Page 183 of Vile Boys

If it wasn’t for the fact that she most definitely tried to fucking escape.

When we get downstairs, Crystal pauses. “How did you get here? There’s no car.”

“I had a taxi drop me off. We’re traveling together,” I reply, holding out my hand. “Caleb. Keys.”

He sighs out loud and chucks them my way. But he knows better than to make a fuss right now. And there’s no way in hell I’ll let him behind the wheel in his condition.

The drive all the way home is quiet. Too quiet. And the two of them are sitting in vastly different corners, pushed against the windows, like they’re desperately trying to avoid touching each other …

For fear of what might happen?

Or for fear of what I might say?

My eyes narrow on them in the rearview mirror. Something happened between those two, something more than just a kiss, and I want to know exactly what that is.

I park the car in front of the Tartarus building, and Caleb jumps out first, causing us both to be at her door, simultaneously trying to open it up.

My eyes connect with his, visceral anger firing me up.

He backs away, and I pull the handle without saying a word.

Crystal’s eyes bore a hole into my head as she steps out, close enough for me to take a whiff of her scent. My hard-on twitches as she steps away and waltzes toward the front door with a snooty look on her face.

We all go inside, and I take a deep breath when the door finally closes behind me. “Caleb.”

“I’m fine,” he grits, hands in his pockets.

“Caleb. Pockets.”

His nostrils flare, and he pulls out his knives and places them onthe table.

“The others too.”

He rolls his eyes and takes out more from his inner pockets and boots, chucking them all onto the floor. “Happy now?”

“Good boy,” I say, my lip tipping up into a brief smile.

A blush creeps onto his cheeks. “I’ll be in my room.”

“Don’t stay alone in there too long,” I say. “I’ll have Blaine check on you.”

“Blaine?” Crystal mutters.

“Yes. The guy you chained to the bed and stole the key card from.”

Her eyes widen while I hold out my hand.

“I can hear you, you know,” Blaine yells from atop the banister. “And if you wanna know, Ares was the one to free me.”

“You’re welcome,” I tell him.

Crystal leers up at him. “Yeah, sorry for leaving you hanging. Literally.”

“Ahh, it’s fine, I loved it,” he muses, sauntering off. “But do tell me the next time you plan on leaving me butt-naked, darling.”

She blushes and rubs her lips uncomfortably, like she’s trying to hide the fact that she’s had sex with him. But I know everything that goes on in this house.

“Aren’t you mad?” she asks.

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