Page 34 of Sin

But the only way to stifle my rage against Mason was to retreat into my head and pretend there was someone else behind that helmet. It took all my willpower, and I had nothing left over for the game.

There was a moment in the locker room before the game when Mason shot me a look. One that said if I tell anyone what he did, he’d make me regret it.

I wanted to march right up to Coach Rodriguez’s in front of our whole team and tell him what I witnessed yesterday. I wanted everyone to know what a despicable human being Mason is, to publicly humiliate him.

I couldn’t. Lily made me promise not to.

A promise that’s splitting me into two people. One who’s determined to earn her trust. To make her feel safe with me and get her to confide in me about her troubles. My gut tells me there’s much more to her history with Mason than she told me this morning.

The other is ready to kill Mason.

“Hey,” Noah says as I make my way to my locker. “You pulled through in the end. That catch was clutch.”

Normally, his encouragement when I fuck up irritates me. I don’t need to be coddled. I have no problem owning my mistakes. But I don’t even care about the game tonight. Lily is the only thing that matters right now.

“I need to talk to you about something,” I say.

“Sure,” Noah says with a questioning frown on his face.

Fuck, I wish I could tell him the real thing that’s troubling me. He’d kill me if he knew I was keeping a secret this big.

I bend down to lace up my shoes, not wanting to see his face. To be tempted to let the whole story spill from my lips. “Lily fell asleep on my couch last night. She was so exhausted, she just passed out. I let her sleep over for the night.”

“She fell asleep while you were tutoring her?” He chuckles. “That sounds like Lily.” He tilts his head as he examines my face. “I don’t mind if she slept at your house, bro. I trust you more than anyone. I know you would never…do anything with her.”

Guilt churns my gut. “I know, but that’s not all. I’m going to let her sleep in my bed for a week.”

When his eyes widen, my face heats. “I won’t be sharing it with her, obviously.”

“Obviously,” he scoffs. “But still… Giving her your bed seems a little extreme.”

It does. In fact, it never sounded crazy until this moment. Are my intentions pure, or do I just want Lily around all the time. Seeing her cuddled up in a bed that belongs to me?

I can’t deny the dark possessiveness that started heating my blood the second she agreed to my proposition. Somehow, the mere thought of her sleeping in my bed for a week makes her feel like she belongs to me.

Mine. That’s the word that comes to mind when I imagine that red hair cascaded over my pillow.

Jesus, help me get these feelings under control.

I clear my throat. “It’s a new tactic we’re trying. She told me she hasn’t been sleeping for months. I think it’s the whole reason she’s not able to concentrate on her studies. If this works, I might not need to be her accountability partner anymore.”

“Ah.” Noah smiles. “So you’re hoping to clear out your schedule. I’m sorry if it was too much of a time commitment.”

I grit my teeth at his implication. Does he think I don’t give a shit about Lily, that I only agreed to help her in order to please him? “It’s just an experiment. If it doesn’t work, we’ll go back to the original plan.”

He nods. “It’s fine with me. I’m not even sure why you’re telling me. You not worried that I’d be suspicious of your intentions, are you?”

I want to flinch. No, I’m not worried about that. He has more faith in me than I deserve.

A figure approaches us, making the hairs on my arms stand up. Even without seeing his face fully I know who it is, and I clench my hands into fists.

Mason. He was probably eavesdropping to make sure I wasn’t telling Noah anything. When I glance up, he’s examining Noah’s face. He must like what he sees, because his tense face relaxes into a smug smile. “Rough game, Ethan.” He shakes his head. “That drop in the fourth. Brutal.”

“It was an off night,” I say.

Because of you, dipshit. Because I know exactly who you are, and I’m powerless to do anything about it.

Mason leans against the locker beside me. “I wouldn’t want a scout seeing me miss an easy pass.”

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