Page 21 of Kiss Me in the Dark
She’s wearing one of Fox’s T-shirts—oversized, soft-looking, and just long enough to cover the top of her underwear.Bare legs.Perfectly tousled hair.The poster girl for “I slept with the guy who thinks he owns this apartment.”
She twists the cap off a water bottle, takes a slow sip, and walks right past me without a single glance.
Rude.
I finish the last bite of cereal, force myself to stay calm, and rinse my bowl in the sink.All I want is to disappear back into my room before someone else comes in and starts throwing testosterone around like confetti.
But, of course, the universe doesn’t believe in peace.
From the living room, I overhear her voice again, saccharine and sharp all at once.
“Foxy, where were you last night?”she asks, her tone laced with entitlement and suspicion.
My ears perk up despite myself.
“What do you mean?”Fox replies, his voice already tight with irritation.
“You disappeared,” she says.“Carter was in your room screwing some Asian girl, and I was with Blaze in the living room—smoking and drinking,afterwe kicked everyone out for turning your place into a porno set.And you?You vanished.”
Sothat’swhen he showed up inmybed.
I pause at the sink, spoon still in my hand.
Fox grumbles something I can’t quite make out.Defensive.Dismissive.
I roll my eyes and dry the bowl, deciding I’ve had enough of this circus for one morning.But just as I’m turning to leave the kitchen, the front door swings open.
And everything stops.
A man steps inside—tall, sharply dressed in a tailored gray Armani suit that looks like it costs more than my entire scholarship.His salt-and-pepper hair is perfectly styled, not a strand out of place.His icy blue eyes scan the room with practiced authority.
Eyes that lookexactlylike Fox’s.
My stomach tightens.
The man’s gaze sweeps over the living room—past the empty bottles, the lingering smoke—and finally lands on me.Sharp.Calculating.
Fox sees him too.
“Oh,shit,” he mutters, springing to his feet so fast he nearly knocks the girl off his lap.The cigarette disappears into a nearby cup, and he smooths down his shirt like that will erase the mess around him.
Blaze and Carter scramble to their feet next, both of them ditching their cigarettes like they’ve just remembered how lungs work.The blonde girl squeaks and bolts down the hall, likely to throw on something thatisn’tsomeone else’s T-shirt.
The energy in the room shifts instantly—smoke and swagger replaced by panic and guilt.
No one has to say it.
This man isMr.Wilder.
Fox’s father.
The university’s Chancellor.
And judging by the look on his face, this little surprise visit isn’t going to end with hugs and a family brunch.
“Dad?”Fox stammers, completely caught off guard.“Shit.”
“Out!All of you!”Mr.Wilder yells, his voice carrying an authority that has everyone scrambling.Fox’s friends and the girl quickly gather their things and make for the door without a word.
