Page 61 of Stolen Summer
Instinct had me whirling, ready to yank her back by her hair, but with a heaving breath, I stopped myself.
I never got her name.
Stunned, I stood in the hallway, the roaring in my ears slowly receding with each ticking second, and the sounds of the party returned.
Un-fucking-believable.
I shook my head and wrenched the bathroom door open, hastily shutting and locking it behind me. A long exhale followed, my tense shoulders lowering. I placed my hands on either side of the sink and gazed at my reflection.
From under the ebony, lacy mask, my cheeks were colored pink. My eyes were wide and smoldering.
I didn’t recognize the girl who stared back.
She wasn’t Arie Quinn.
She wasn’t me.
“Fuck this.”
My fingers went to the back of my head and fumbled with the knot Cole had made. I loosened the strings, tearing the mask off my face and promptly dumping it into the garbage can.
The elite and their rules can kiss my ass.
I wasn’t one of them.
I didn’t have to play their games.
Everyone stared as I made my way through the house, searching for Cole, and I couldn’t have cared less than if I were eating cardboard. Cole’s gaze found mine when I entered the room with its deep-chocolate walls and custom bookshelves decorated with handcrafted ornate details. I didn’t doubt for a second the room had hidden secret passageways. If you pulled out the right book, bam, a secret door would appear. The house was Harry Potter on meth.
Cole reached me before I had a chance to make my way through the room. He wore his scary expression, a hand under his jaw as he toyed with the hoop on his lip. “What’s happened?” he demanded, grabbing my elbow to lead me back the way I’d just come.
“Nothing. I just got tired of playing pretend.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Killer,” he hissed. “Tell me what’s upset you. Or who.”
Was I that easy to read? I thought I’d gained my composure in the bathroom, but I guess coming out without mask might have tipped him off. I contemplated lying but my social battery was fucking drained, and I wanted to leave. If giving him the truth got me out of here faster, then so be it. “It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before. Trust me, I can handle a little bullying.”
The gold in his eyes flashed fiercely like a lion at night protecting his pride. “You might be able to, but I can’t.”
“I don’t want to cause a scene,” I hissed under my breath while trying to maintain my cool.
His eyes broke into a wild storm. “You don’t need to behave yourself for me. Besides, I would be making a scene. No one here would bat an eye at it. I have a reputation, much to my father’s chagrin, of causing scenes.”
Something we had in common. “Can’t we just go?” I asked because I was tired of being on display tonight. I wanted to go home. My home. But I couldn’t.
“Who was it?” he demanded, and when I didn’t immediately point her out, he growled. “If you don’t tell me who it was, I’ll find out myself, and you don’t want that, because I won’t behave myself.”
Like a damn dog with a bone, Cole wouldn’t let it go. “I don’t know. Some chick with antlers. She wanted to remind me who I was.”
His hands went to my shoulders, eyes pinned on mine. “And exactly who is it you think you are?”
“Not your fiancée.” If he wouldn’t take me home, I’d find my own way back. Spinning, I stormed out of the house, not waiting to see if Cole followed. Dampness clung to the air as a cool breeze kissed my flushed cheeks in sweet relief. The ground was wet and slick. A storm must have come through the area while we were inside.
The only people outside were the two security guards stationed at the doors and the valet attendant. He glanced up as I fished through my clutch for my phone, intending to call for an Uber.
“You look like you could use this.” The young valet held out a cigarette pack, one of the slim white sticks poking out for me to take.
“Thanks, I appreciate the offer, but they make me sick,” I admitted.