Page 79 of Vengeful Princess

“A ho, you mean?” I caught the trace of laughter in her voice and turned toward her.

“No, I meant more experienced.” Why was it so hard to talk to girls? Or anyone, for that matter. This was why I avoided people. It was as if I had something missing in my brain. A vital communication chip. I felt like punching myself in the face.

Writing code was so much easier than having a conversation. It was no wonder I was still a virgin. Even if I didn’t have an aversion to physical touch, what girl would want me when I couldn’t even talk to them like a normal guy?

“Maybe if my father wasn’t such a controlling cunt, I’d have lost my V-card by now,” Thea confessed, interrupting my thoughts. “He plans to marry me off to some old pervert, so I’m not allowed to have sex with anyone.”

Shock barreled through me. “Who is your father, Thea?” The scant information I’d discovered about her was clearly bullshit. Only the less progressive mafia families forced daughters into arranged marriages. Was Thea a mafia princess? Was that why she was here under an assumed name?

My brain worked to put the pieces together, make sense of what little I knew about this intriguing girl who had my head spinning and my body feeling things I’d never felt before.

“You know I can’t tell you that, Milo.” Thea half-smiled. “I’d have to kill you if you knew.” I had a feeling she wasn’t joking.

“OK, so tell me this. Are you safe?”

She snorted. “Define safe, Milo.”

“Are you safe here on campus?”

“What do you think?” she asked, gesturing at the fading bruises on her face.

No, she wasn’t safe. Whoever this man was, the one who’d hurt her despite her skills, he had a long reach.

It was just as well I had a friend who was equally dangerous. I knew Kyril was equally enamored with Thea, just like Landon. Cassian was the only one of us who had stayed away from her.

And it wasn’t because he didn’t find her attractive. He did. He just refused to admit it. Not that I blamed him. With all the bullshit Cassian was currently dealing with, he didn’t have time for any additional complications. Managing his father’s expectations and also the Troll was a full-time job. It was a wonder he found the time to attend classes and submit his work.

“You’re not alone, Thea. We’ll protect you.” From the way she scoffed, she thought I was full of shit.

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” she said.

42

Thea

Why had I spilled my guts to Milo? On what planet did I think that was a good idea? I wanted to stab myself for being such an idiot. Revealing my inner-most secrets had never worked out well for me.

Dar was the only person who’d seen what my father was like. I’d trusted him. Told him about my father’s plans for me. He’d promised to take me away from it all, keep me safe. But he had lied.

He must have played me all along. It was the only explanation. No doubt it had been Torrance’s idea. Yet another twisted learning experience, designed to teach me the dangers of trusting anyone.

Torrance had spent years telling me emotions would be my downfall. And as much as I hated to admit he was right about anything, he was right about this.

So why had I allowed Milo to slip through the cracks in my defenses?

I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that he had looked so damn vulnerable while telling me he’d never had sex with a girl. It wasa shock, honestly. Milo wasn’t as confident as Landon or as give-no-shits as Kyril, but he was just as attractive. There must have been plenty of girls after him over the years.

Knowing I’d claimed his first kiss made me feel all warm inside. He wasn’t mine, but no matter what else happened, he’d carry that with him.

It didn’t mean I could trust him, though, even if he had kept my secret since the masked ball.

Telling him about my father’s plans for me was dangerous. If he told the others, they would put two and two together. Kyril knew what life was like in the mafia world. He might figure out who my father was, even if there was very little information out there on Francesco di Luca’s daughter.

If someone cared to dig deep enough, they’d find paper trails connected to me and Verity, and people in Dad’s inner circle knew about me.

The last thing I needed right now was Kyril going all caveman on me. He was already exhibiting worrying signs of attachment. Twice he’d helped me dispose of a dead body. And the second time… well, the less said about that, the better.

I could still feel his tongue between my thighs when I was having a weak moment. Given half a chance, I’d end up repeating the experience, which meant staying well away from him.

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