Page 14 of North

North moved before I could react, grabbing Victor by the front of his shirt and shoving him out of the kitchen.

“Out,” he growled, his voice low and menacing.

Victor’s laughter faded as he disappeared down the hallway, leaving the two of us alone again.

The silence that followed was deafening, heavy with everything that had just happened.

I slid off the counter, my legs shaking as I attempted to steady myself.

North turned back to me, his blue-gray eyes still burning, and for a moment, I thought he might say something. He didn’t have the chance to.

The sharp crack of my hand meeting his cheek echoed through the kitchen, louder than I expected. My palm stung from the impact, and my breath came in shallow, ragged bursts as I stared up at him, trembling.

“Are you fucking insane?” I snapped, my voice shaking but louder than I thought it would be. “What the hell is wrong with you? We’re practically family.”

North barely flinched.

Instead, he turned his head back slowly, swiping at the red mark blooming on his cheek with the back of his hand. His lips—still wet from the kiss—curved into a slow, infuriating smirk that sent a wave of anger surging through me.

“Careful, rabbit,” he drawled, his tone casual, mocking. “Don’t act like you didn’t like it.” He took a deliberate step closer, his blue-gray eyes gleaming with something dark and dangerous. “Besides, it’s not like we’re actually related. You’re just the murderer’s daughter to me.”

The words hit their mark, deliberate and cutting, and I hated how my body betrayed me.

My heart raced, my skin burning with heat I refused to acknowledge.

I wanted to scream at him, to tell him how fucking wrong he was, but the words wouldn’t come.

Instead, I grabbed the water bottles off the counter, clutching them like they were some kind of shield, and bolted toward the door.

I didn’t look back.

But I could still feel him—his heated stare burning into my back, the ghost of his lips lingering on mine like a tattoo.

***

Back by the pool, I shoved the water bottle at Summer, avoiding her questioning look as I dropped into the lounge chair beside her.

“You okay?” she asked, her tone light but tinged with curiosity.

“Fine,” I lied, twisting the cap off my bottle and taking a long drink to steady myself.

Summer didn’t press, and I was grateful for the distraction of her chatter as she started talking about something she’d seen on her Instagram feed. I nodded along, murmuring responses when it felt appropriate, but my focus kept slipping. She was sweet, much nicer than the rest of North’s dickish friends.

The stillness of the lake house seemed to press down on me, heavy and suffocating, and even though North wasn’t here, I couldn’t shake the feeling of his presence.

My attention kept darting toward the darkened windows, my chest tightening with the irrational sense that I was being watched. I tried to push the thought away, to remind myself that it was just my imagination.

“He’s not all bad, you know,” Summer said suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I blinked, turning to look at her. “What?”

“North,” she clarified, her tone genuine but unsure. “He can be a dick, sure, but he’s not all bad. When you get to know him, he’s…” She trailed off, her expression softening. “He’s loyal. In his own way.”

I scoffed before I could stop myself, the sound bitter and sharp. “Loyal? He treats people like shit.”

“Yeah, he does.” Summer shrugged, giving me a small, knowing smile. “Still, you’d be surprised how different he is when you get to know him.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. How could someone as cruel and manipulative as North inspire loyalty? The idea made my stomach twist.

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