Page 82 of Lady Killer

The scent of alcohol was thick on his breath, and I braced myself for whatever vile insult he would throw at me next.

“You’re a weakness.” The lack of venom in his words threw me off guard.

“What?” I stammered, notunderstanding.

He leaned in closer, angling his head toward mine.

My whole body pulsed in time with my heart as I lifted my chin in a vain attempt to stand my ground. Locke’s jet-black hair had fallen down over his brow, and while I couldn’t quite read the emotion behind those piercing green eyes, the intensity of his gaze was undeniable.

“You’re something we can’t have, and—‍”

What Locke was going to say next I would never know, because he was unceremoniously yanked away from me, spinning across the hall to collide with the opposite wall.

Lucian now stood between us, staring down at the other man with disdain. “Stay away from her.”

Locke’s expression turned ugly, but he didn’t argue as he stood up straight. “Whatever you say, cousin,” he said bitterly, before striding down the hall to disappear behind one of the many closed doors, leaving me and the eldest Blackwell alone.

My tongue was dry in my mouth as I tried to figure out what to say or do next.

“We aren’t exclusive.”

Of all the things I might have expected to come out of Lucian Blackwell’s mouth, that wasn’t one of them. “I don’t—‍”

“You think Everest was unfaithful,”Lucian said.

Though he stood a good yard away, I felt his presence just as much as I had Locke’s.

“You think that’s why your life is on the line.”

My head spun and I sank into the wall.

“It’s not.”

“I didn’t know,” I said honestly, unsure of how to respond.

Lucian shrugged before adjusting his cuff links. “We’re very discreet. I wouldn’t have expected you to.”

“Oh.” That didn’t sound very much like Everest at all.

“My relationship with him has no bearing on yours.”

Irritation flared in me, and I pushed off the wall, hands fisted at my sides. “That’s not for you to decide.”

He might have been okay with Everest fooling around with me, but that didn’t mean I was okay with him keeping a secret of this magnitude from me.

Lucian frowned, the lines around his mouth crinkling. “Is it because we’re both men?”

I marched forward, planting one finger in the center of his ridiculously firm chest. “It’s because he hid anentire relationship from me!” I said, punctuating each of the last four words with a stab of my finger.

Lucian wrapped his hand around my finger, swallowing my hand completely.

“Let go of me,” I snarled, trying to yank my arm free.

“Don’t poke me, little girl.” His voice rumbled low.

We were at a stalemate, the two of us standing toe-to-toe, neither willing to back down.

My chest heaved with frustration as Lucian’s eyes wandered down before darting up to meet my own. Sparks shot through my spine as I yanked even harder to get him to release.

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