Page 116 of Dare To Break

A walking lie.

A belief that’s confirmed when I finally turn back to see her in a lip lock with Jace. She’s clutching the bag and he has his credit card out.

Her boyfriend is nowhere in sight, so she’s using her charms to get Jace to pay for her shit.

Figures.

She pushes him away with a light laugh and her lips move, saying something that makes him smile, and then they head toward the door. Her steps falter, and that bottom lip is caught between teeth in her signature move when she spots me.

My lip curls, but I let her go without comment. I have something much more effective in mind. Moving deeper into the store, I find what I’m looking for and take them to the clerk. She rings up my purchases with a smile and I’ve paid before Kellan finally decides on his outfit.

“All that for a pirate?” I arch an eyebrow.

“A murderous zombie pirate.” He holds up extra props, then deposits the lot onto the counter. “What did you buy?”

“Not a costume.”

“Did you see Arabella? Those fucking curves are mouthwatering. Did you drool? You did, didn’t you?”

“No. She had her tongue stuck down Jace’s throat while he paid for it.”

“What? Really? Does Miles know?”

“Let me just check with my mind-reading skills.” I tap the side of my head. “Nope … nothing is coming through.”

***

Back at school, Kellan insists on modeling his Halloween costume. I do a quick sketch of him standing on the prow of a ship while he poses.

“What happened to being a maid?” My pencil moves over the page in bold, confident strokes.

“I didn’t want to upset all the girls by making their boyfriends question their sexuality. Didn’t think it’d be fair on them.”

I snort a laugh.

“Curfew is gonna hit soon. Did you want to go and grab something to eat?”

I toss the pencil and pad down. “I could eat.”

Kellan strips out of his costume and pulls on jeans and a tee. I grab the bag with the things I purchased earlier, and we head downstairs. There’s a low buzz of conversation when we enter the cafeteria. I automatically scan the room until I find blonde hair, and zero in on Arabella picking at a plate of nachos. Miles is beside her, chatting with Jace and Brad, who are opposite them.

“Get food. I just need to do something.”

Kellan follows the line of my gaze and sighs. “What did you do?”

“You’ll see.” I walk toward their table and stop. The conversation slowly dies as they each notice me. I toss the bag to Miles. “I bought you something.”

His brows dip and he looks at the bag in front of him. “For me?”

His moves are cautious as he reaches in. A look of confusion crosses his face when he pulls out a black leather collar and leash.

“It might help stop your bitch from straying when you’re not around.” I shift my attention to Jace. “Right?” The footballer flushes.

Miles looks at his friend, then at me. “What’s going on?”

“You should ask your girlfriend what flavor gum Jace likes. I’m pretty sure she has first-hand knowledge.”

“What? Did you kiss Jace, Bella? What the fuck?”

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