Page 47 of Furious
His lips curl up into a teasing smile. “What, you don’t believe me? I would never lie to you, Zee.”
That in itself is a lie, but I don’t point it out. Lev would be correct only if the definition of a lie was just stating something false. If we consider omission a form of lying, then we’re both lying to each other for not coming clean about the secret races on campus.
I almost spit it out. Because I don’t like keeping secrets from Lev and the guys. But the situation is complicated by the fact that if I tell him and Chance, I have to tell Ares; and before I do that, I need to find out what Cal’s agenda is. Why would he come here to race and why he went out of his way to get Chance and Lev involved? It might be as simple as the fact that Chance is the mayor’s son. Cal might see having him involved as some sort of insurance policy in case they get busted. But if there’s something else behind all this, something more sinister, I need to be prepared before I tell Ares. Especially if Cal is involved in Atlas’s death in any real capacity. If that’s the case, Ares will kill my ex-boyfriend; and for as much as I understand why, I don’t want Ares to get in trouble.
How am I going to find out is something I’m still working on.
I’m not proud of keeping secrets and I wonder why Lev and Chance haven’t told me about the races.
Whatever the reason, however, it would be hypocritical to be mad about it. That doesn’t mean I can’t rib Lev for lying about how many girls he brought into his room.
“Do you expect to believe that you’ve never brought any of your hookups here?” I make sure to keep my tone playful, teasing.
“How do you know about my hookups?” he sounds more amused than upset. “I don’t kiss and tell.”
That’s the answer I’ve always gotten whenever the topic of Lev’s past sex life comes up. “People talk, babe.” I smirk.
“With people, you mean Heather, right?”
“Busted.” I giggle.
Lev shakes his head. “I swear to God, that girl is the biggest gossip in California. She’s a nice person and a loyal friend, but she can’t keep a secret for shit. If you want any news to spread around town like a wildfire, all you have to do is to tell Heather.”
I sensed that much even before Chance and Lev told me. “It might be so, but the fact remains that it’s hard to believe that you never brought any of your hookups here.”
He laces his fingers through mine. “You better believe it. This is my space, my sanctuary. I only ever shared it with people who matter to me. So that makes it Ares and Chance—and Atlas, of course—and now you.”
The intensity of his gaze causes the butterflies in my stomach to go crazy. “So what about your many hookups?” I ask, trying to lighten up the conversation.
“We have four guest bedrooms. At least six bathrooms. If you look outside, we have a pool house, too. We mostly partied there, so the main house wouldn’t get trashed. I never had any reason to take a girl here until you.”
And the intensity is back in full force. “I’m honored. I like this room, by the way.” I admit. “It’s exactly what I expected from you.”
It’s Lev’s turn to squirm at how intense the vibe has gotten between us. “Glad you like it, Zee. But the tour is over.” He says, getting the bag from the ice cream shop at his feet. “Let’s eat this frozen custard before it turns to soup. It’s the best you’ll ever have, I promise.”
I accept the cup he offers and peel off the lid. We went with a cup of chocolate and one of strawberry and vanilla. Lev thought it was best to start with the classics.
“Oh my God,” I moan when I taste the first spoonful of custard. “This is delicious.”
Lev’s smile is triumphant. “See? I told you. Wait until you try the chocolate.” He takes a spoon laden with the frozen treat, but rather than offering it to me, he pops it in his own mouth.
“Why thank you.” I laugh. “Is it so good you aren’t sharing?”
He chuckles, pulling me a little closer. “Why use a spoon when I can feed it to you?” He opens his mouth, showing me the custard rapidly melting on his tongue.
“Hmm.” I moan when he slants his mouth to mine, passing the frozen treat into my mouth. “You were right. Best frozen custard I’ve ever had.”
He takes another spoonful and I immediately offer him my lips to kiss. This time, our tongues stay tangled long after the custard is gone.
I surround Lev’s neck with my arms and he sets both cups of custard down in a corner of his big bed. He covers my body with his, kissing me for everything he’s worth.
It’s a hot, frantic kiss. My hands tangle on the silky hair on the top of Lev’s head while he devours my mouth.
His fingers lower the straps of my cocktail dress while I unbutton his shirt.
Before we know it, we’re down to our underwear and we haven’t even stopped kissing to come up for air.
He undoes my bra with deft fingers, but rather than lowering his mouth to kiss my heated skin, he reaches for the cup of frozen custard and takes another big spoonful of the strawberry and vanilla flavor.
