Page 35 of Sin

Noah scoffs as he marches over to his locker and yanks a jacket out. “None of the scouts give a shit what you do out there. They come for Ethan.” Noah turns to me, smirking. “Ready to go?”

I nod and start walking alongside Noah, but Mason steps out in front of us. “You seem really wound up, Ethan. Is something on your mind?”

The challenge in his eyes is unmistakable. Even as dense as he is, he’s probably figured out that I’m not going to speak about what happened, and he’s trying to exert power over me. Just like he did with Lily yesterday.

The bruises on her wrists flash into my mind. She has such small, delicate wrists, like the stems of a flower.

He crushed them. Turned them mottled and blue.

God, help me to control myself. Stop me from hitting him.

When I don’t respond, Mason smirks. “Maybe you need to release some of that tension. It might help if you finally pop that cherry.”

“Really helpful advice.” Noah takes a step toward Mason. “Maybe someday Ethan will thank you by sending you Super Bowl tickets. No way you’ll be able to afford them when you’re selling life insurance.”

When Mason’s jaw clenches, I reach out and set my hand on Noah’s shoulder, pulling him toward the locker room exit. “Great talk, Mason,” I say. “Have the night you deserve.”

Except he won’t have the night he deserves, because that motherfucker deserves to be in jail.

As Noah and I make our way out of the locker room, he turns to me. “I’m moving out of my apartment, dude. I can’t fucking stand him.”

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. If I say one more word, I’ll tell him everything.

He hurt your sister. He hurt her, and someday, I’ll make him pay. I just have to move heaven and earth to get Lily to trust me first.

Chapter Fourteen

Lily

The door opens with a creak, and Ethan steps inside his bedroom, his big body so languid and graceful after what was probably a grueling game. I never go to their games anymore, determined as I am to avoid Mason. But I used to go fairly often, and even with my ignorance about football, I could see what a marvel Ethan is on the field.

He turns to where I sit on the couch, and his whole face brightens. My tummy flutters like it does every time he gives me this look. He always seems so…delighted with me now.

“What are you reading?” he asks.

I set my book on my lap. “Atomic Habits. A book that screams Ethan Harrington. I’m almost wondering if you wrote it, and—” I glance at the cover “—James Clear is your secret pen name.”

His lips quirk. “Why the hell would you pick that one up?”

“It was all I could find. You don’t have anything but productivity books.”

He frowns. “You should have brought books from your house when you packed your bag. If you want, I can run over there and ask Kinsley to grab one for you.”

I shake my head, though his thoughtfulness warms me. “This is good. It’ll bore me to sleep.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “You won’t need to be bored to fall asleep. I have a plan.”

He looks so adorably stern that I want to kiss him. Damn him for vowing never to do that again.

“Tell me your plan.”

Without answering, he walks to the gym bag he set by the door when he came in. After unzipping it, he pulls out a stick lighter and a box of some kind. “I bought candles on the way home,” he says. “No more overhead lights.”

I hum. “Romantic. Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Harrington?”

He shoots me a bland expression that tells me he’s fighting an eyeroll. “The opposite. I’m trying to put you to sleep.”

After opening the plastic box, he pulls out a purple candle. As he moves around the room, he places candles on the kitchenette, his desk, and the coffee table, lighting them with quick, sure movements. The flickering flames add a warm glow to the room.

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