Page 33 of Drown in You

“Masks, choking, blood, somnophilia, degradation.”

“The vanilla stuff,” I add.

Violet gives a short laugh. “I know the perfect guy for you, but he got expelled last semester.”

Juliet quirks a dark brow. Her interest is piqued. “What’d he do?”

“Spiked girls’ drinks, cut me with a knife, and nearly killed my boyfriend.”

Oh fuck. I guess it’s a good thing he got kicked off campus. The other Devils are already intimidating enough, let alone a guy like that.

“Holy shit.” Juliet’s blue eyes widen, but there’s a spark of interest. She is absolutely twisted. “Is he in prison?”

“Of course not.” Violet’s mouth sours. “Daddy’s money got him out of trouble. I won’t be surprised if he ends up back here. I just hope I graduate before then.”

My body temperature spikes. Damn. I hope I do too. I left Wakefield to get away from guys like that.

“Minus the trying to kill someone thing, he sounds like just my type,” Juliet concedes.

“Please.” I roll my eyes playfully. “You’d love a murderer for a boyfriend.”

“Serial killer,” Juliet corrects. “And it’s called hybristophilia, thank you very much.” She leans around me to blatantly check out the Devils. “Out of the ones who are still on campus, though, I’d say Sienna’s stepbrother is the cutest.”

I wish I didn’t agree with her.

“What about you, Sienna?” Violet smiles at me.

I blurt out the first name that pops into my head. “Knox.”

He flirted with me pretty blatantly. If I wanted someone to help me forget about my night with Luke and get him to leave me alone, I’m sure an hour alone with Knox would do the trick. His charm and cocky grin only add to his appeal. He knows how to stroke an ego, that’s for sure. He’d probably be plenty of fun in bed.

The other two Devils are viable options too. Damien wears a permanent scowl, a line etched between thick brows pulled down over black eyes. He would probably throw me around like a ragdoll and I would love every second. Finn is silent but his looks are devastating and he’s most likely the type to make you see God when he gets his hands on you. I could fuck any of them and have a great time, and by the way they all stared at me when we met, I have no doubts they would let me.

But I’m not sure a wild night with one of them would be enough to push Luke away. He might even become more possessive. And as much as I hate to admit it, I doubt a night with any of them would come close to my night with Luke.

“I don’t blame you.” Violet beams. “He’s single. I’m not sure he’s looking to commit to anyone, though.”

I wave her off. “I’m not either.”

I’ve never wanted a relationship, and I certainly don’t want one now.

Juliet lifts an invisible glass of champagne. “To staying single and fucking happy.”

“So what’s it like being Luke’s new stepsister?” Violet asks.

Ugh, I wish she had asked me anything else. I’d rather talk about the weather than about Luke. “It’s...kind of awkward. The whole situation is.” Biggest understatement of my life. “I’m not really close with my dad, so I kind of feel like an outsider.”

“It’ll get better. Luke is a really good guy when you get to know him. He’s just been dealing with a lot since Chloe.”

Chloe. She must be his ex. Maybe it was thoughts of her haunting him the night we met. “What happened with Chloe?”

Violet sighs, soft brown eyes turning somber as she grabs a cookie. “She died. It happened at a party last summer. Chloe’s drink got spiked, and I...pushed her in the pool. She drowned.”

Juliet mutters, “Shit.”

My hand flies to my chest. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry.”

I can’t imagine the burden Violet has had to bear since that night. Losing her friend and possibly even feeling responsible.

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