Page 64 of Sin

Mason’s eyes grow huge. “Oh, damn. She really got to you, didn’t she? Careful. Don’t let her get too close. You don’t want her making wild accusations that could ruin your whole football career just because she’s desperate for attention.”

An unholy rage fizzes through my veins, distorting the world around me. I retreat into my head in an attempt to calm myself.

Don’t hit him, Ethan. Lily wouldn’t want you to.

I take a step in his direction, lowering my chin, and shooting him a glare. “I know exactly who you are.” My voice is as quiet as the dead. “Believe me when I say you don’t want to push me, Mason. Cemeteries are full of people who thought they were invincible.”

His face leaches of color. “Holy, shit. A death threat from the Christian virgin.” He shakes his head. “She’s got you by the balls. You’re in for rude awakening. She’s a fucking liar, and you’re gonna find out?—”

I turn on my heel and walk away, my anger burning like an inferno in my chest. I can’t listen to him any longer, or I will hit him.

My quick shower does nothing to calm me, and my thoughts are still racing on the drive home. But as soon as I pull up in front of the frat house, the tension in my body starts to ebb.

Fuck, I love coming home to her.

When I jog up the steps of our porch, I’m startled by the sight of Lily. She’s sitting at the wicker table with a sketchbook in front of her. Aiden is sitting across from her, and she’s staring at his face as she brushes pencil strokes across the paper. He’s grinning at her like she’s the most adorable person in the world.

Jealousy rises like a storm within me, but I try to tamp it down. She is the most adorable person in the world, and I’m the man who gets to fuck her. Drawing and painting is what gives her life meaning, and it has nothing to do with me.

Crazy that I want every part of her to belong to me and only me. I never thought I was this possessive.

“Did you take a nap?” I ask Lily, my voice a touch sharper than I’d intended.

“Aiden begged me for a sketch.” She smiles lazily. Her eyes are unusually bright, and her face is flushed like it was on the beach. “I swindled him out of three-hundred bucks for it.”

“Swindled?” Aiden’s brows draw together, though he’s still smiling devilishly at her—the bastard. “You said that’s the going rate.”

“I lied,” she says. “But don’t worry, I’ll embellish your features and make you better looking. It’s my job to…” Her brow knits, and her eyes grow unfocused. “Shit. What was I saying?”

My gaze roams over her face. Something about her is off. She looks almost…feverish. When I catch sight of her shaking fingers, I snap into action. I march over and put my hand on her forehead. The skin under my hand is as hot as a stove. “Holy shit, Lily. You’re burning up.”

She looks at me with a confused frown. Then she chuckles, but it’s not her usual abandoned laughter. Fuck, I don’t like this. She’s not herself.

“Come on,” I say, grabbing her hand. “I’m putting you to bed.”

She stares at me for a long moment, as if processing my words slowly. “But…Aiden’s sketch.”

“You can finish it later,” Aiden says, now standing by the front door. “I don’t want any of those germs. Fuck, I hope I didn’t catch them already.” A moment later, he disappears inside the house.

“Oh no,” Lily mutters, staring at me with glazed eyes. “You might catch it too. I should go back to my sorority…”

I cross my arms over my chest and shoot her a stern expression. “You will not. I’m taking care of you. It’s too late for me already.” My lips quirk as I lower my voice. “I don’t know if you remember, but I had my mouth all over you last night. And this morning.”

Her eyes grow hooded. “You sure did, big guy. Ready for another marathon? Mama needs her loving.” She slaps her hand over her mouth and bursts into breathless giggles. “Mama. Loving. I’ve never used those words before. How cringe.”

Fuck, she’s acting weird. She seems almost drunk. Her fever must be really high.

“I’m not having sex with you when you’re sick.” I grab her hand and pull her up from her chair. When she’s finally standing, she wobbles a little. Anxiety prickles over my skin. Her eyes grow wide as I scoop her into my arms.

“My knight in shining armor.” Her head lolls against my shoulder, alarming me further.

“Your knight is about to take your temperature—” I carry her through the front door “—and if it’s as high as I think it is, he’s making you go to the campus clinic. No arguments.”

She scoffs “Ethan, you’re acting crazy. It’s just a fever. I refuse to let you torture me when I’m already not feeling good.”

“Too bad. If it’s any higher than 102, you’re going.”

When we make it to my bedroom, I rush over to the bed and lay her down gently. A lazy smile tugs at her lips. “Are you afraid I’m going to die, Ethan?”

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