Page 50 of Lords of Misrule
“Hey Soph!” I say in a bright tone. One that causes her to jump and release the guy who’s with her.
“Uh… hi.” She blinks, trying to make sense of my presence in front of her. “When did you get here? I didn’t know you were going to be in town.”
“Obviously.” I give her a false smile, and her nose scrunches and her eyes darken in response.
“Well…” She looks at the guy standing next to her and then back at me and Charlotte. “Looks like we’ve both moved on, so I guess no need for discussions, right?”
“Guess not.” I pause for a moment for her to say anything at all about the last few years or even just introduce me to the guy she’s been cheating on me with, but she does neither. The guy she’s with just gives me a smarmy grin and wraps his arm around her shoulder like he’s an extra in a movie about sleazy assholes.
“Thank you,” Charlotte says suddenly.
“For what?” Sophia looks at her, her brow knitting together in annoyance and confusion.
“For making this so easy and keeping him available for me. He’s the best guy I’ve ever known. And with his body and being on the team? Every girl on campus has been dying to get their hands on him. If he hadn’t been in a relationship at first, I’m sure he would have been taken a long time ago.” Charlotte let’s go of me long enough to run her hand over my chest and smile up at me adoringly. I’m going to owe her for this.
“Whatever.” Sophia rolls her eyes, glancing at me for half a second before she settles back against her new guy. The more I watch them together the more I realize it’s not jealousy but embarrassment that’s twisting my gut. But it makes me want to get out of here all the same.
“Have a great night.” I wrap my hand around Charlotte’s, and we walk back across the room together.
I grab us a couple more drinks, and we settle back against the wall. I feel sick that I ever thought the long-distance thing could work. Awful that I put so much effort into her and what I thought would be our future only to have it end like this.
“We just need to find Ed and then we can leave.” I shake my head and look back to see Sophia making out with her new guy again.
“Okay but kiss me first.”
“What?” I look at Charlotte in confusion.
“Kiss me. If we were really together now that you’re in the clear with your ex, you’d probably kiss me—right? Don’t let her win.”
Charlotte’s looking up at me wide-eyed and leaning into my body, her hand running up my chest again, and fuck… I want her. I’ve wanted her since I saw her the first night and more every day since then. I sure as fuck don’t want to give away an opportunity to kiss her. Even if the circumstances are terrible, I’ll take it.
So I lean in, cupping her cheek with one hand while I lean down to press my lips against hers. I’m tentative and careful. As much as I want this to be real, it’s not, and I don’t want to take advantage of her doing me a favor. But when our lips meet, she kisses me back with a kind of tenderness and heat that makes it feel real. Especially when she reaches up to wrap an arm around my neck, pulls me closer, and presses her sweet curves up against me like she can’t get enough. My heart rate kicks up in response, and my fingers slide down her spine. She kisses me like she wants me. Like she’d steal me away and fuck me senseless if she was given the chance. When we finally come up for air, my heart is beating like I’ve jumped out of a plane and her eyes are studying me like she’s discovered something for the first time—something she likes. But they shutter a moment later, so fast I almost think I imagined it.
“That should convince her.” She smiles and takes a sip of her drink. “And she is an awful person by the way. You are amazing. And probably the last guy I know who deserves to be treated like that.”
“Thanks. Let’s get a couple more drinks and say goodnight to Ed, then we can call this whole nightmare of a trip good, yeah?” She nods, and I finish downing my drink before ordering another from the bartender.
* * *
A little while later when Ed comes around, I’m already feeling the top shelf buzz. So good it’s enough to make me forget most of my problems in the moment.
“I see you’re having a good time.” He laughs and pats me on the back.
“Kind of a disaster really. Didn’t get to see much of my grandparents. Didn’t get to meet with your grandad at all, and I was hoping he’d be interested in buying the painting. And then everything just goes to shit with my girl.”
“With Charlotte? She looks happy enough.” Ed’s eyes drift to where she is across the room, laughing and taking a sip of her drink. Charlotte’s found a girl her speed here, and they’ve been chatting for the last twenty minutes while we waited for Ed. I stupidly forgot that he thinks Sophia and I were over already. Works out in my favor, I guess.
“Yeah. She’s just upset about the painting. It’s her painting you know; she’s from a wealthy family, but her mom was poor and when her parents divorced, she kind of got tossed aside too. Her aunt left her the painting so she could sell it, and now I can’t even help her do that.” I try to recover.
“Ah well that’s terrible. I’m sorry.” He looks at me with pity.
“It’s fine. I see Soph has moved on to more interesting characters.” My eyes slide back to her, and she’s laughing hard at something her friend is saying.
“Yeah. New money. His dad’s in tech or some shit. Thinks he’s hot shit and constantly rambling about whatever six figure car purchase he’s just made. Hate the guy but Soph’s still close with the girls you know. So we have to tolerate it.”
“Yeah. I get it.”
“Your new girl seems like an upgrade.”
