He pauses in the doorway, one hand braced on the frame.
“Genevieve.”
I look up.
“I’m sorry about this morning.” His voice is rough. “What I said. It was shitty.”
“Yeah. It was.”
“I won’t do it again.”
Then he’s gone, and I’m alone in a room in a cabin in the middle of the woods with my whole life packed into a single bag and the terrifying knowledge that everything I thought I knew was a lie.
I’m about to sink onto the bed when I hear his voice in the hallway, low and soft.
“Cavall.Komm.”
The click of nails on hardwood follows.
“Bleib. Pass auf.”
There’s a soft thud, like Cavall’s tail hitting the floor.
“Yeah, I know, buddy. It’s been a day. You’re a good boy. You watch her for me, okay?Guter Junge.”
My stomach flips.
I wait a few minutes, then crack the door open.
Cavall is lying in the hallway directly in front of my room, his head on his paws, the pink duck tucked under one leg. His ears perk when he sees me, tail thumping once, but he doesn’t move from his post.
Lance is already gone.
I close the door and press my back against it, replaying everything—the woods, the overnight, Percy, the fight, my father’s voice cracking through the phone. At some point, I move to the bed, and lie in a catatonic state.
Move, Ginny.This isn’t healthy. I can’t be hopeless like this, I need to do something.Anything.I slip out of the room, lean down to give Cavall a scratch, and turn the corner.
Smack.
My shoulder collides with a wall of warm and solid muscle.
“Ouch.” I rub my arm. “Do you lurk in hallways for fun, or is this just where you wait to insult people?”
Lance raises an eyebrow, his shoulder pressed against the wall and a towel slung low on his hips.Only a towel.
My eyes skim over his broad shoulders, black tattoos curling down his upper arms, and lower, over abs that are frankly offensive to possess, the carved lines of his hips disappearing beneath terry cloth that’s hanging on by—
No. This is Art’s best friend. And potentially the enemy. Do not ogle the enemy, Ginny.
“You know what?” I snap my gaze to his face, cheeks burning. “I don’t have to talk to you. I’m just trying to find the bathroom.”
“Next time watch where you’re going.”
“Maybe if someone gave me a tour instead of traipsing around half naked in the dark, I wouldn’t be having issues. Aren’t you supposed to be rich? Don’t you have an en suite? Why are you even out here like this?”
He opens his mouth, but I hold up a hand. “Actually? Never mind. I don’t care.”
I step past him, but he doesn’t move, so our arms brush, anda sharp spark shoots across my skin. I jolt back, rubbing the spot and glaring. “Space. Ever heard of it?”
