Page 38 of Tempt

“Hey, Andy, go back to your room.”

The kid hesitates, but does what his dad says.

“Everything okay?” Daniel looks between us. His expression is dark, his posture stiff.

“Yeah. My…friend was just leaving.” I turn back to Adam.

“Come on, please Kat.”

Adam reaches for my arm, but Daniel moves between us. “She said you were leaving. Get out of my house.”

Adam straightens to his full height, which matches Daniel’s. My boss doesn’t flinch.

Eventually, Adam’s shoulders slump.

“Whatever. I’ll see you around.”

My heart thuds in my chest. Not out of fear, because he’d never touch me, but because of Daniel’s protectiveness.

“You didn’t need to do that,” I say once the door’s closed and we’re alone.

His expression doesn’t soften. “Was that Clay? The guy blowing up your phone?”

“No.”

I swallow the laugh, but that only seems to make him angrier.

“I’m glad you think it’s funny when strange boys show up at my house in front of my son.”

He emphasizes the wordboys. It seems petty to point out Adam’s the same age as me.

“Adam’s harmless. I’d never put Andy at risk.”

“I’m his father. I’ll be the judge of that.”

The hairs on my neck lift. He’s implying I have bad judgment, but more than that, that I don’t care enough about his kid.

It hurts way more than I expect.

“Because you know everything. When was the last time you told him a story?” I demand, and Daniel frowns. “I tell him stories. That’s why he’s sleeping.”

“I don’t tell stories.”

“We all do. About our lives and the people we care about and what it all means. You do it at the front of a classroom. Hell, I bet you do it in the mirror at night, telling yourself that if you can just keep everyone and everything in order, life will be right again.” His nostrils flare. “How’s that working out for you?”

I brush past him for the stairs.

* * *

Jules: You going to the Kappa’s “Good Gone Bad” party?

There’s a photo of a flier along with the text.

Our kegs are going bad. So are we.

They have this party every year. It’s before Halloween and an excuse to bust out wild costumes.

That’s exactly what I need.

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