Page 77 of Hidden Lies

They were both still naked so I chose to remain that way as well, and slid under the covers into the wide empty space between them, careful not to disturb them in case they were already sleeping.

I needn’t have worried though. I hadn’t been there more than a handful of seconds before Micah’s arms came around me from behind, pulling me toward him until my back was flush against his chest. He wrapped one arm around my waist and burrowed his face into the hair at my neck, and the sigh I heard from him was pure contentment.

Not to be outdone, Devan shifted to close the space between us, fingers threading through mine, and I reached out a leg, draping it over his.

I had just enough time to wonder if we would all actually be able to sleep like this before the tide dragged me under.

40

I had no idea what time we’d finally fallen asleep, but by the grainy feeling under my eyelids and the foggy state of my brain the next morning, it had clearly been far too late.

It was only Garrett’s disapproving glower and announcement of “You’ve got thirty minutes to make it to class,” that dragged us out of bed at all.

He clearly could have woken us earlier, but he seemed to find satisfaction in watching each of us scramble to shower and dress in turn. In the end, Micah and I slid into our seats in our drawing class with seconds to spare, leaving Devan to sprint across campus to his physics lecture. I found it difficult to pay attention during class, blushing every time Micah sent a wicked smile my way, and once class was over and he’d escorted me to precalc, a class that I didn’t share with either the guys or my roommates, it was good to be able to take a breath and clear my head a little.

I felt like I should feel different or something, after all the information the guys had dumped in my lap the night before, but I didn’t. It almost didn’t seem real in the light of the day—after all, I was still the same person I’d always been. My memories of my parents hadn’t changed either. Maybe I’d dreamt the whole thing.

English lit was good as well, though at the end of class I was surprised to find Devan had left quickly and only Garrett was there waiting for me at the door.

When we arrived in the cafeteria and the other two guys were conspicuously missing from our usual table, I realized it was a set up, and clearly Garrett had given them orders to clear out.

I knew there was no way he hadn’t already talked to the other two and been given a complete rundown of what secrets had been revealed the night before, but if I’d thought that might make him warm toward me, I’d been wrong. If anything, he was wound even more tightly than usual, his brow creased in a tight frown, his leg bobbing beneath the table.

When he finally got around to talking though, his words caught me by surprise. “Do you have any questions?”

“What?” I responded, my brows shooting up.

He sighed and seemed to make an effort to relax his frown. “Devan told me he explained about your family, but I’m guessing by all the…” He cleared his throat. “…sounds…last night that your discussion didn’t get too in depth.”

I blushed, despite my every effort not to. I didn’t care if he knew what we’d gotten up to; I had nothing to be ashamed of.

“So,” he continued, watching me, “did they tell you everything you need to know?”

“I…” I trailed off and he raised a questioning eyebrow. I decided to be honest. “I guess I’m just surprised you’re asking me that. I was under the impression you didn’t want me involved in this at all.”

“Well, that’s true,” he said, and I couldn’t stop my frown.

He sighed. “Your parents obviously didn’t want you to be part of this life, and I respect that. I wish you hadn’t been dragged in. I wish you could have stayed safe and ignorant forever. But that’s not what happened, and although it definitely makes things difficult, I understand why Devan and Micah thought you should know your own history.” His face softened a little. “I care about your safety. I…I care about you.”

My heart softened a little. If Devan and Micah were right, that wasn’t easy for him to admit.

“And I just want to make sure you understand your role in all this,” he finished.

Guess it hadn’t been a dream after all.

I thought through his question, and something occurred to me that hadn’t come up the night before. “Devan and Micah said I’ve been in danger because of my…family history. Is that right?”

He nodded.

“But the guy in the alley in L.A…he was after someone else. He didn’t seem like he wanted me at all, just whoever that Max guy is he was searching for.”

Garrett kept looking at me, and I realized I hadn’t actually asked a question.

“Well…what did that have to do with me? Do you know who that guy was or what he wanted?”

Garrett shrugged, lifting a hand to drag it through his hair. “Honestly, I doubt it had anything to do with you. Maybe something your parents were involved with, or—”

I bristled immediately. “My parents weren’t involved in anything.” I told him, irrational anger heating my blood.

---