Page 6 of The Stone Secret
He absorbed this information in silence. Then he closed the door. “You came here to find out about your brother, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. I did.”
“What did you find out?”
Curi wasn’t in the circle of trust. “Nothing that wasn’t already common knowledge, but my sire found out I was here. They need a Basque to complete the elite team, and I’m the only adult Basque they have.”
“Well, that sucks for you. You won’t survive to initiate, never mind elite.”
No need to tell him that they planned to fast-track me because I planned to change that. “Maybe not, but I’m going to try. But that isn’t what I came here to discuss. I need your help with something…unrelated.”
He lifted his chin. “I’m listening.”
Smart. I was a Basque, and even if I might only be one for a short time, he knew better than to burn his bridges. “My ex is here. I broke up with him before I came, but he’s followed me, and I need him to understand that we’re over.”
His eyes narrowed. “Go on.”
“I need a fake boyfriend.” It sounded just as bad out loud as in my head.
His brows flicked up. “You want me to play your fake lover?”
Why did everyone keep saying lover? “Boyfriend.My fakeboyfriend. Just for a week or so.”
Curi dropped his arms and strolled toward me, stopping a mere foot away. “And what’s in it for me?”
I tensed at his proximity.
He let out a rough laugh. “Look at you. All wound tight. How do you expect your ex to believe we fuck on a regular basis if you can’t relax around me?”
“I didn’t realize this was a test.” I forced my muscles to ease up and lifted my chin to look up at him. “I’m not afraid of you, Curi. I’m just particular about who I allow into my personal space. But I can make an exception for you…for a while.”
He slow-blinked. “Fine. I’ll do it. On one condition.”
“What?”
“When it’s time,Iget to break up withyou.”
I bit back a smile. “Sure.”
His lips curved in a wicked smile. “And when I do it, I want you to cry and beg me not to.”
I grit my teeth. “Seriously?”
He shrugged a powerful shoulder. “Do you want me as your fake lover or not?”
Urgh. “Fine. I’ll put on the waterworks.”
He grinned down at me. “When do we start?”
“We have class in”—I glanced at my watch—“thirty minutes. You can walk me.”
“Do I have to hold your hand?” He looked down at my hand as if it was a bear trap.
“It might help.”
“Fine. I’ll meet you in the foyer in ten minutes.” He started pulling clothes out of his drawers. “Or you can stay and get comfortable with your lover’s assets.”
I was out the door in a flash with the sound of his low chuckle ringing in my ears.
