Page 70 of Crush
“Let me go.” I decide for honesty. “You’re scaring me. I thought we were friends.”
“Friends.” He releases a boisterous laugh but steps back. “Good lord, darling, we’re not even close to that. But many thanks for giving me a way to sneak into the posh prince’s house whenever I want. And as for that.” He gestures to my neck that I’m now massaging. “I can’t blame you. I had to control my stiffy while I took a beating from the guy.”
I gape at him. “Who are you?”
“An excellent actor.” He winks. “By the way, we hate each other now that I’ve taken your virginity and dumped you. It’s the only way I can save face at school next week. But if you ever need my help again … well, fuck you. Thorne isn’t yours. You don’t get to keep him. Understand?”
I fail to understand anything he says but nod in order to get him to move away from me. I’ll navigate the rest of this tunnel blind if it means I don’t have to walk by Zeke’s side.
“I thought you wanted to help Savannah,” I say to him before he departs.
“About as much as you do.” He cackles. “Be honest, darling, she’s competition.”
I shake my head. It only makes Zeke laugh harder.
“You’re very entertaining, but this is growing stale. I do need some ice on this moneymaker. I’ll be taking my leave now.” He bows, flinching at the pain it causes him, but twists on his heel and walks away.
I watch the light grow fainter, sneaking along the passageway by feel more than sight. Zeke will exit into Malcolm’s sitting room, but I doubt he’ll so much as glance at the dusty chairs facing the bay window before slipping out of the manor unnoticed.
He’s turned from ally to foe, all because of what he tasted between my legs.
Swallowing, I take the last steps out of the tunnel, relieved at the sight of the deserted sitting room. The halls are abandoned, too, and I quietly pad through the second floor until I reach my bedroom, then shut the door softly behind me, my mind replaying everything that occurred tonight.
Thorne’s seduction.
Zeke’s obsessive disgust.
My idiocy at falling for both of their acts.
The thing is, I don’t blame Zeke for his change in loyalties.
I blame myself for being as blinded as he is when it comes to Thorne Briar.
29
Ember
The first thing I do on Sunday morning is text Aiko and tell her to come over.
She arrives within the hour, and I take her to the atrium for the breakfast Marta’s prepared. Save for the conversation Aiko and I are about to begin, it’s nice to have someone over to help me eat the weekend spread Marta loves to create, with or without Malcolm.
The location also gives me the excuse to dress cold. Instead of the marks on my neck fading overnight, they’ve darkened to a brutal maroon hue.
“Sweet baby Jesus, this is amazing!” Aiko skips toward the table, her hands outstretched and snagging a chocolate croissant before her butt hits the chair. “Omigod, they’re warm. Are these homemade?”
“I think so.” I smile thinly as I take a seat across from her, reaching for seeded toast.
After taking a massive bite, Aiko tongues her cheek to scrape up any remnants as she regards me. “Last night didn’t go so well, did it?”
“Actually, it did.” I sit straighter. “I think I’ve figured out the mystery of the spreadsheet.”
“You actually found something by breaking into Damion’s office?” Aiko gasps. “I thought that place would be too fortified for you to ever get a morsel.”
“It was.” I take a small bite of toast. “All his secure documents or confidential items, they’re probably in the safe I found behind his self-portrait.”
Aiko snorts. “Shocker that he’d keep trade secrets behind his face.”
I try for a laugh, but it falls flat. “There was a hidden compartment in his desk. Not easily discoverable, but I’m surprised I was able to open it.”