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I did like ‘that’ though—if ‘that’ was referring to Miles.
“It’s okay.” Anthony was still smiling in that annoying way as he inclined his head in Miles’s direction. “Mostpeople find Miles irresistible—it’s part of his nature. He’s just so…” he pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes, as he tried to come up with an apt description. Finally, he decided on, “Good. He’s the most innocent of you five.”
I opened my mouth to protest—because, really, what wasthatsupposed to mean?—before I dropped my finger back to my side.
I studied the witch, who at that moment, was making a rude gesture at another player.
It was true that sometimes he had his not-so-innocent moments, like right now, but Miles was quite good, wasn’t he?
He was much better than me, at any rate.
I could never forget. It wasbecausehe was so kind that people tended to take advantage of him. Heck, he even had a restraining order on a rebuffed lover.
“Miles!” A piercing shriek cut through the rest of chirping cheers, and—although they’d barely registered as more than a passing annoyance when we’d first arrived—the gaggle of Miles’s fans finally became too obnoxious to ignore.
There were around a dozen of them—both male and female—and they loomed behind a white card table topped with two orange Gatorade dispensers. Some fans were offering him clothing, but, this time, I had no delusions that it was because of the weather.
I wasn’t that naïve.
We wereinsidenow, and it was rather warm in the crowded room.
I narrowed my eyes at Miles, who was—in my opinion—taking anobsceneamount of time just to wipe his face and wrap his ridiculously tiny towel around his broad shoulders. As he slowly made strides to become decent, one woman stumbled free from the crowd, a bundled-up shirt clutched to her chest, as she shyly glided to him.
She came to a stop in front of him, and he paused in his actions to converse with her.
My mood darkened further when the woman blinked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, and held out a blue garment.
The little fool. A true admirer would know that his favorite color wasbrown. If you were going to inappropriately approach someone, at least have the decency to do it right.
She was about to have her heart shattered into a million irreparable pieces.
“Is your eyebrow twitching?” Anthony gleefully chirped from beside me. “Oh my God, itis! You’re angry! What are you going to do?”
I didn’t even waste my attention on the necromancer. There wasnoneed—nor time—to address how wrong he was.
“Hold this.” I didn’t even look at him as I pushed my bag into his arms. As he fumbled not to drop it, muttering variations of ‘Hey, wait, you can’t just—’, I ignored him.
I could not allow this to stand. Ifanyoneneeded to take care of Miles and bring him clothing, it was going to beme.
I cut through the middle of the gymnasium, barely registering that the game was interrupted by my interference. This was more important. Urgent, even. My thoughts roared as she threw the shirt at his face, then giggled, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger.
Why would youthrowit? Now it was just going to get dirty with face-sweat.
I’d rolled my sleeves past my elbows before I was even halfway across the room.
Perhaps this was the fabled Heather. Maybe.
To be honest, I’d be sorely disappointed if it were. Miles seemed only mildly put out, not cowering in fear, as he tried to push the clothing back at her. It was not the look of a man terrified of an ex-lover.
But if it wasn’tHeather, he should have already dismissed the interloper.
“Miles.” I moved to his side, crossing my arms as I glared at the other woman. “Who’s your friend?”
The witch jumped and yelped, tossing the offending garment into the air as he spun around. “Bianca!” His face paled and his eyes widened. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Oh…” My short burst of confidence faltered at the panic on his expression. I stepped back, hurt.
Did he not want me here?
