Page 92 of Princess of Hawthorne Prep

Her gaze sweeps over the students of HP and they silently scatter like rats from a burning building. With a nod, she says, “I’ll see you inside.”

Before I can respond, she strides away like a military general set on renewing order to the rank and file.

And then it’s just the two of us. Austin shifts as his eyes stay pinned to mine. This is the first time in days we’ve spoken. It’s painful to be this close and feel the intensity that vibrates through the air.

“Can we talk?” he murmurs, voice filled with hesitation. It’s not a tone I’m used to hearing from him. He’s always so self-assured and forceful.

Especially where I’m concerned.

Unable to maintain eye contact, I glance away and chew my lower lip with indecision. When I remain silent, he takes a tentative step in my direction before sliding gentle fingertips beneath my chin and turning it until I have no other choice but to meet his gaze head on. Until I can feel the warmth of his breath feathering across my lips.

It’s nothing short of intoxicating. I have to battle myself to maintain control.

“Please?” he whispers.

Air escapes from my lungs like a slow leak as I gather my strength and shake my head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

In fact, it’s a terrible one. I know how he affects me, and I can’t risk him ripping down the walls I’ve only managed to erect to keep him at bay.

“You really hurt me,” I admit.

Pain flickers across his expression as his voice drops. “I know, and I’m so fucking sorry. You were never to blame for any of it, and I should have realized it from the start. Instead, I took my anger out on you.”

“You used me. I was nothing more than an instrument for your revenge.”

His eyes widen. “That’s not true. My feelings…they were always there, simmering beneath the surface. Maybe they got a little twisted up, but they never changed.”

I shake my head, unwilling to let his heartfelt words cloud my better judgment. I allowed that to happen before, and I’ll be damned if I fall into the same neatly laid trap a second time. I conjure up a mental image of him and Aubrey together in the study and hold onto it for dear life.

“I saw you.”

His brow furrows as I steer our convo in a different direction. “I don’t understand. What did you see?”

I straighten to my full height and inch my chin higher. “The morning I left the beach house with Duke, I saw you and Aubrey together in the study.” No matter how much I wish it were possible to turn off my feelings for this boy, I can’t.

I still care about him.

He was my first.

For so many things.

Those memories aren’t as easily evicted from my brain as he’s been from my life.

Before I can blink, his fingers lock around my upper arms to hold me firmly in place.

His forehead furrows as his voice dips. “Wait a minute. You saw that?”

His lack of a denial steals my breath away as pain slices through my heart. The boy standing before me has so much power to wound me. I hate it but can’t imagine a day when that’s no longer true.

Understanding dawns across his expression. “That’s why you left with Duke.”

It’s not a question.

“Yes.”

He blows out a steady breath. “I don’t give a shit about Aubrey.”

A mirthless laugh falls from my lips as my eyes widen. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

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