Page 87 of The Hate We Breathe
Gio is the one that answers. “We have one.”
Lex sinks his head back down on my shoulder, nearly bending completely because of the height difference. It’s like having a big fucking Great Dane sitting on me, but I don’t mind. In fact, I like the pressure. I would just like the pressure more if I were sitting.
Carefully, I shuffle to the side, Lex following. When I retake my seat on the sofa, he easily slides on it next to me, head still pillowed on my shoulder. Reaching up, I sink my fingers into the inky black strands of his hair and gently scrape my nails against his scalp. The full-body shudder that works through him seems to make both Nolan and Gio relax. They move back, Nolan scooting the coffee table away from the couch some feet before perching back on it and Gio taking the chair.
“All right,” Nolan begins. “So, this is the plan…”
32
JULIET
Silver glimmers and sparkles beneath the bathroom lights as I finish applying a coat of mascara. It’s been so long since I’ve worn any sort of makeup that I was a little worried I’d fuck up the look I’m going for. Nearly half my life spent applying it, however, seems to come back to me in my moment of need. As I step back and take a look at myself in the mirror, I’m actually impressed.
The dress that I’d ended up buying from Sunny’s shop is a mixture of gauzy bejeweled lace and satin. It conforms to my body, the fabric clingy, but not tight.
Despite the fact that the price tag of the gown wouldn’t even cover a pair of shoes at stores I used to frequent, it looks better than anything else I’ve ever owned. If I stopped for a second to consider the reason, I might discover that it’s becausetheybought it for me.
A knock sounds against the door and then the handle turns. “Jules, are you ready to—” Gio halts, his eyes going wide as they land on me. For a brief moment, neither of us says anything. Then, he blinks and releases the quietest curse I’ve ever heard from him. “Fuck…”
“I need to put up my hair,” I tell him, turning away as I feel the skin of my cheeks begin to heat.Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Calm the fuck down, Juliet. This isn’t like a real date with them. It’s a mission.
Yanking a brush through the aquamarine strands, I hurriedly sweep the locks up and anchor the mass to the back of my head with a matching faux-silver hair clip. That, combined with the costume jewelry earrings and the black heels I’d picked up from a thrift shop completes my winter formal look.
“All right,” I say. “Done.” I turn quickly to find that Gio is no longer alone in the bathroom doorway. Lex and Nolan stand behind him. All three men have the same stunned look on their faces and I pray that the foundation I found at the dollar store has decent coverage, otherwise I’m about to look like a ripened tomato.
I clear my throat when the guys just stand there. “Are you guys ready to go?”
Nolan is the first to gather himself, nudging Gio aside as though he’s nothing more than an obstacle. He moves in, slow and deliberate, his gaze burning through me. I back up instinctively, spine brushing the edge of the counter, and tilt my chin up to meet his gaze.
“What?” I ask, because his stare is too much—hungry, scorching, and dangerous all at once.
“You look beautiful, Juliet,” he says, voice low, almost… reverent.
I’ve heard them before, but coming from him, those words do something new to me. They dig under my skin, coiling tight around my ribs. I don’t get the chance to respond, though, because Gio steps in next, moving around to my other side. His grin is as playful as it is hungry.
“Beautiful?” His eyes drag down the line of my dress. “You look fucking lethal, Prep Girl.”
“Okay, that’s en—” I push past both Gio and Nolan with a shake of my head and a forced laugh choking in my throat, only to draw up sharp as Lex’s hand brushes mine. Grounding and possessive, he doesn’t bother with compliments—just a hard, silent look that promises to do all sorts of filthy things to me later in the night.
My pulse hammers. I’m not sure if I should feel like prey or queen, caught between the three of them, pinned by their gazes. Maybe both.
When I finally manage to get them out of the bathroom and the four of us outside, night has already fallen. The cold winter air bites at my skin and before I can turn around and head back into the house to grab a jacket, something warm drops over my shoulders. A quick glance reveals one of the guy’s suit coats. I look up as Gio steps up next to me with a grin.
“Are you not cold?” I ask.
His snort is loud. “Standing next to you, Prep Girl?” He bends close and presses his lips close to my ear. “I’m about ready to strip, you make me so hot.”
Asshole.I shove him away and roll my eyes.
“Here it comes,” Nolan calls, and I look up in time to watch him slide his phone back into his pocket. I don’t have to ask what he means because I can see a flashing pair of headlights making their way down Lex’s recently cleared gravel driveway. My jaw unlocks and drops as the limo comes to a stop behind Gio’s Firebird and Lex’s SUV.
“Why the hell are we taking a limo?” I ask even as Gio wraps his fingers around my bicep and leads me across the pathway as a man gets out of the front seat. I know the answer, though, as soon as I see him. “Viks?”
He smirks and circles the limo, stopping at the back door and propping it open for us. “Nolan told us what you were planning,” he says, answering the unspoken questions that I’m sure arewritten all over my face. “I thought you might like to get there in style and with a little backup.”
Viks’ attention lifts away from me and moves to where Lex is standing slightly farther back, his features a mysterious blank mask. Though I’m sure Viks actually means his offer, it’s clear that there’s another reason backing up his presence here. Despite everything that we’ve thrown at him, the fact is, he was never here for me or the others. Viks is here for Lex. His nephew.
“We appreciate it,” Nolan says, stepping up and offering Viks his hand. Viks takes it, but doesn’t pull his gaze from Lex.
