Page 210 of The Invite
“It can be for anything. Doesn’t prove we’re together,” she counters, lifting her head. The optimism in her watery eyes dies upon seeing my closed-off expression. A tense beat passes, and she demands, “Let me see your phone.”
“Not tonight.”
Her body goes rigid. “You’re not telling me the whole truth.”
“Ness.”
“Oh god, it’s worse, isn’t it?”
“Nothing we can’t handle,” I reassure her by cupping her face. “Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. We don’t need to hide. I can proudly show you off on my arm. I know I wouldn’t have been able to survive pretending you aren’t my woman when I returned to school. Every second would’ve been torture.”
Whoever posted about us wanted to rip us apart, but it has only managed to bring us closer.
A small smile curves her lips but it becomes eclipsed by the fear in her pupils. The long lashes glistening with remnants of her tears. “Everyone will think I preyed on you.”
“I’ll kill anyone who does.”
“August!”
“They’re assuming you’re just a forbidden lay to me right now, but once I make them understand you’re mine and how precious you are to me, they’ll see you as a queen and show you the respect you deserve. I’m going to do it in a way it will leave no room for confusion. If they still dare to insult you, I’ll end them with my bare hands.”
“I don’t want blood on your hands and to risk losing you.”
I smile, pinning her with my eyes. “I told you once that I run this town, little prey, and now you’ll see.”
Kissing her hard on the lips, I carve out the tension in her with every lash of my tongue. She moans, and I slow down to teasing sucks until she melts into my embrace.
Keeping her secured to my chest, I stand and trudge upstairs. After closing the hidden door, I grab a pair of sweatpants from the closet and walk us to the bed. Laying her down on my side, I straighten and put on the pants while Nessa quietly stares.
I want to puff my chest out every time I catch her admiring my body. It hasn’t escaped my notice how obsessed she is with my ink, especially the snake on my arm. She caresses it every chance she gets.
Before crawling into the sheets with her, I take both our phones and lock them in a drawer so she doesn’t go online and check the carnage during the night.
“Are you going to check on Scarlett?”
The question startles me. I’m not surprised, though. Nessa has a nurturing nature. “Tomorrow.”
Her hand grabs my wrist before I can climb into my bed. I glance at her quizzically. “Maybe you should do it now. She sounded upset earlier, August.”
The entire conversation with my sister slams to the forefront like a tsunami.
The wheels turning in my brain.
She wouldn’t be the one behind tonight’s disaster, would she? Not after I forbid her. How would she even know about Nessa and—
Shit! It completely slipped from my mind about the set of skills my little sister possesses. Being meddlesome and spying at the very top.
She could’ve easily followed Maverick after he dropped her off that night.
As my mind puts two and two together, I keep my thoughts concealed from Nessa. I pretend to be convinced at her suggestion and nod. Leaning over, I caress her cheek. “Will you be fine alone?”
“Don’t worry about me,” she murmurs.
Impossible. “I won’t be long.”
After one final look, I turn around and exit my room. My steps are determined as I fly in the direction of Scarlett’s room, which is in the opposite wing. By the time I’m outside her door, I’m convinced she’s the one who betrayed me.
Without knocking, I barge—returning the favor—into her bedroom.
