His tone was casual. But I heard the truth hiding underneath it.
And he knew I did.
Right then, we heard Zay Jr laughing loudly somewhere down the hall.
Zay stood up.
“I’ll let you finish getting measured.”
He walked toward the door.
“I’ll send Emily back in once we get settled.”
“Okay,” I said softly.
He nodded and stepped out.
Ares pushed himself off the wall.
For a second, I thought he was going to say something serious.
Instead, he looked me up and down slowly.
A smirk curved across his mouth.
“You know,” he said casually, “I’ve seen a lot of women wear expensive clothes.”
He adjusted his jacket as he walked past me toward the door.
“But somehow you make them look like something I want to rip off you.”
His eyes held mine for half a second longer.
Cocky.
Amused.
He followed Zay out of the room.
And just like that?—
I was alone again, thinking about the chaos my parents were about to bring into this house.
CHAPTER 37
Emily Fontaine
I Wasn’t Supposed To Be At That Table
I’ve loved Zay since we were kids. Back when he was just a quiet boy in the back of our history class with headphones around his neck and a look on his face like the world had already disappointed him.
Most people didn’t understand him.
I did.
He didn’t talk much, but when he did, it meant something. And when he looked at you, really looked at you, you knew he wasn’t lying.
That’s why I stayed.
