Page 33 of Tell Me You Like It

I flick my chin in Lux’s direction. “I’m here with my girl. We’re looking for someone.”

Sara’s features fall a little, and the excitement leaves her face. “Ah, your girl. Lux, right? What’s up with you two, anyway? Everyone is talking about your selection this year.”

I snicker under my breath. “Yeah, I bet they are.”

Duty and tradition. Aren’t those the pillars of the aristocracy? That’s what my dad would say, anyway. Duty above all else, unless it involves him. He’s the biggesthypocrite I know. But as far as these fucking girls are concerned, it’s my duty to choose a consort from within the Burning Crown.

“Some of the Debs aren’t happy about it, actually.”

That’s exactly what Jackson said, but hearing it confirmed by a Deb gives it more weight. My shoulders suddenly feel tight, and I roll them while taking a sip of my beer to cover the motion.

“She’s a passing curiosity,” I say casually. “I’m sure the novelty will wear off soon.”

One of the benefits of being one of the Sacred Sons is that anything I say will be circulated with alarming speed. By tomorrow morning, every Deb on campus will know what I said here tonight, and I might as well use that to my advantage. If the Debs think I’ll lose interest in Lux soon, it may appease them. For now.

Her eyes light up, right on queue. “Would you consider choosing a new consort mid-year? I don’t think it’s ever been done—”

“I’m sure it’s been done,” I say impatiently. “Doesn’t matter anyway. I do whatever the fuck I want. If I want a new consort, I’ll get one.”

Sara clamps her mouth shut and pulls away awkwardly. She probably doesn’t know what to do with the razer sharp anger that edges my tone. Most people don’t. So she does what most people do, she retreats.

To cover her uneasiness, she takes a sip from her drink, and glances behind her, in Lux’s direction. When she turns back toward me, she shrugs. “Looks like Lux is going to make that decision for you.”

I look over Sara’s shoulder. Lux is inside the mouth of the cave, but I can see her clearly. She’s talking to Ethan-fucking-Ashford. He’s leaning into her, his hand pressedagainst the rough wall above her head, and she's hanging on his every word.

I rise to my feet and finish off my beer before tossing the empty can aside. Ash and I have had bad blood for years, and he’s one of those guys that always pushes my fucking buttons.

I guess it’s time to show them both—you don’t fuck with what’s mine.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Lux

“So you saw her tonight?”I ask the guy leaning over me. “Who was she with?”

He smells like soap and woodsmoke, and I don’t hate it. Not as much as I should. He’s just like the other guys here at ExU. Rich. Attractive. He has bright blue eyes, and blond hair that falls over his forehead, making him look both hot and disheveled all at once. But it’s that smile that gets me. Damn. Perfectly straight teeth, and dimples that could probably enslave any woman under the age of eighty.

“So you’re Roman’s girl,” he says instead of answering my question. He rakes his gaze down my body, before leaning in just a fraction closer.

I’m starting to feel suffocated like there’s an iron band wrapped tightly around my chest. My heart is suddenly racing, and I can’t pull in a full breath.

I push against his chest. It doesn’t matter how hot he is. I’m feeling trapped, and it’s triggering my panic. “I need some space.”

He laughs a little under his breath. “I can see why Roman has taken an interest in you.” His gaze roves over me again. “You’re different from the others.”

I don’t know if I’m supposed to take that as a compliment or not, but right now, I’m focused solely on my breathing—or the lack thereof. And despite the cold evening, I feel hot, like my body temperature just rose by ten degrees in three seconds flat.

“I-I need some space,” I say again, louder this time, desperation in my tone. If I don’t get some fresh air soon, I’m going to pass out. My breathing becomes heavier, more labored.

Suddenly, the guy is torn away from me. Cold air rushes in where his body was, and I suck in a lungful of air, dropping into a squat. Holy fucking shit. I was three seconds away from losing it.

When I’m finally breathing again, I look up and see the guy pinned against the wall, with Roman in his face. “Stay away from what’s mine, Ash,” Roman yells with such violence, that everyone stops to look, recoiling collectively.

The guy—Ash—lifts his hands in surrender, laughing like this is all just a joke gone wrong. “Dude, chill. She was asking about her friend. We were justtalking.”

Roman shoves him—hard–and then stalks toward me. I swallow and get to my feet. The look on Roman’s face is murderous, and all that ferocity he was directing toward Ash is now directed at me.

Oh, shit.

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