Page 32 of Eternal

I hold the dress up, and it’s so short it might not even cover my ass. “Andthisis existing?”

“This”—Mila stops in front of me, pulling me to stand and spinning me to the mirror to drape the dress in front of my body—“is you pretending to give a shit.”

“Who says I want to pretend?”

Mila frowns over my shoulder. “Just try for me—your friend. Let’s celebrate you getting into the summer art program in Paris and pretend you know how to socialize before you’re shipped overseas to torture hot French men.”

I shake my head, fighting back a laugh at her comment. “I’m not going to Paris for the guys.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Mila rolls her eyes. “I know. You’re going for the paint. But just think, mixing the two could be an awfully fun time.”

Mila winks, and my mind immediately trails to Declan going with me this summer. The one person I can never seem to escape, whether he’s pinning me against a canvas in my studio or sticking his tongue down my throat at my parents’ house, he’s everywhere.

I don’t know what I hate more—that he’s the devil or that I can’t seem to resist him once he gets his hands on me.

I’m ending this tonight if it’s the last thing I do.

Holding the dress to my body, I try to imagine myself in it. It’s solid black, with thick bandage fabric that hugs like a corset.

“No.” I shake my head.

“Oh, come on…” Mila whines.

I toss the dress on the bed and walk over to her closet. She’s not going to let this go, so the least I can do is find something I’m willing to be seen in.

It takes a few minutes of digging, but I finally find an outfit that feels like me.

Stepping out of the closet, I hold a sleek sapphire tank top to my chest and black leather pants against my legs. It’s simple, but hopefully, it’s enough to get Mila off my back.

She looks me up and down. “Pair it with heels, and you’ll knock all those Sigma Sin boys on their asses.”

There’s only one Sigma Sin guy I’m interested in knocking down, and it won’t be for the reasons Mila is thinking.

“No heels, but I’ll consider flats.”

It might not seem like a concession to most, but since I live in sneakers, I can tell she’s considering it.

“Deal.” Mila claps her hands. “I have just the ones. Now, get changed. We leave in twenty minutes, and I still have to drag Patience off the couch and make sense of your hair.”

“Thanks.” I roll my eyes.

Mila shrugs, not apologizing.

I can’t really fault her for trying, especially when I know enough about her past to understand why she’s so adamant about always putting her most perfect self forward.

Mila leaves me alone in her room, and I strip out of my clothes. There are a few flecks of paint on my arms that I have to peel off as I slip into my new outfit. And when I turn to the mirror, I don’t hate what I look like, even if the outfit is skintight and a little obvious.

The tank top hugs my chest, and I’ve ditched my bra on purpose. My ass is nicely shaped by the leather pants, and even without my hair and makeup done, there’s no denying the outfit does wonders for my nonexistent curves.Whatever version of me Declan is expecting tonight, this girl in the mirror isn’t her.

Not that this is for him.

Or… maybe it is… a little.

I want to reel him in, and this outfit is the perfect bait.

Declan Pierce might think he’s in control, but I’m not the submissive little pet he wants me to be. He’s going to get what’s coming to him.

For lying to me. For manipulating me. For having the nerve to use my body against me.

---