Page 46 of Creed

“Will you be back tonight? You could come to the party—”

My laugh cuts Zac off. “What, out of everything you know about me, tells you I’d say yes to going to a frat party? One where you’d ignore me, anyway?”

Creed looks at me curiously, probably trying to assess if I’m being snippy or feeling hurt.

“You’re delusional as always, Zac. But don’t make stupid decisions tonight. You can try to salvage your relationship with Russ.”

Zac hisses out a breath. “That ship has sailed, friend.”

I bite my lip at the misery in his voice. “You always have a choice. You just need to decide who you’re living your life for.”

“It’s not that easy.” His sigh is heavy, resigned. “I gotta run. But are you sure you’re okay?”

I glance at Creed leaning against the counter, openly listening to my side of the conversation.

“I’m great.”

“I can hear the happiness in your voice, Soph.” Zac pauses briefly. “I’m glad your friend, whoever they are, gives you that. I’ll see you in class on Monday.”

I hang up and meet Creed’s eyes. “Zac is who you saw me with at the library. We’re friends from school.”

“Why meet up at a city library far from the campus? Why take the bus to and from there if he drove?”

“We’re secret friends.” I pause, trying to think of how to explain. “Not because of anything dirty or shameful. He has a reputation he tries to uphold.”

Okay, I’m making Zac sound like the douche canoe he portrays himself as, and by Creed’s stiffening posture, I’m not painting him in a good light.

“It’s not because Zac deprecates me, but I’m not like the usual people he surrounds himself with.” I twist the hem of Creed’s shirt, thinking about the sadness in Zac’s voice. “He’s on track for pro ball, so he comes across as a jock who that’s his life. He’s been upholding that image for so long; he truly believes that’s all he is.”

“He’s gay and is hiding it,” Creed surmises, although that isn’t hard because I mentioned trying to salvage the relationship with Russ.

“I saw what Zac was hiding so well from everyone. Maybe it’s because of my uncle Antonio. He struggled with his sexual identity, at times only being attracted to females, other times only to males, until he realized he was more sexually fluid and a label or fitting into a category wasn’t needed.”

Antonio is happy now, both with who he is and who he loves; he and Miguel are perfect together.

Zac is the opposite of happy.

“Zac plays the role of what everyone sees him as, even if it’s making him miserable. With me, he doesn’t have to pretend or hide. We keep our friendship on the down low because hanging out with me would raise questions, and he’d likely have to act even more like a douche. For all the people who surround him, he doesn’t have true friends.”

Creed settles between my legs. “You’re good people, Sophie Demeanus.”

“You thought Zac and I were together,” I guess, thinking back to his reaction on the street and at the beginning of the phone call.

He nods, unashamed.

Thinking back to when he had seen me outside the library and the possessive gleam in his eyes, the hardness on his face, his fists clenched, and his body rigid, looking like he was barely restraining from causing violence…

My core clenches. His jealousy and possessiveness are the biggest turn-on.

God, what this man does to me…

As if knowing my thoughts, he trails a finger up my leg toward my apex. Without pressing in, he runs it up my slit. “You’re wet again, angel. Does my jealousy turn you on?”

There’s no judgment or anger in the question, only curiosity.

“No,” I lie, biting my lip. He reaches forward and pulls my lip free with his teeth, then sucks on it before he bites it.

“This is mine to bite. Just like this pussy is mine.” He pushes a finger in, making my eyes roll in the back of my head. “You’re holding back something from me. Tell me.”

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