Page 41 of Make Me Lie (Rich Demons of Darkwood 1)

“The cafe. I need coffee to deal with your suspicious nature.”

I scoffed, but he was right that I didn’t trust him. “You can hardly blame me.”

“Come on, Aurora, aren’t we having fun?” He turned wide, innocent eyes on me before reaching around my shoulders and tucking me into his side.

I breathed in the intoxicating scent of his aftershave as my shoulder collided with his warm, hard muscle. He tucked me under his arm, the two of us staggering a bit to walk together before we fell into step.

I happened to meet the gaze of a girl walking toward us and caught the shock and jealousy on her face. I lifted my chin, slipping my arm around Remington’s lean waist as if I belonged here with him.

He followed my gaze. “You should really read that self-help book,How to Win Friends.”

“I don’t think it’s going to help.”

“Oh, I don’t know, I kind of like you.”

“I’m still not convinced you’re not going to murder me.”

“Probably best to stay alert,” he agreed amicably. “But not today. You can relax for once. What do you like to drink?”

Could I really relax for once?

He unwound from me to open the door to the cafe, and I walked in ahead of him. “Grab a table while I get our drinks.”

I went looking for my usual kind of table, a four-top against the wall at the back of the coffee shop. I was pulling out my books when Remington started toward our table. He was carrying both our drinks and a paper bag, his hair falling over his high forehead in a way that made him look like a teen heartthrob out of a movie, and I bit my lower lip. I couldn’t relax around him, no matter what he said. But it was hard not to, because he was fun and flirtatious and made me feel… normal.

A girl intercepted him, touching his arm, smiling up at him. He smiled back at her and said something, and jealousy twisted through my stomach, surprising me. Then he headed toward the table. His eyes met mine and seemed to crinkle in amusement, as if he could read my face, and I forced myself to turn stony.

The Demon had taught me to hide my feelings: fear, disgust, cunning, manipulation. But I wasn’t used to feeling jealous.

Remington reached the edge of my table, and the girl followed him, a look of smiling determination fixed on her face. He plunked my iced coffee down on the table and started to say something, but she interrupted, grabbing his wrist and pressing herself against him.

“I was hoping you could tutormetoday,” she purred.

“I already have plans.” He pulled his wrist out of her grip, although his tone was light. He settled into the chair across from mine and glanced at me. “I see you put my back to the door.”

“People seem to like you better than me.”

“True,” he admitted.

She slid onto his lap, and his brows rose. Danger seemed to tinge the air around him, but she didn’t notice as she smiled at him. “You know there’s no point in trying to help her. She’s going to fail out of school if she doesn’t get the hint that she’s not wanted here anyway.”

He shifted, his hands rising so he wasn’t touching her, but the way he moved subtly still unseated her. She fell on her ass on the floor and looked up at him in shock.

“Aurora doesn’t need my help,” he said coolly. “And anyone trying to give her anyhintswill answer to me.”

Her cheeks had gone very pink. She half-stumbled to her feet and ran for the door.

He raked his hand through his hair and blew out a slow breath. “God, the girls around here get tiresome.”

“I promise not to fawn over you,” I assured him, taking a sip from my iced coffee.

“Let’s not make any promises you might not be able to keep,” he said with a wink. He pushed the paper bag over to me. “I bought you a cookie too. You’re skin and bones.”

“Just how The Demon liked me.” The Demon had endless rules to govern my appearance, my actions, and most of all, my purity.

His face clouded, but he let the mention of The Demon pass. I couldn’t believe I’d just said that, so casually. I usually kept everything that happened with The Demon a dark secret, a fist closed around my heart that no one else could see.

The two of us studied in peace for a few moments. The silence felt companionable, just the blurred chatter of others in the cafe beyond us, the sound of pages turning and pencils scratching. He propped his chin in his hand. Remington was always sexy, but the way he focused drew my gaze to study the lines of his face, the softness of his lips.

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