Page 67 of Wild Fury (Fallen Royals 6)

Focus, Lucy.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I demand, pulling away from him.

He pauses and tightens his grip, and all my yanking does is draw him closer. “How am I looking at you?”

“I don’t know. You seem happy.”

“I’m fucking thrilled.” He stares down at me.

This is the first time I’ve seen him since… well. That moment in my bathroom. And now I find myself flushing red, even though I’ve always embraced my sexuality a bit more than him. But he saw me completely naked and made me come, and then I… ugh.

He touches my lips with the pad of his thumb, dragging my lower lip down. His finger runs down my chin, the center of my throat, and stops in the hollow spot just above my collarbone.

“I don’t know what you’re doing to me,” I admit. “My feelings are all tangled up.”

He nods once. “I know what you mean. So?”

“So…?”

“What did he really want?” He hooks his thumb behind us, in the vague direction of Dr. Onofrio’s office. “Don’t say nothing. Being guided to the dean’s office is basically a walk of shame. Although Jess seemed to take particular pleasure in it.”

“She seemed nice.”

“She isn’t.” He motions for us to keep walking. “You’re avoiding the question.”

“Maybe it’s just because I don’t want to tell you,” I say. “It could be none of your business.”

“It had to do with you, so it’s definitely my business.”

I pause again, and he stops with me. What kind of person does that? Stops on a dime just because I do? He’s not even looking at me anymore; his gaze bounces around the few students filtering past us. Up ahead, a class has let out, and more people stream into the hall.

“This way.” He gestures to an empty classroom.

I step in, and he closes us in. The deadbolt slides home with an audible thunk, and he lowers the shade over the door’s window.

“Lux.”

“Sebastian came to my room all hot and bothered about his car being stolen.” I wave my hand like it’s nothing and cross to the wall of windows. “He got a little grabby, so I defended myself. Which is exactly what I told the dean.”

I imagine he’s staying perfectly still so he doesn’t go completely mental.

“Dr. Onofrio then informed me that it’s a he-said-she-said case, and I could go.”

“Did Ruby see it?”

I twist back to him. His hand is on the doorknob, but his attention is on me. Like maybe, if I say yes, he’ll go find a way to hurt her, too. After all, Sebastian is her brother’s best friend. Her loyalty probably lies with them.

“She saw everything, but she’s not a reliable witness.”

Am I on trial? Because I’m sweating like I am.

“Keep talking, Lux,” Theo threatens.

His body is tight, muscles tense, and it strikes me that all of this is worry. He might not know it—maybe he’s blissfully disconnected to his emotions. But why else would he be so stressed over this?

I poked the hornet’s nest. The drink in Sebastian’s face, the movies, the car, this.

For the first time, a shiver racks up my spine.

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