Page 31 of The Obedient Lie
I stood first, walking past her without a word, my shoulder brushing hers.
Her scent clung to my skin after that —soft, sweet floral.
And that red set?
I knew it wasn’t leaving my head any time soon.
Chapter Twelve
BASTION
The air conditioning was out.
The power had been dead since noon.
The storm was still crawling toward us, slow and thunder echoing low through the trees outside the dorm windows like the sky was chewing on something it hadn’t decided to spit out yet.
And inside?
It was hot as hell.
Summer storms. Though this one was worse. Because of Emilia.
I leaned against the bannister of the upstairs hall, hot and tried to find a breeze through the open window.
There wasn’t one.
She walked out of our room.
Wearing abikini.
Black. Minimal. Tight.
A soft triangle top that clung to her chest like it had been painted on, strings hugging her hips, her skin flushed from the heat and glowing.
She didn’t look at me.
Just walked right down the stairs with that casual grace she always had when she thought we weren’t watching.
I watched.
And I hated every second of it.
Not because she looked bad.
Because she lookedtoogood.
Because she looked like something you fight over.
And I hated the idea of her walking around the house like that — where anyone could see her.
Where anyone could talk to her, lean against the counter beside her, look too long.
She was unaware of the tension she was dragging behind her.
The worst part?
She came back a minute later —eating grapes.
