Page 21 of Twisted Legacy

“He insists on calling me by my last name, so I’m returning the favor.” In my dreams I’ve called him other things, but for the sake of our friendship, I won’t mention that.

“You okay, Thea?”

“Huh? Yeah. I’m fine.” I put an indifferent look on my face.

“It’s okay to miss him, you know.”

“What’s to miss? Him bossing me around, demanding I talk to the therapist? I don’t think so. I’m glad to be out from under his thumb. Why are you staring at me like that?”

“You’re such a liar.”

I bang my forehead against my hand. “I know. But it’s stupid, right? How can I miss his overbearing ass, when all he ever does is tell me I have to ‘do the work’? Plus, it’s only been a few days since he came back to campus. That’s not enough time to forget all the ways he irks me.”

“It makes sense to me. You’ve seen him every day, for almost three weeks.”

“I saw him in class and at the gym too and it didn’t feel like this.”

“That was a strict routine with clearly defined boundaries. You weren’t sharing meals with him, watching him cook.” She arches a brow, “Sleeping in his bed…”

“Look here, messy missy, it wasmybed, and you know it wasn’t like that. He was there to make sure I didn’t hurt myself in my sleep.”

“Thea, you drool a little bit whenever you see him.”

I thought I was better at hiding it. “Haveyouseen him? He’s kinda hot. I’ve got eyes, and I noticed. My appreciation of his physique doesn’t mean anything.”

Her back is to me as she leans over to put our dinner in the oven to warm up. “Does him calling you sweetness, not mean anything too?”

“I don’t-” The lie dies on my tongue. I don’t want to be dishonest with her. “It doesn’t mean anything, now.”

“Did it mean something before your accident?”

I bite at a hangnail on my thumb. “Way before. Like before my first day of classes here.”

She walks over and plops down on the couch next to me. “Girl, have you been holding out on me? Did you know Deacon before you came to Canyon Falls? Is that why he was at the hospital?”

“No. I met him when I got to town. My first weekend on campus I went to a bar and picked him up.”

“You mean he picked you up?”

“No. I said it the right way. I picked him up, bought him a drink, we played a little pool, and I fucked him in an alley without ever knowing his name.”

“Well, damn.”

“I walked into my Physical Enhancement Class and that’s when I found out his name and what he does for a living.”

“Well, damn.”

“You already said that.”

“Uh, huh, but I think it bears repeating.”

“Don’t go romanticizing it, LJ. He was a jerk in class, from day one. I had to literally fight for a slot at his gym, and the only reason he gave it to me, is because he didn’t want me making my way through the illegal fighting circuit without a coach, or hurting someone on campus with my awesome skills.”

“That might explain him training you, but why did he just move into a three-bedroom townhouse with you for three weeks, and tell your aunt and uncle that he didn’t trust anybody on campus to handle this investigation correctly?”

“That’s easy. I’m his prized fighter. He wanted to oversee my recovery and make sure I didn’t try to get revenge on who did this.”

“Do you know who did it? I mean did you remember something?”

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