Page 98 of Twisted Prince

Quickly finger-combing my hair into a semblance of order, I pull myself together.

Then I take a fortifying breath and square my shoulders.

41

GLEB

I stand under the cold water of my shower for a solid ten minutes, hand pressed against the wall, staring at the floor. But the icy chill does nothing to ease the knots in my stomach. Or the weight of my conscience.

Because despite myself, when I turned around in the hallway and found Mel mere inches from me—trapped between me and the door she closed to avoid disturbing Gabby—I was immediately turned on.

Her sweet lemon-vanilla scent is like a shot of adrenaline straight to my heart, a trigger that awakens my most primitive desires. I want Mel so badly I don’t trust myself to stay away from her. Even if I know that’s what she would prefer.

Holding onto the moral compass I’ve worked so hard to build is a struggle.

And the worst part about it is that my attraction to her clouds my judgment.

It leaves me coming back to her long after I should have let her go.

It doesn’t help that I no longer know how to trust her words. Every time I think I’m starting to understand Mel, she says something that throws me for a loop.

Her actions say one thing, then her words say another.

I don’t know if she simply does it out of habit, or if it’s her strategy for survival. Still, I’m starting to think she only says what she thinks I want to hear—or at least whatever she thinks the person she’s trying to convince at the time wants to hear.

The truth behind it doesn’t matter to her.

All that matters is that she can manipulate them into doing what she wants.

A useful tactic when it’s life or death with a crazy man like Vinny.

But I don’t know how to interpret it.

I’m lost.

The truth is what grounds me.

It’s what I’ve been trained to seek out and identify at all costs, and with Mel, that line between truth and lies blurs so seamlessly, I’ve lost track of it entirely.

Sighing in frustration as the water raises goosebumps across my flesh but does nothing to clarify my jumbled thoughts, I turn it off. Stepping out of the shower, I quickly towel off and wrap the terry cloth around my waist before I brush my teeth. Then, finger-combing my wet hair back into place, I head into my bedroom to find a pair of joggers.

A soft knock on the door catches my ear, and I tense, my hands halfway into my drawer. Glancing down at my towel, I debate how smart it would be to answer it like this. But maybe Mel really needs something—or something on Gabby’s behalf.

Stalking toward the door, I open it to find Mel with her fist raised, ready to knock again.

“Oh,” she says, her eyes dropping to my bare chest, then down to the towel wrapped around my waist. “Sorry, I didn’t realize…” Her look of confidence vanishes, replaced by hesitation.

“It’s fine,” I say gruffly, trying to ignore the way her eyes alone send warm electricity across my exposed skin. “What’s up?”

“I, uh—” Mel fidgets with her fingers as she glances back toward her room.

She’s still dressed in her pretty lace dress, the soft-white color accentuating her natural tan. And her ruby lips draw my eyes when she’s not looking at me.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, stepping forward to peer down the hall with her.

A big mistake. Because she doesn’t step back like I expected. So, once again, I’m in her personal space.

Her eyes snap up to mine, her chin lifting, and her throat spasms as she swallows. And when she licks her lips, my cock starts to swell beneath my towel.

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