Page 31 of Drown in You

Chapter 9

Sienna

In the dining hall, Luke sits with Violet, Juliet, and a few of his giant teammates, the Devils. The intimidating, hulking, slightly terrifying, devastatingly handsome group of hockey players.

Wes Novak, Knox Rockefeller, Damien Vanderbilt, and Finn Ashby. Violet has apparently already locked Wes down, and I can’t blame her. His dark brown hair and blue eyes are striking.

Luke tracks my every move with predatory focus. Somehow, he can sense me as soon as I enter a room, sharp gaze lasering in on me through the sea of faces.

This isn’t just about sex, Sienna. This is way more than that. How could he say that when we’ve barely known each other for more than five seconds? Sure, the sex was incredible, but I’m not egotistical enough to think that night could’ve been enough to make him fall for me. Maybe he’d really say anything to get in my pants again. He’s probably more turned on now that I’m the forbidden stepsister, like every other guy browsing a porn site.

I need to get better at avoiding him. This campus is big enough that I should be able to stay away from him easily. Tonight, I screwed up.

“Sienna!” Violet waves.

I lift my chin and head for their table, the Devils’ eyes on me every step of the way. My stepbrother’s rapt attention makes my cheeks burn.

When I aim for the last open seat next to Juliet, Knox moves down. Forcing me to sit between him and Luke.

I plaster on a smile, pretending I’m grateful for the gesture and not fantasizing about kicking him.

“Glad you could join us, Sienna.” Knox grins at me.

“Thanks.” I dare a glance at Finn and Damien—they’re both watching me like hawks. I guess they’ve gotten their fill of ogling Juliet. Or maybe they’re fantasizing about us both.

I don’t dare give Luke a fraction of my attention.

When I set my plate down, I tell Juliet, “I see you’ve met everyone.”

“We ran into each other in the library.” Violet beams at Juliet like this is the best possible news. “I introduced her.”

Juliet and Violet. Their names are so similar and yet they couldn’t be more different. Juliet has long, black hair mixed with shocks of red, while Violet has cropped, simple brown locks. Violet is short and tiny, while Juliet is nearly five-eight and regal with enviable curves. Juliet has a stud in her nose, multiple rings in her ears, a piercing through her eyebrow, and tattoos on her arms and who knows where else while Violet’s skin is entirely unblemished. Violet has a cute librarian kind of look while Juliet is a goth queen. Yet somehow this new friendship blossoming between the three of us makes sense.

“You went to the library?” I raise an eyebrow at my best friend. I’ve been trying to get her to listen to my smutty audiobooks for years, and now we transfer to Diamond University and she’s suddenly a reader?

Juliet rolls her eyes, rimmed with dark liner. “For research. I’m doing a project on serial killers.”

“Every project you do is on serial killers.”

“Every project?” Knox lifts a brow, amused.

Damien leans forward, elbows on the table. I don’t think he ever smiles, but there’s a spark in his dark eyes. “Sounds like we got a little psycho on our hands.”

Juliet tosses her braid over her shoulder. She’s used to attention from guys. As intimidating as the Devils are, they don’t faze Juliet. “I’m obsessed. Sue me.”

“Is your roommate eating with us?” I ask Violet.

She nods to the Devils. “They’re my roommates. I was supposed to share a dorm with my roommate from last semester, but she transferred to Harvard because she’s brilliant. So I’m staying with Wes in his room.”

Speaking of her boyfriend, his gaze is locked on her and he smiles when she catches his eye. I’ve just met them and they’re already the cutest couple I’ve ever seen.

Knox groans. “Yeah, and it sucks for the rest of us.”

“Like you three aren’t louder than us,” Wes says.

Juliet’s eyes light up. “What?”

“Not like that,” Damien growls. “We like sharing our puck bunnies.”

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