Page 52 of Unmask
Given that we only had a few minutes, I dashed upstairs to change and brush my teeth and hair before rushing out the door with Kreed still in his clothes from yesterday. Evan waited beside the black town car parked outside. He opened the door for us as we approached, Kreed nodding at him. “I brought a change of clothes for you,” he said to Kreed before shutting the door like this wasn’t the first time he’d picked him up early in the morning after being gone all night.
The soft hum of the car was the only sound between us as Evan drove, the morning light cutting angles through the tinted windows. I kept my gaze fixed on the blurred landscape, refusing to look as Kreed peeled off his shirt beside me. The quiet rustle of cotton sliding over skin was an all-too-vivid reminder of this morning. I didn’t need to see his abs to recall the way they rippled under my fingers. Didn’t need a visual when the memory was scorched into my brain.
God help me.
I pressed my cheek to the cool glass, trying to drown the rising warmth in my chest. Why was it suddenly so awkward to be alone with him?
When I finally glanced back, he was tugging a clean black tee over his head, muscles flexing beneath the fabric. The bastard was smirking at me.
I rolled my eyes hard enough to see stars. “You could at least pretend you’re not proud of yourself.”
“You could’ve snuck a peek, little raven. I wouldn’t have minded. And it’s not like we haven’t seen each other naked.”
“Let’s get one thing straight,” I snapped, sitting up straighter, pretending my pulse wasn’t a damn drumline. “This morning shouldn’t have happened. You caught me with my defenses down. That won’t happen again.”
His smirk deepened as if I’d issued a challenge instead of a boundary. “So no more sleepovers?”
I shot him a glare.
His grin faltered for a fraction of a second. “What happens when you have another nightmare?”
“I’ll deal with it.” I paused, eyes narrowing. “Just keep your lips and hands to yourself.”
He leaned in slightly, not enough for Evan to notice but just enough to rattle me. “But I do my best work with these lips and hands.”
Did he ever.
I turned away, biting the inside of my cheek until I tasted copper, trying not to give him the satisfaction of a blush.
Outside, the school gates loomed closer.
Inside, I was already unraveling.
You hate him. You hate him. You hate him.
It was getting harder and harder to hold on to that feeling.
Wait. Wasn’t I supposed to be seeking revenge, going for the jugular? This was the perfect opportunity to crush Kreed, to rip his heart out, but sneaking a peek at him, I didn’t know if I had it in me to be so coldhearted, not when my own feelings were a knotted mess.
I had to get it together, straighten out my head, or I’d end up another of Kreed’s victims.
The town car rolled to a smooth stop at the edge of the student lot, the low purr of the engine fading as Evan stepped out and opened our door. Kreed climbed out first, alreadytugging on his backpack, and I followed, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear as I slid into step beside him.
We moved in unspoken sync across the lot, the steady crunch of gravel under our shoes oddly grounding, but the second we crossed into the courtyard, peace evaporated.
“Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence.” Mason’s smug voice rang out.
I didn’t even get a chance to brace before an arm looped around my shoulder and yanked me into a very Mason-style chokehold. I stumbled with a surprised grunt as he leaned in and planted a kiss on the top of my head like I wasn’t two seconds from stabbing him with a pen. “Morning, my little kitten,” he said, grinning.
I shoved at his chest, but the bastard barely budged.
Kreed was on him a heartbeat later. “Keep your lips off her.”
Mason just beamed wider as if poking the bear was his favorite pastime. “The gang is back together again.”
Maddox sidled up beside us, shooting Kreed a narrowed look. “Where were you last night?”
Before Kreed could answer, Mason threw his hands out. “Seems obvious, doesn’t it? They showed up together. Smells like sin and regret.”
