Page 45 of Poison Vows

Does he touch them the way he’s never touched me?

“Why are you telling me this?” I demand.

“To gauge your reaction, and boy is it telling!”

“Actually, I’m shocked that there are girls who find your asshole, grumpy-as-hell cousin hot.”

Suddenly a trilling sound fills the room.

I turn back to look at the girl. She’s keeling over with laughter.

“Oh my gosh,” she says in between breaths with a smile on her face that transforms her into a gorgeous head-turner full of life, completely different from the almost dead expression she had before. “I’ve never heard anyone insult my cousin before.”

To this, I frown. “Why?”

“Because people tend to be fond of the breath in their lungs when they interact with him, even if he’s not close by,” she says with a smile. “But not you, apparently.”

“Well, your cousin is an asshole.”

“Again, you’re inhisroom.”

I look to the left where Jackson’s mutilated bloody body was, and I sigh. “Maybe this is the only room available?”

“This alone is an eight-bedroom penthouse. He’s likely inconveniencing himself by showering in one of them rightnow. Why would he do that for anyone if not for some special someone?” she questions, her voice carrying the weight of something elusive. “Against my cousin, everyone loses. So now I’m wondering which you are.”

“Excuse me?”

“Of the list of gold diggers—of which I do respect the hustle—and hopelessly in love delusional little girls that lust after my cousin and his vast wealth, where do you stand?”

I scoff. “What makes you think anything about Emmett moves me?”

She smiles knowingly. “So, you’re delulu.”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, from the way you fearlessly called him an asshole, I already knew you’re not after his wealth, but then the way you were paying attention to the tidbits about him showed me that you are hungry for information about him, as if you’re discovering a whole new world.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Well, that and the way you suddenly looked jealous when I mentioned my cousin’s scandalous non-affairs.”

“Jealous?” I choke out a laugh, placing a hand on my chest. “I’m not jealous!”

“And you’re also not a good liar.”

Oh crap.

After all these years of being in an unrequited abyss, I don’t even know how to behave.

“You seem like a perceptive and intelligent girl, so I won’t bother lying to you,” I start. “Iwasdelulu.”

“Was?”

“Yes.”

Silence falls in the room.

I expect her to mock me or say something snarky, but her demeanor changes.

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