Page 192 of Plaything

He wrapped his arms around my chest, lifting my back to his front. He kissed my cheek several times with overexaggerated muah sounds. “So. Stupidly. Beautiful.” He chimed.

I giggled and turned to look at him. “You, Sir, are very drunk,” I teased.

His brows lifted as he slowly blinked. “Sir?” He repeated. “Are you trying to go round two?” He quipped.

Huffing a laugh, I shook my head. “Absolutely not.” I was far too scared to get caught—one round was all the risk I was willing to take. Also, I was anxious to check on a certain anatomy professor.

Wyatt surprisingly came prepared with wet wipes. We exited Wyatt’s room once we cleaned ourselves–and the mirror–of any evidence. I made sure to fix my hair and makeup in the bathroom before anyone saw me. Wyatt stayed in the kitchen with me, cracking jokes and sly teasing comments about our... encounter as I made Dominic a steaming hot cup of coffee. I’d watched him make it for himself what seemed like hundreds of times. I knew how he liked it—at least, I hoped I did.

Casually going our separate ways, Wyatt slipped out the back door as I exited the front.

Gravel crunched under my shoes as I walked through the darkness to the barn. The door was slightly ajar, and a small amount of light was coming from inside.

Careful not to spill any of the coffee, I slipped into the barn, my eyes landing on him instantly. He was sitting on a hay bale, his elbows on his knees as he watched the floor in front of him.

“Dominic,” I whispered into the quiet space, the music and voices from the party muffled.

His brows knitted as he lifted his head to look at me. Exhaustion was heavy in his eyes as they scanned my body. He tilted his head at me. “C’mere,” he ordered.

Eagerly accepting the invitation, I walked over and stood before him. His hands were covered in dried blood. “I brought you coffee,” I wiggled the mug in my hand.

A genuine smile spread across his mouth, surprising me. He stood up and walked over to a sink that looked like it was used exclusively to clean dirty barn supplies. Still, the streaming water and soap cleansed his hands from any blood until they were left scarred and bruised.

“I’m not in here to talk about what happened,” I started, knowing he probably didn’t want to live through it again. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

He sat down on the hay again, taking the mug from me before he pulled me into his lap. “I’m just ashamed that you had to see me like that,” he placed a kiss against my head.

“Don’t be,” I pulled away to see his face. I shifted in his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Dominic, you don’t have to hide any part of yourself from me,” I touched the ends of his hair as I spoke. “You had your reasons for doing what you did. If it bothered me, I would’ve looked away,” I promised.

His eyes softened as he ran his bruised hand through my hair. “I’m sorry that you got brought into it. He should have never even looked in your direction. I promise you’ll never see or hear from that man again.”

I understood the dynamic between Dominic and his father. From what I could tell, it was similar to mine and Charles’. Dominic obviously knew things about his father that no one else did. He wanted to protect others from him. It was a feeling I knew all too well.

I wanted to assure him that Court really didn’t say anything that raised any red flags to me, but I knew Dominic wouldn’t care. It wasn’t about what he might have said; it was the fact that he said anything to me at all.

There was nothing I could say to further comfort him, so I kissed him. It was the kind of kiss at the end of a romance film, where the guy gets the girl and there’s a happy ending. It was a passionate kiss that said, ‘I know. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.’

It was another one of those unspoken moments that I’d been experiencing with them lately. Wordlessly, we shared hidden emotions that neither of us could admit aloud.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Odette

A week had passed since Wyatt’s family reunion.

A week was left until graduation.

I knew what I had to do now. Strangely enough, it was Dominic who’d unintentionally inspired me. Watching him stand up to his father the way he did made me believe I could, too.

In the past week, I’d brainstormed ways to get Charles to change his mind. It seemed impossible until I realized that I refused to give up without a fight.

Never in my life did I imagine I’d even think of challenging Charles or going against him in any way—it was a death wish. My feelings for Aiden, Wyatt, Niko, and Dominic were stronger than my fear of Charles. I was head over heels for those men, and I’d do whatever I had to to keep them and save their careers, reputation, and manor.

Charles had called me spineless. While that was mostly true, he put me in a position where I had everything to lose. If I didn’t take a stand, I’d lose them and end up with absolutely no one but myself. From that realization, a spine grew.

As a businessman, my father played dirty—or, in his case, illegal and downright corrupt. The only way to win against him was to play his game. I’d always been a pawn on his chess board, but now I knew I needed to hit him where it hurt as his opponent.

For the first time in my life, I’d fall into my role as Charles Whitlock’s daughter. While I was nothing like him and never wanted to be, I planned to be cruel.

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