Page 8 of Make Me Pretty
As if I’d ever let him if I didn’t already want him to—and he’s well aware of that.
“Smart.” I mouth the words, not letting a sound escape. Peris frowns, pinning me in place with his glare alone. So heavy and strong and unnerving.
He leans across the table, and I follow the lines of veins, stretched taut as he flexes his fingers over the smooth surface. Like he’s grappling for something to ground him.
Keeping his voice low, barely heard over the sizzle of butter in a hot pan, he hisses, “NothingI do is for your benefit, you little—” he cuts himself off so sharply, the air is sucked out from between us, leaving my head spinning. By the time he speaks again, it’s softer. Calmer.In control.“My mom doesn’t need to be involved with…” He trails off, lips twisted into something reminiscent of a scowl, even as he blatantly checks me out. Whether he realizes that’s what he’s doing or not remains to be seen.
But still. Nothing compares to Peris’s heady stare. The sharp drag of his eyes over my body. The way he just…takesme in. All my ugliness and impurities and still manages to… tolookat me like that.
It’s hard to keep my face a blank mask as my heart stutters.
Fuck.
“She doesn’t need to be involved with your shit. It’s bad enough you’ve dragged me into it,” he finally finishes his sentence, gaining composure once more.
Sliding my tongue across the fronts of my crooked teeth, I lift a brow and cross my arms over my chest. My large shirt bunches against my chest, drawing an unrestrained hiss from my lips. “Myshit,” I deadpan, though I am quite amused. “That’s cute.”
“It’s the fucking truth,” he snaps. “You’re… whatever you are. The things I’ve heard that you do… what I’ve seen—” He cuts himself off with a sharp inhale. I watch, rapt, as his chest expands. His scent wafts into me—something woodsy, I think.
I wonder if he’s remembering the first night we met or all of the little times after. If he replays every glance, every taunt, every mirrored touch a thousand times like I have.
After a long pause, he says, softer still, “I don’t want you in my house. And especially not around my mom. She’ll fall for your shit because she doesn’tknowany better.”
“Oh, not likeyouknow, huh, Peris?” I drag the tip of my tongue over the split, collecting another drop of blood. He sneers, even as he traces the path of my tongue with his gaze.
“Exactly,” he mumbles as he leans back in his chair, glaring at the brown, stone tabletop. Elise turns, setting a plate in front of each of us. I stare down at the glossy red ceramic, at the pile of steaming grilled cheese cut into fuckingtriangles.
My throat closes, even as my eyes remain as dry as the Sahara. Steam, smelling of butter and melted cheese, curls up and into my nose. My eyes nearly roll back. “Thank you,” I croak through the pressure.Be good. Don’t fuck this up.
But you’re going to, anyway. You already know that.
“Don’t thank me, Abel,” she says softly as she takes a seat between me and Peris. I feel her eyes, but I can’t meet her gaze. The woman’s already seen—alreadyknows—far too much.And if she wasn’t bound by confidentiality, I might actually be worried she’d tell Peris things he really shouldn’t know.
A long pause stretches. Peris rotates his plate. His index finger flexes around the smooth edge.
“Anyhoo, I wasn’t sure how hungry you’d be… so there’s more in the microwave. Please eat as much as you want. There are snacks and whatever else in the cupboard and the fridge, too. Feel free to always help yourself,” she adds quickly before turning to Peris.
“When you’re done, I want the dishwasher loaded. And if Abel needsanything,help him. And show him his room, the bathroom, all that.” Her words are sharp and to the point. And each one lances straight through my heart.
He barely refrains himself from rolling his eyes, though it’s not with attitude but amusement. “Yeah, Ma. I’ve got you. I know how this works. It’s not my first rodeo.”
“Well I’d say not,” she concurs with a little laugh. “I’m gonna go get a nap in before I’ve gotta go back to work. They changed my schedule so I could sleep, given the circumstances. Abel, I probably won’t be able to see you much before school Monday, so if there’s anything you need before then, have Peris call me, and we’ll get it for you, okay? And don’t forget to do your breathing exercises. Ice your… injuries. Your pain medication is here on the counter,” she adds gently, even though I told her I’m not going to take it.
Her smile is so warm, so gentle, I can’t stand it. I keep my gaze aimed down at my food. Food madefor me.
What the hell is my life right now?
Am I really going to fuck it all up for a game I instigated? A game I can’t seem to give up?
I wince, sinking my top teeth into my bleeding bottom lip.
Even I don’t want to search for the answer to that question.
CHAPTER 2
ABEL
My bag weighsnothing draped across my lap, contents spilled across the full-sized mattress below me. The room smells of lavender and laundry detergent. I don’t know if I love it or hate it.
