Page 56 of Perfect Sin
He licks his bottom lip. “There are rumors flying around about you and Ford. We hit my father with accusations, so he’s launched a smear campaign of his own.”
He turns his phone around and shows me a post being shared on several social media accounts. It’s a grainy picture of Ford and I from the cabin. His hand is in my hair, and it certainly looks like we’re more than friends.
“Don’t worry about it, princess, Photos are easy to manipulate,” he says, taking his phone back.
“Except, that one’s real,” I sigh.
His eyes snap up to meet mine. “Explain,” he says in a clipped tone.
“Sin, that’s from Shane’s grandpa’s cabin.”
“Fuck! That weekend is just going to continue biting me on the ass. I’m guessing Tessa provided Jesse’s bitch boys with the photo.”
His jaw ticks and he won’t look at me. He isn’t the only one who continues to deal with the fall out from that weekend. But if he thinks I’m going to apologize for turning to Ford after finding Tessa bouncing in his lap, he’s got another thing coming.
It takes me a few moments to calm myself enough to join Lucien for class. The weird behavior continues here as well, at least now I’m not in the dark as to the cause of it. Lucien takes it better than Sin, but only marginally. Still, no one speaks directly to either of us, although I notice the way my female classmates check out my brother. Thankfully, they weren’t doing that to my husband. I’m sure I won’t get away with putting any more eyes out.
Ford stands waiting for me outside when class is over for me to go to my last class. He drops his arm around my shoulder and I tense up. “Sorry,” I apologize when he drops his arm.
“You’ve seen the picture then?” he asks.
I nod.
“I guess I don’t need to ask how your day is going, then.”
“Like shit. People keep staring and whispering. They aren’t great about hiding it either.”
Someone bumps into me, sending me smacking into Ford’s rock hard chest. I make an “oomph” sound as the air is knocked out of my lungs.
“Watch where you’re going, asshole!” Ford barks.
“I’m sure she’s used to being pressed against you. I doubt she minds,” the guy says and laughs at his own joke.
“You talk a lot of shit about things you don’t know about.” Ford shifts me behind him, and I recognize the stance he takes. He’s ready to fight, and this idiot has no idea he’s going to get his ass beat.
“Ford, let’s just go to class,” I beg.
“Yeah, don’t waste the time you get with your woman. She’ll have to go back to pretending to be with the scary asshole soon.”
Ford takes a step forward, but I pull on the back of his shirt. “He’s not worth it. Let’s just go.”
He gives a quick jerk of his head and we move toward class. We take our usual seats in the back of the room and are immediately sandwiched between two girls who usually sit up in the middle. The one next to me has a sneer on her face, which she tries to mask with a fake smile. The other stares at Ford while twirling her mousy brown hair around her finger.
The girl next to me assesses me before she speaks. “So how does this work exactly?” She gestures between me and Ford. “Do they tag team you, or is your relationship with Jackson fake like they said on the news?”
“What would make you think you deserve an answer to such an intrusive question?” In the back of my mind I know I should tell her my marriage isn’t fake, but fuck her. Sin and I have both been telling the world we’re together, and it’s taught me that if people don’t want to believe it, they won’t. I’m not going to change her mind no matter what I say here.
“We’re just friends, Laci. You can go fuck off now,” Ford growls.
The girl sitting next to him laughs. “I’ll be your friend, Ford.”
Laci chimes in. “We all know what kind of friendships you have with women.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he snaps.
A guy in front of us turns around, draping his arms on the back of his seat. “Dude, didn’t you fuck your sister? You don’t have female friends without benefits.”
His nostrils flare as he tries to control his temper. “You’d be smart not to let her husband hear any of this bullshit you’re all spouting. He’s a possessive fucker and he doesn’t share his wife, feel me?”