Page 98 of Bitter Lies

His eyes flash as he covers his groan before he pulls away from me roughly, and I’mleft bewildered and shell-shocked because he’s never cared about fucking in public before.

Why did he stop?

Turning away, I reach up for my clothes, just out of my reach, and resign myself to flashing someone when Griffin grabs them over my head and shoves them at me before swimming away.

My sweatshirt is soaked, weighs a ton, and looks ridiculous, but I have no other choice, so I pull it on and emerge from the water with a shiver.

Griffin eyes me strangely but doesn’t comment until we’re back at the car, when he says gruffly, “Take that off. It’s too wet.”

“I’m cold,” I protest, my teeth chattering as I hold the door open.

“You’re cold because you have that stupid thing on,” he says impatiently, wrenching it off my shoulders.

Before I can protest further, it’s gone, and I clutch my arms, but my hands are no match for Max’s, and of course, Griffin’s eyes zero in on the bruises with a wide-eyed stare.

His brows slam over his nose as he backs me against the door. “Who did this?”

Shivering under the violence in his stare, I turn my head away and whisper, “It’s nothing. I—”

Grabbing my chin, he pulls me back toward him, his eyes burning into mine. “Who?”

Going on the offensive because I’m desperate and scared, I mutter, “It doesn’t matter, right? I’m a fucking liar. You can’t believe anything I say. I probably did it to myself, forattention.”

Releasing me, he steps back, looking me over with a pained expression before someone calls out, and he turns away. Relieved, I slide into my seat and look out the window the whole way back, fighting off tears because I’m tired of the lies, but I’m in too deep to back out now.

This is so messed up.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The stars don’t shine so bright now.

Hiding out in my room, I lie curled in a ball, staring at the wall because I’m afraid of what might happen now, and I don’t know what to do. Maybe I should tell Griffin, but what if he doesn’t believe me? It would only make things worse with Max.

I’m caught, and I’m scared. Fuck me.

Even worse is the thought he might actually believe my lie and think I hurt myself on purpose. It’s a vicious cycle in which I want him to believe me even when I desperately create stories for the sole purpose of keeping the truth at bay. In this, the jerk can’t win, and I guess I understand his confusion.

The sounds of a party rage into the night, but I ignore it all and doze until the distinct sound of someone unlocking my door rouses me, and I open my eyes enough to spy Griffin stepping through.

It defeats the purpose of a lock when the dick comes in whenever he wants, but I resist the urge to point it out because what’s the use?

Without a word, Griffin picks me up and carries me into his room, closing the door behind us and laying me on his bed. Quietly, I watch him undress before he slides in beside me, hovering over me as he brushes my hair out of my face, and the action is so at odds with his usual demeanor that my heart stutters in my chest.

Maneuvering between my legs, he runs his fingers over my shorts before pulling them free, and with a grunt, he slides inside. Arching to meet him, I moan low in my throat, straining to see his expression in the moonlight, but I’m robbed of the option and can only feel as he rocks against me gently until I come in a wave of sweet pleasure, and he spills inside me.

My heart clenches in my chest once more at his sweet moan as he whispers my name softly, “Halsey.”

After, he collapses beside me, and I stare at the ceiling, tears pricking my eyes because once upon a time, I wanted this with Griffin, and now it’s too late.

Even if this were real, and I have my doubts, I have too many lies piling up around me, and if he were to ever learn the truth, he would truly hate me. I may have eventually said no to those boys but not before begging first.

After a while, I fade off to sleep, waking once to the feel of him wrapping his arms around me from behind before I snuggle close and sleep once more.

∞∞∞

When I wake, I’m alone, and the low rumble of people starting up another day of festivities can be heard outside. Yawning, I turn to my back and stare at the ceiling blankly, wondering how I get into these situations—not to mention I’m super confused.

Griffin has insisted for years he doesn’t care and wouldn’t fuck me with a ten-foot pole, and now he’s inviting me into his bed—talk about weird.

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