Page 26 of The Masks We Wear

“What do you want, Lily?”

She pauses, her eyes narrowing. “For you to keep your mouth shut.”

She says it simply, almost matter-of-factly, like I should know this already. Irritation flickers in my veins, making my right eye twitch twice. “About what? What the fuck do you think I know?”

“Everything.” It’s a whisper.

I sigh, running a hand through my hair.

What happened to her?

The question sticks to the underside of my tongue, unable to push it up and spill out.

“Okay, I won’t say anything. I’ll keep your pretty little name out of my mouth. It tastes like shit, anyway.”

She grins, but there isn’t any humor in it. Taking two more steps, she’s right next to me—if I take a deep enough breath, my chest will touch hers.

My breath falters, and hers stops completely.

Heat swirls between us, and I’m not even sure at this point if it’s from disdain or something else... something impossible.

“There’s another thing,” she utters, quieter than before.

“Enlighten me, so I can fucking pee in peace.”

Her gaze flits to my lips, and my dick twitches in response. After a second, she blinks twice, and lets her eyes slowly come back up to mine. For a moment, she almost looks like Liliana. “I want you to stay away from me.”

My brows draw together, a little surprised. “I don’t think I follow.”

“I don’t want us to have any contact besides the project.”

She pauses, closing her eyes. When they open, and the contacts settle back over the iris, whatever I thought I saw, is gone. She grips my chin and almost snarls. “Or I’ll let the school know you like to sneak into girls’ rooms and handcuff yourself to their bed naked like some sick pervert.”

I recoil, jerking my head to the side.

Even though I want to grab her by the fucking throat and rail her against the sink—force her to watch herself unravel around my dick and see howsickI can be, I don’t. Instead, I ball my fists and shove them into my pocket. She doesn’t deserve the orgasm, and I sure as fuck don’t deserve the heartache that would inevitably follow.

She’s silent, and though I’m not looking at her, I can feel her eyes search my face, scorching a path as they go. A second more, and she backs away, scoffing. “Don’t worry, Spencer. I don’t plan to ever touch you again. The first time was enough. It made me so ill, I couldn’t eat for days.”

I ignore the rock that caves in my chest with her words and snatch the cup from her hands. In two gulps, the hot, sweet licorice substance burns my insides on the way down. “I thought you looked a little hotter.”

It’s a subtle jab, but I know it hits its mark when a light gasp escapes her mouth.

Satisfaction rolls down my back, relieving a little tension as I leave her in the bathroom, returning to Remy downstairs.

The music is a little louder than before, and the light feeling from just seconds ago dies with the sight of Remy. She has her back to me, facing a pair of monochromatic eyes.

My spine stiffens when he hands her two drinks, jutting his chin toward the patio. I don’t know Blaze, but with a best friend like Lily, he can’t be good news.

I move through the small crowd, avoiding any chance encounters with as many sweaty bodies as possible. But by the time I reach her, Blaze is gone, and Remy’s face is the color of a fresh tomato.

“What did he want?” I gesture toward the backyard.

Remy shakes her head and somehow flushes a darker shade of red.

“Just said it was n-nice to see-ee me.”

My brows knit together at her slurred speech. I open my mouth to ask her what the hell that’s about, but instead of words, laughter seeps out. It’s a chuckle at first, bouncing my chest, but then it deepens, lowering into my gut. I laugh so hard my shoulders begin to shake.

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