Page 83 of His Property

Blade raises his middle finger at Victor, and Victor laughs.

Blade turns his attention to me. “I apologize,” he says, smiling kindly. “It’s poor taste to bicker in front of guests.”

I shake my head and stab a thumb toward Victor. “Emily’s right. He did it on purpose.”

Blade nods. “He does just about every time. It’s amazing he’s still alive… Kidding.” Blade holds up a hand and forces a smile, but I’m pretty certain he isn’t kidding.

“Help me in the kitchen?” Blade asks Victor. “Since you’re taking lessons now and all. I’ll give you a free one.”

Victor glares at Emily, and she fights a smile. The guys head into the kitchen, and Emily nods toward the door. “Come on, before they ask us to help.”

I follow Emily outside where we walk around to the back of the property, overlooking a poppy field. It’s still surreal.

“Is Victor really taking cooking lessons?” I ask as we come to a patio table. Emily pulls out a chair and sits, and I do the same. She plants her feet on the table and leans back.

Her face pinches. “Sort of. He asked me this afternoon if I could teach him a few things because he wanted to surprise you with dinner one night. He says he owes you.”

My heart swells, but I don’t let it show on my face. “Oh.”

“Sorry, I don’t think you were supposed to know that. Blade is an asshole for spilling the beans. He and Victor make a game of pissing each other off.”

“I got that impression.” My lips tug into an amused smile, and I look down at my lap. “That’s really sweet of Victor.”

“I hope I didn’t ruin it.”

I shake my head and meet her worried eyes. “Not at all. Seriously. I think I would’ve died of shock if I hadn’t been warned.”

Emily laughs and relaxes. “Yeah, Victor isn’t exactly the romantic type, is he? He knows how to turn on the charm but has absolutely no follow through.”

“What do you mean?”

Emily’s face goes white, and she tries to recover, but it’s too late. Clearly, she’s said something she thinks she shouldn’t have.

“It’s okay.” I half-heartedly chuckle. “You can tell me.”

“There’s nothing to tell,” Emily assures me. “I just mean, Victor is annoyingly deceptive when we’re out in public. Women flirt with him all the time, and he gives it right back like he’s interested, but he isn’t. I’ve lost track of how many numbers I’ve seen him throw away. I’ve never seen him interested in actually pursuing someone until you.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to tell me that?” I ask.

Emily studies me for a moment. “Honestly?”

I nod.

“Because, while the whole puppet master thing only adds to Victor’s charm for me, most people don’t like it. He fucks with people’s heads too much, and Blade is right when he says it’s amazing that Victor is still alive.”

I could see that. I’ve never felt like Victor was inauthentic with me, but I have definitely noticed he enjoys others’ discomfort.

“I guess I shouldn’t worry about me saying something that could turn you off to him though,” Emily laughs nervously. “You clearly know more about him than I do.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.”

“I do.” Emily’s eyes grow serious. “He really cares about you, Mae. In all the time I’ve known him, he’s never taken a single interest in an intimate relationship, and now he’s asking me to give him cooking lessons to impress you. I don’t know if you grasp the significance of that, but…”

I’m perched on the edge of my seat, waiting for what Emily has to say next. I wanted this. Idreamedof this. All the time I spent wondering if I meant anything at all to Victor is starting to seem in vain, and as badly as I wanted it to be, it’s starting to feel too real. Too scary. Because when someone like Victor falls for you, is there ever any going back? We’re out in the fresh air, but the air suddenly feels thin.

“But?” I ask.

Emily sighs. “But don’t break his heart, okay? I feel like this is the part where I should threaten you or something, but the guys do enough of that. Justplease, unless you’re all in, don’t see him again after tonight.”

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