Page 76 of Unmask
If my lips had the ability to smile, I would have, but I couldn’t muster the energy it took. It felt wrong to find humor or joy in anything. “You know I’m not sleeping with all of them.” I toyed with a napkin left on the table from the previous period, twisting it into a spiral.
She plucked half of her sandwich off her tray, put it on a napkin, and slid it to me. “Just the one who commands the school.”
I stared at the bread, knowing I should eat it, and how very Poppy-like to make sure I ate. She was a good friend. She and Kenny would love each otherifthey ever got the chance to meet. “I’m not sleeping withhimeither, actually.”
She picked up her half of turkey and cheese between two slices of wheat bread. “But you’re thawing. I can see it. Your will is wavering. He’s working his way back into your heart.”
Maybe he was, but my heart was awfully fragile currently, and he was making it difficult for me to hate him. “I don’t have it in me right now to figure him out.”
“If you need me to be the voice of reason on your shoulder, reminding you what an asshole Kreed Corvo is, I’m your girl.” She took a bite of her sandwich.
“Thanks. I might take you up on it.” Forcing myself to eat, I followed her and took a bite.
“I know it’s probably the last thing you want to think about, but I have to ask…” Poppy reached over and gave my arm a gentle squeeze. “Any word yet?”
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
A heavy silence fell between us, punctuated by the clatter of trays and the distant buzz of other conversations. I was about to change the subject and ask Poppy about Nash when a tray thumped down in front of me. I glanced up, watching Mason drop into the seat across from me. Half an apple dangled from his fingers, teeth marks sunk into its side, and that signature smirk, the one that looked like it came with a warning label, tugging at the corner of his mouth.
I stared at him, taking in the full effect of Mason and the damn dimples he threw around so carelessly. “What are you doing?” I asked flatly.
“Watching you,” he said, casually biting into his apple.
“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered, pressing my fingers to my temple. “I can’t even eat in peace.”
“Wow.” Mason turned the apple, the raven tattoo on the back of his hand flashing at me. It was identical to the one Kreed bore but on a smaller scale. All the Corvo boys had one. The crew’s mark. “You and Kreed really have trust issues.”
“You think?” I huffed, leaning back. “I don’t need a bodyguard. Or a babysitter.”
Mason’s eyes danced. “Au contraire, you need both, my little kitten.”
I groaned. “So we’re back to that ridiculous nickname.”
“It’s adorable. You know it is.”
“It’s demeaning.”
“That too,” he said, unbothered. “But more importantly, it annoys Kreed. So it’s a win-win.”
I shot him a dull look.
Poppy blinked between us like she’d stepped into a completely different conversation, and maybe she had because beneath the banter, under the sarcasm, was this unspoken tension I didn’t know how to navigate. And I didn’t want to admit that having them here, even when it pissed me off, made me feel slightly less like the ground was falling out from under me.
Maddox loomed by the wall, pretending to scroll through his phone, but I caught his eyes flicking to me every other second.
“Do you guys take turns or something?” I asked, jerking my chin toward Maddox. “Is this part of some babysitting schedule I should be aware of?”
Mason’s grin stretched wider. “We drew straws. I won.”
“You didn’t win.” I rolled my eyes. “You volunteered.”
“Semantics,” he replied, winking. “If we’re going full truth here, Maddox and Kreed would’ve fought me for the seat.”
My chin rested on my head as I eyed him, my half sandwich forgotten. “I thought we were being truthful.”
“You underestimate your appeal,” Mason said, swallowing a bite of apple. “It isn’t just Kreed who’s fallen under your spell. We all have.”
Poppy coughed, choking on her drink.
