I was sick of it. It was starting to fester and infect and rot under my skin how much I was sick of her composure. I’d texted her tonight hoping she’d explode, but she hadn’t. All I got was a secret fuck-you gesture she didn’t think I’d ever see.
It was good enough for me to leave my bedroom, where I was up thinking about my meeting with Paolo anyway. Ineededa distraction now. I neededheras my distraction, because she was the only one who could provide it. No one else got my attention the way she did.
