Page 74 of Web of Lies
My body slumps in my computer chair. He and I haven’t been connecting as much as we used to. We are both busy; I get that, but I miss him. We used to talk every day, and now it’s spaced out. I guess that’s what happens with internet friendships, though. We aren’t physically together, so staying in touch is even more difficult. The last few years have been a dream with him constantly in my life. Maybe everything has run its course, or perhaps I’m overreacting. It’s tough to miss someone when you don’t know who they really are.
Instead of bringing up a single-player game, I pour over Magnolia’s emails again. Zepp looked over the emails twice and noticed the pattern. I had looked over them a million times and thought they were spelling mistakes. Was there anything else I had missed? A distinct pattern she used to spell something out to me. The way she misspelled words with two letters was genius. Obviously, whoever watched over the school’s email didn’t catch on to what she had to say. But I need more. If everyone she mentioned in the emails is my ally, then who were her enemies? Did she want me to depend on Zepp and Seger for answers?
Worth a shot.
Seger:
Left, Right, Left, Right, Straight, Right, Straight, left, House. Just don’t detour, or you might lose your fucking innocence.
After a long night’s sleep, the first in a long time, I make my way to the maze house the next morning. With the directions firmly in my grasp, I stare down into the mouth of the maze. The cooler fall air descended on the land a few days ago. Although for us, a little chilly is sixty degrees, as opposed to the Midwest or even the East coast. Their winters are too bitter for me. I’d never survive snowstorms.
I make my way through the maze, following Seger’s instructions to a T. It’s odd to hear them moaning and groaning so early in the morning, but I guess they need to get their rocks off early. Or they stayed under the stars with whoever they brought here. Chase’s warning from the first day here rings through my mind. Don’t go into the maze unless you want to get lost or fucked. I try to stay away from the heavy breathing, but of course, I’m on the path that takes me right by it.
Finally, after what seems like forever, the hedges give way to the beautiful treasure at the center. Situated in the middle of the maze, surrounded by its grassy lawn, and what a sight it is to see in the cool morning. Red solo cups and half-naked people litter the cold, dewy yard. My face twists at the unconscious people lounging in front of their house, lying in the grass like it’s a bed. So much for no one seeing me come this way. I marched into the lion’s den with a million hungry animals eyeing me.
The feeling of eyes on me has me hurrying up the steps towards the front door. My knuckles bang against the door once before I’m pulled into the house like a rag doll. Seger grumbles at the sight of me shutting the door tight after pushing me inside. Grumbling more, he wipes at his closed eyes, and dear God, he doesn’t have a shirt on. Alert! Alert! I repeat, no shirt!
Oh, hell—what a sight to see. He’s a Greek tattooed God standing in front of me. I try to hold in my drool at the sight of his naked, ink-covered chest. But I’m too stunned to move. How on earth does an eighteen-year-old boy get that much ink?
“I think your chin dropped,” Seger snickers from the couch in a husky, unused voice. His arm lounges over his eyes, and his feet propped up on the armrest. He wiggles into the couch, getting comfortable, but I can’t take my eyes off his body.
Heat fills my cheeks, and I wave him off. “How’d you get so many tattoos?” I ask, sitting down in a leather recliner next to his propped-up feet.
“A needle,” he smirks back, lifting his arm to peek an eye at me.
I snort, smartass. “Well, duh, a needle. But you’re only eighteen. How did you get them? And so many?” My eyes trail up his torso, taking in the myriad of strange tattoos.
Symbols I’ve never seen line his arms and stomach. A face takes up real estate on his shoulder. A woman is smiling, her hair flowing like waves down his arm, trailed by vibrant flowers. A tall forest starts from below his waistline—thankfully, his pants are on—it grows toward his defined pecs. A fox, wolf, and smaller forest animals sit below his belly button in various positions.
My greedy eyes roam all over his deliciously defined body, stopping at the little ‘A’ I’ve seen on his wrist, surrounded by the white Angel Warrior wings. The symbol for my favorite game is right in front of me. Wow. I’m an idiot. No wonder I’ve seen it before. Duh, Kaycee. You know, sometimes I’m too oblivious for my own good. How have I survived so long? Instincts? My genius brains? No, that’s obviously lacking. Ugh. My street smarts and people skills are pretty weak too.
Whatever. Back to Seger’s beautiful body.
Hot damn, football is so good for their bodies. Like — superb—Chef’s kiss. I’m practically drooling by the time I make it back to Seger’s amused but heated eyes. He’s been watching me this whole time, checking him out. Shit, I discreetly wipe my mouth.
Unfamiliar butterflies flutter to life in my stomach, dropping below to my core, which is practically purring at the thought of taming this wild man. I haven’t been this turned on since my adventures with Eli. If Seger keeps this up, I might just climb him like a tree. No—fuck. I shake my head. Get out of the gutter, Kaycee. You have business to attend to. But as Jack Torrance once said: All work, and no play makes Kaycee a dull girl.
“I’ve never had a girl look at me like that,” he growls playfully, pointing in my direction.
For the second time this morning, a red blush heats my face, and I force myself to look away from the sexiness in front of me. He’s like every girl’s rockstar wet dream. All he needs is a guitar in his hand and a voice to knock my underwear off. Crap. I’m doomed. Send help.
“And what look is that?” I mutter, forcing myself to stare at the bare wood floors. I can’t look at him anymore with these horny thoughts running through my brain.
“Like I’m that delicious fucking pancake she can’t stop talking about. I can pour some syrup on me. Will that make you come over here and—”
“Ugh. Enough. Leave her alone.” Thank fuck for Zepp’s interruption. Like thank fuck, or maybe it’s double trouble for me. Crap. Crap. Crap. My thoughts are too bad today. Maybe I should leave and just hightail it back to my room for a while.
Thankfully, Zepp has his school uniform on. The last thing I need is another half-naked twin wandering around the house. Double trouble, anyone? Zepp places three pancake breakfasts on the coffee table.
“I’ve missed these so much.” I practically pant like a dog in heat, digging a fork into the pancakes in front of me.
“Maybe you really should pour some syrup on me,” Seger mumbles with heat behind his words as I moan into the delicious sweetness filling my mouth.
“If you’re as good as this pancake, maybe I will,” I groan again, closing my eyes to savor the flavor I’ve missed so much. When my eyes finally peel open, both the boys are staring at me. I scowl, cutting into another bite of pancake. “Shh—I don’t want to hear it,” I say, holding up my fork and shoving more food into my mouth.
“Yeah—I can’t eat around her, I swear,” Seger groans, digging into his food. He wiggles in his seat a little, looking mildly uncomfortable. “But to answer your nosy question, it helps when you pay a lot of money, and it feels even better to piss off the old man.” He says casually, shoving more food into his mouth like the savage he is.
I nod, groaning into my food. “He doesn’t approve?” I ask, staring between the two.
