Page 47 of Envy

Ace watches me. Waiting.

I exhale, repeating it again. “Don’t show him fear.”

Tentatively, I extend my hand once more.

He leans in.

The moment my fingers sink into his soft fur, I let out a triumphant little giggle. He licks my fingers, nuzzling into my palm, his massive head heavy against me.

“Good boy,” I murmur, scratching behind his ears. He rolls onto his back, paws up, demanding a belly rub.

“He likes you.” Garret’s deep voice makes me tense.

I glance up to find him leaning against the doorframe, shirtless, his toned body bathed in the early morning light. I swallow, my mouth suddenly dry.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I think he likes sleeping with you. He’s protective.”

I shake my head, still running my fingers through Ace’s fur. “I don’t mind. He scared me, but I think he’s making up for it.”

Ace lets out a satisfied groan, pushing his head against my palm.

“What would he need to protect me from?” I ask absently, scratching behind his ears.

Garret’s expression darkens. “You never know. Maybe he doesn’t like when you have nightmares.”

I freeze.

I lower my gaze to Ace, my fingers slowing. My nightmares are nothing new. I’ve had them for as long as I can remember.

But if Ace was with me last night, watching over me…

Who else was?

“Did I keep you up?” My voice is quieter now.

Garret doesn’t respond immediately.

After reading with him yesterday, I was exhausted. I don’t even remember falling asleep. But I remember feeling warm. Safe. Wrapped in something I didn’t want to wake up from.

I look up at him, our gazes locking across the room. And in his dark, unreadable stare… I know.

Ace wasn’t the only one in my room last night.

After school,Amy begged me to come to Babylon to catch up. After the party, she assured me that Garret had gotten her back to the dorm safely.

“So, what is up with you and the swim team captain?” Amy asks, narrowing her eyes playfully over the rim of her beer.

“I should ask you the same about Leo’s friend.”

She waves a dismissive hand and takes a sip. “Friends. He’s a player, and I’m not interested. I know the type,” she says, her voice dropping on the last part. I catch the shift in her tone but don’t push.

“There’s nothing going on,” I say, but even as the words leave my mouth, I know they’re a lie. Not when I think about how Garret made sure I ate breakfast this morning—and how much I liked it. Not when I replay the way he opened every door for me as if it were second nature. The way he kept checking in on me on the drive to school, asking if I was okay, again and again.

“Didn’t look that way to me at the party,” Amy quips. “He practically threw you over his shoulder caveman-style when he saw you with Leo.”

I shake my head. “He was just upset that I was avoiding him. His mom is married to the man who adopted me and… I’m also staying with him.”

Amy’s eyes go wide, her beer freezing mid-air. “You’re kidding?”

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