Page 54 of Redeemed

Athelia’s eyes widen, and I’m just able to catch her cheeks turning beet red before she drops her head. Her dark brown hair falls in a curtain, shielding her face from everyone.

Distraction. Gotta distract this guy.

Other than her fling with Wes, Cal, and Kellan, Athelia hasn’t dated anyone on campus. From what she’s told me, she doesn’t want to, although I’ve never quite believed her. She’s not the most convincing liar.

Scanning the room, I find a tall guy with glasses and nod to him. “What about that guy?”

“Nah,” the masked guy says. “I think I know someone who’s just the type of man you’re looking for.”

“Who? Tell me.”

“His name is Aaron. He’ll be totally down with you filming it, and you’re just his type.”

Perfect.

“Let’s go find him.”

We find Aaron outside, and when the masked guy waves him over, his eyes immediately lock onto me. I know I look good—I put a lot of effort into my appearance tonight—but it’s a nice confidence boost after Colton tore me down.

“Aaron, meet…” The masked man turns to me. “Sorry. I didn’t catch your name.”

“Haven,” I say, smiling at Aaron.

“She wants to fuck you, film it, and send it to Colton.”

Oh, god.I wasn’t planning on being that forward.

“You—um, you don’t have to,” I blurt. “I don’t want to… I mean, I wasn’t planning on starting with that.”

The masked man shrugs. “Best to get everything out in the open.”

“Hey, I’m happy to knock Colton down a peg,” Aaron says with a chuckle. “Is he your ex or something?”

My heart squeezes. “Something like that. You’re okay with this? You don’t want to, like, hang out a bit first?”

“We can do that. You seem cool. A couple of us were gonna head to the basement. There’s a pool table and some other games down there. Wanna join?”

Perfect.That’ll give me a little time to calm my nerves. “That sounds great. You wanna join?” I ask Athelia.

“Yeah, sur—”

“Actually,” the masked guy cuts in, “I have something I think you’ll wanna see. It’s upstairs. Off limits to most, but we can make an exception.”

Shit, shit, shit.This guy just won’t let up.

“Where upstairs?” Athelia asks.

“The turret. It’s my room.”

“So youarethe hosts,” she murmurs, saying exactly what I’m thinking. And then I realize she’s leaning into this guy, and that her eyes are lit up with interest.

Oh.I must’ve read her wrong earlier. She’s actually into him, not put off by him.

Athelia looks like she’s about to say yes, but then she asks Aaron, “You know him?”

With a grin, Aaron nods. “Yeah. He’s not gonna kill you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

At that, the masked guy slides his arm around her. He tugs her closer, and Athelia lets him, a faint smile touching her lips.

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