Page 25 of Heir of Fire
“What does that mean?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“What do you guys think?” Gianna asked.
Blair shrugged. “I honestly didn’t care.”
Cecilia shrugged sheepishly. “Well, to be honest I was surprised. I mean, you have really strict standards for guys to meet on your first dates.”
“I do not,” Gianna hissed, sending Cecilia a glare. “Maybe I did before, but I’m a changed woman now.”
“Enlighten us on what changed your life.” Dante snorted, shoveling another mouthful of pasta into his mouth.
Finn turned around, a smirk on his face. “Yeah, what’s made you change?”
Gianna returned it with her own. “I had the worst kiss of my life.”
Cecilia gasped. “You’re joking!”
Gianna shook her head. “Made me consider celibacy.”
Watching Finn’s face change from amusement to pure anger was worth tarnishing the moment they had shared. Of course it was a complete lie, but he wouldn’t get the satisfaction of knowing that.
“That is tragic,” Augustus muttered.
“When was this?” Blair asked.
Gianna paused for a moment. She hadn’t been out anywhere considering she bailed on going out with them this past time and she had been beyond busy with practice lately, which they all knew. So, when did it happen?
She cleared her throat. “Fight Night. I skipped the party to meet up with someone, but it was the worst decision of my life.”
“Let your brother hear you say that, and he’ll never let you out of his sight again,” Dante told her, shaking his head in amusement.
Allister was the least of her worries. Not when Finn looked at her in a way that told her he was going to get her back. His eyes were darker than usual and the smile on his face was full of malice. She swallowed harshly.
“Looks like you dodged a bullet with that one,” Finn said, shaking his head.
Gianna shrugged nonchalantly. “You’re right about that.”
It was a miracle that no one else seemed to pick up on the tension between them, and she couldn’t be more thankful for it. Especially when he walked past her, letting his hand skim past her lower back as he did so.
She tensed up completely and couldn’t relax until he had walked out of the kitchen with Augustus. Only once she was sure he was far enough away did the air return to her lungs. She grabbed another fork from the drawer and finally started to eat the pasta.
Their words made it sound like they had ended everything between them.
So why did it feel he was just getting started?
FOURTEEN
GIANNA
The music flowedthrough the studio and sweat dripped off Gianna’s face as she leaped and spun to hit every single one of her moves. As soon as her last class for the day ended, she headed straight to the studio to make sure she had enough time to practice. Her performance was still a bit away, but every time she went to hit thegrand jeté, she stumbled and looked like a giraffe just beginning to walk rather than an experienced dancer. She desperately wanted to get it down already.
She didn’t know how long she’d been at the studio for, but all her classmates were already gone and so were her instructors. Gianna had decided to practice on campus rather than at home, mostly to avoid the plague that seemed to linger there more often than not.
She hadn’t seen him since she revealed to everyone in the kitchen that she was going on a date, but she couldfeelhim everywhere. His presence was so ominous, leaving her with sickening anxiety constantly.
She couldn’t handle it, so staying out of the house for as long as possible was the best solution.
