Page 47 of Veil of Lies

It occurred to me that if Rowena found out, she’d drop me like a hot potato. I half-smiled as I realized I now had a way to get rid of the silly bitch. One whiff of poverty and Rowena would be in the wind. She would never lower herself to associate with poor me.

Somehow, I felt certain my wealth - or lack thereof - was not that important to Stella. I knew she was friends with Tessa, a scholarship student. The likes of Cassie and Rowena looked down on scholarship students as second-class citizens.

It was disgusting really, especially given Rowena’s family were made money, not old money - her grandfather was a penniless immigrant from Ireland who’d struck it lucky in advertising. She was such a fucking hypocrite.

Cassie was the same; her family money came from the pharmaceutical company her father ran. Money made on the back of peoples’ desperation for lifesaving medicine.

I pulled into the parking garage and turned off the engine. The weight of my thoughts hung heavy in the air, casting a gray pall over the cramped interior of my car. I loved this car. It had been a gift from my father on my 18th birthday. Thank God it was my name on the Pink Slip not his, or no doubt it would have been taken from me, along with everything else.

“Thanks for the coffee and cake.” Stella’s soft voice interrupted my black thoughts, jolting me back to the present.

“You’re welcome. It was the least I could do after you rescued me last night.”

“I didn’t do anything really,” she protested.

“Yeah, you did. Anyone else would have left me on that roof, where I’d have probably died from hypothermia and alcohol poisoning.”

“That’s a bit dramatic, but OK.” Her warm smile lit up the car and pushed the shadows away for a moment.

“I mean it, I really do appreciate it. Most people around here are only out for themselves.” I reached across the central console and took hold of her wrist. It was so tiny in my large fist. If I squeezed hard enough, I could snap it like a twig.

She shivered under my touch and the electricity between us sparked. I knew she felt it. I could see the realization in her eyes. She tried to pull her wrist away but I held tight, rubbing the blue veins with my thumb.

“What are you doing, Brax?” she asked in a low, husky voice. Her eyes flicked down, lingering on my mouth. I wondered if she was thinking about my mouth on hers. Would her lips taste of sweet mocha and vanilla? I wanted to find out. The invisible cord between us tightened, drawing me in.

I leaned toward her, watching the way her cheeks flushed and her breathing quickened. A pulse throbbed in her neck, her lips parted. My other hand drew her closer, cupping the back of her head. There was a brief moment when our lips were not quite touching, when we shared the same oxygen. It was the most intimate few seconds of my life. I watched as her eyes fluttered closed and she waited for me to close the gap.

I was done waiting. My mouth crashed down on hers and I took everything I wanted and more. She tasted delicious: of coffee, chocolate, and sugar. My cock pressed against my zipper, hard to the point of being painful. Just one kiss and I was ready to explode.

The kiss deepened and we both moaned. My hand caressed her cheek, enjoying the velvety softness of her skin. It moved lower, brushing the side of her breast. She moved closer, seeking more contact, and I was gone.

If my stupid car had been bigger, I would have pulled her into my lap so she could grind into my dick.

Honestly, I would have fucked her in my car. In full view of the security cameras currently trained on the many expensive cars parked here.

I was past caring. I wanted this girl so fucking bad.

A loud knock on the glass drew me back into the here and now. We broke apart and I looked out of my window. Whoever had the fucking nerve to ruin this moment was about to feel the weight of my anger.

“Yes?” I snapped, after winding the window down.

“Your mom needs to talk to you, she rang me when you didn’t pick up all 10,000 of her calls.” Harley’s voice was calm and measured but I could see the rage in his eyes. He was pissed I had kissed Stella, which surprised me a bit. He was by far the most open to sharing. I guess we’d be having a chat about this later. In the meantime, what did Mom want? She’d only seen me a few days ago.

“Did she say what she wanted?”

He shrugged while looking past me at Stella. “No.”

Shit, that wasn’t good.

“OK, I’ll call her back.” But first I needed to talk to Stella before she fled like a spooked deer.

Harley stood at my door, not moving an inch. I scowled at him. He obviously wasn’t getting my subliminal message. “In private?” I tacked on.

That did it. He grinned. “Stella, let me escort you back to your room.” I heard the passenger door open as she hopped out. Fuck. Now the opportunity to make my intentions clear was gone. It would have to wait anyway. Mom clearly had something on her mind and I needed to find out what it was.

No doubt Harley would stick to Stella like glue for the rest of the day. Well, he could fuck right off. Stella wanted me too. We’d talked about it a while back and I thought I was the only one with reservations about sharing her. Today’s reaction suggested otherwise, but either he got on board with the program or there would be trouble.

I was willing to duke it out with him. He might be my best friend, but Stella was worth fighting for.

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