Page 58 of Please Hate Me

Lucian’s chest swelled with a breath as he exhaled.

“I’m not ready.”

“And I ain’t gonna force you to do anything you don’t want to. But I need you to understand that Iamready to explore whatever’s goin’ on between Mason and me.”

His dark gaze bounced around my face and his expression went tight.

“What if you hurt her?”

I pulled a worried lip through my teeth, hating to see him like this.

So, I promised him: “I won’t.”

As long as Dale didn’t catch wind of what was going on here, Mason was safe with me. And I had faith that I could keep our relationship a secret.

I just wasn’t sure how to do that yet.

Chapter 17

Sophia

Golden light poured in through my lacey curtains as I watched the sunrise from the comfort of my bed. Fluffy white covers, a silky pink sheet, Lucian’s arm still thrown over me as he held me tight. Everyone should wake up like this, honestly. Nothing could possibly be better.

But I was missing something—no, someone.

Where was my Cameron?

I rummaged through the sea of pillows surrounding me as I looked for my phone. It was weird not waking up to Cam beside me. Sure, we all had our own rooms, but that was mostly for privacy purposes or if one of us was sick. He seemed healthy enough yesterday... Maybe he got up already?

Normally, I was the first one awake, but Cam was an early riser too. With that in mind, I slowly untangled myself from Lucian’s heavily tattooed arms. As soon as I pulled away, one of his eyes cracked open, and his dark gaze settled on me. He didn’t have his contacts in yet, so I knew he couldn’t see me very well.

I wiggled closer to him. Nose-to-nose, we took a moment to breathe each other in.

“Where are you going?” His voice was gravely with sleep.

My heart fluttered as I kissed his cheek. After over a decade together, I still loved Lucian just as I had in high school, even if hewasrough around the edges. He was like an unpolished diamond; to most, he was still a lump of coal, but I saw how beautiful he was on the inside.

“Not everyone likes to wake up at noon,” I scolded.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned. The muscles in his arms caused his tattoos to twitch as he did.

“There’s nothing special about being up at the ass-crack of dawn.” He rolled over and pulled a pillow over his head.

That’s where he was wrong. Waking up early meant you had more time to enjoy all the magic a day had to offer—but there was no use in arguing with Lucian. He’d just get mad, and while I loved getting under his skin, I had a Cameron to find.

So I snuck out of bed, slid into my slippers, and hurried down the steps. I expected to see Cameron reading in the corner of the living room; usually, that’s what he did when he was alone. But Richard and Pepper were curled up in the chair instead.

I pressed a finger to my lips as I thought. The cats were in the chair, the kitchen was quiet, and the bathroom doors were open. He must be in his room.

But why would he bethere? He never slept in his own bed.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I tiptoed down the hall. I didn’t want to risk waking Cam up in case he really wasn’t feeling well. The metal of the doorknob was cool in my hand as I gingerly twisted it, opening the door just enough to peek in.

I gasped.

Mason was in Cameron’s bed, wearing one of his shirts, her face nestled in his chest. Cameron was awake, but just barely. There was a ghost of a smile on his lips as he gently traced thecurve of Mason’s stomach. His half-lidded gaze was warm, and his chest rose slightly as he sighed.

Honestly? I expected Lucian to fall for her first... but I coulddefinitelylive with this.

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