Page 82 of The Kiss Of Death
“Yes, because it meant I could keep my father happy while keeping my relationship platonic with you by not promising you things I can’t do.”
Meaning having sex with me. “But what’s wrong with being gay? Why don’t you tell him?”
“My father is a conservative,” he said, straightening up, the depth of his blue gaze meeting mine. “Having a gay son would be the ultimate shame in his eyes. He wouldn’t understand. I’m hiding this from everyone. That’s why I initially approached you—to use you as a cover so people here wouldn’t find out about my preferences. I’m sorry if I made you feel uneasy, but going against my father is mission impossible.”
“I understand more than you think. I have a terrifying father too, remember.” I chuckled, stroking his arm for support while we were still spinning. “If I can help, I will, but you don’t have to feel ashamed or—” I thought this through. “Wait, your cover for who? You’re into someone?”
He pinched his lips, giving me a look to lower my voice. “Maybe. Yes.”
I smiled. “Is it someone I know?”
He shot a glance toward the champagne flutes, and I followed his gaze to Levi, encircled by his two Tactician friends. Then Sylas swallowed.
“Don’t tell me it’s Levi,” I muttered in disbelief. “That’s why you can’t stand him and—”
“It’s not Levi. No offense, but he’s too much of a psycho to be my type,” Sylas quipped back, and I almost felt the need to defend myself.
As I spun, my gaze flickered back to the Tacticians’ group. Kay’s glare drilled into me. He wore a bright red blazer with gold chains and a matching single earring. He quickly downed his drink in one gulp, like he wanted to obliterate me from his field of vision and—
“His best friend,” I said. “It’s Kay.”
Suddenly, everything fell into place. The nasty looks Kay had been giving me weren’t because of Levi, but because of Sylas.
“Yes, he was my first. We went out secretly together last year. He’s my ex,” Sylas admitted, his hand tensing on my body. “We had a thing, but my father nearly found out because of rumors. I denied it, but he lost his temper, Dalia. You should have seen how my father looked at me. I ended it. Kay said I broke his heart, so he’s trying to make me pay for it every chance he gets. Sleeping around with everyone and being a douchebag. It’s killing me, but it can’t happen again.”
“Doesn’t it hurt you?”To let go of the person you love and who you are to please your father?
“Every day.” His voice quivered. “And the worst thing is, I think Levi knows. Kay says he never told him, but they’rebesties. He loves him and swears only by him.” I heard a hint of jealousy in Sylas’s tone.
“Well, everything makes so much sense now.”
Sylas had broken Levi’s best friend’s heart, which was probably the reason he’d called him a coward. Knowing Levi, I was sure he’d made Sylas’s life as infuriable as possible in return.
“I’ve never talked about this to anyone. I pretend to have my shit together, but I don’t.” His grip tightened even more. “It’s exhausting.” He gulped. “He can be so carefree, doing whatever he wants, while I’m—”
“Trapped, pretending to be someone you’re not just to gain acceptance,” I finished, his struggle speaking all too well with mine to some degree. “But you deserve to be happy, Sylas. Whatever you decide to do, I’m on your side.”
“Same goes for you, Dalia. Even if you’re too good for someone like this jerk, I have your back with your father,” he said, attempting to divert his attention from Kay’s laughter with his friends. “We’re in this together, right?”
I hugged him tightly, the storm brewing in Levi’s dark gaze burning me from across the room.
Danger was looming.
“Ineed to get laid tonight. I think Emeric could be gay.” Kay threw his arm around my neck. “Unless one of you wants to try something new?”
“I think his girlfriend of three years would disagree, and no thanks,” Cillian added, drinking his flute of champagne. “As for you, Levi, lusting after a girl like a perv doesn’t seem to be a success?”
So it wasn’t a nightmare. Everyone was seeing Dalia dancing with Sylas and hugging him.
“I could get rid of the Sylas situation with just a snap of my fingers. I have minions.” Kay smirked. “That color doesn’t even fit him. He’s pitiful.”
I knew Sylas’s well-protected secret, something that even Kay had never told us, and he wasn’t the type to keep a secret—he always shared his billboard conquests.
I remained quiet. This scene was disturbing. I had allowed Sylas to get this close to Dalia because I knew he would never be interested in her. But she didn’t know that. Maybe she liked him? What did she and Kay see in him anyway? Well, too bad for her, I was in the mood to make her stop liking him by making his existence an ancient memory.
My grip tightened on the glass. It was disguised as champagne but filled with sparkling water until it cracked. Kay took a step back.Cheap glass.I threw it away, ignoring the fresh cut oozing blood on my fingertips.
“Shit, man! You’re not yourself sinceshearrived,” Kay complained. “Everyone is so smitten with her! I don’t see the fuck why!”
