Page 68 of When The Night Falls

‘You’re coming for dinner on Sunday?’ I asked, enthused.

‘Well, yes, but I think Jason was referring to the gym.’ William’s eyes flickered to Jason’s while he grabbed his jacket.

‘I was. Speaking of, how about you join us, Cara? You’re a gym rat just like us.’

‘You lift?’ William asked.

A chuckle slipped past my smirk. ‘Yeah.’

‘Impressive. Too few women do.’

‘I know, it’s a shame.’

‘She mainly trains lower body, though,’ Jason said. Suddenly he grinned and looked highly amused. ‘All those squats and hip-thrusts have made her bum a magnet for attention, in the gym or otherwise. I’ve witnessed it first-hand.’

‘Which is why I like to cover it up when I’m training,’ I said as blood sprang to my cheeks.

A carnal memory seemed to flare in William’s eyes when they landed on me. ‘I’m sorry you have to go to such measures in the first place.’

I shrugged. ‘Me too, but such is the way of the world.’

‘So you’ll join, then?’ Jason asked, but I hesitated.

‘Come on.’ William smiled. ‘It’s important to work out when you’re revising for exams.’

I knew I should avoid spending time with William whenever it was possible without raising suspicion, but part of me was eager for his company. Not only that, but I also felt I had to earn back some of the respect I had lost when he caught me failing to assemble my wardrobe. I wanted him to find me competent because, for some ridiculous reason I couldn’t quite understand yet, I wanted to impress him. Besides, it wasn’t like we would be able to do much talking. We would be there to train, not have tea.

Finally, my desire to see him again capsized my reason. ‘Okay, I’ll join.’

William’s smile broadened into a grin. ‘Great. Looking forward to it. Sunday, then.’ He opened the door.

‘Yeah.’

‘Have fun with Violet.’ Jason gave him a wink.

Without looking at me, William said, ‘I’d rather it was Sandra, to be honest, but such is the way of the world.’

His bold declaration shocked me. I barely managed to remain composed while he closed the door between us. Either he already knew I had eavesdropped, or he had said it to make it clear that he had mentioned me to his brother. One way or another, he obviously wanted me to know that he was still interested in me.

‘Sandra is this girl he met recently,’ Jason explained as he locked the door after him.

‘I see.’

He turned toward me with a grin. ‘Anyway, that went well, didn’t it? I knew he’d like you.’

All I managed for a response was a faint smile, because my feelings were colliding into an unsolvable mess.

‘I’m so glad you get on,’ he said. ‘My two favourite people in the whole world. What a trio we’ll make.’

‘Me too.’ I nodded. ‘Anyway, I should finish my project.’ I went back to my room.

11 | hunt of a lifetime

William

One cannot choose with whom to fall in love. It is entirely primal and has been ruled by instincts as long as humankind has existed. Had I been a victim of the delusion that we had such a thing as free will, I would have believed that you could only choose whether to pursue or not. But I wasn’t. I knew full well that my reaction to her existence was embedded in my DNA, and that it was encoded in my genes that I would pursue her despite her rejection.

However, I was a strategic type of suitor – the calculating kind. Some would even say cunning. Unlike those who went straight for the kill, I preferred to lure my target into my web. In order to do that, I had to know my prey – how it operated, how it thought, how it could be seduced and finally overcome.

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