Page 90 of Ward Willing
Yes.
I shake my head.
Orion saunters into the living room again, and his eyes immediately find us. Well, they immediately findLayla.Liam settles in the opposite corner of the room, and Layla stands up.
“I need another drink. Want one?”
“Sure.”
As soon as Layla vacates the arm of my chair, Orion saunters over. My eyes rove over the bandage wrapped around his knuckles, and he must notice what caught my attention.
“Not my finest moment,” he tells me with a lopsided smile, the artificial fangs making him look like a real vampire.
“So possessive,” I say coyly, smiling, my eyes roving over to Liam, who can see us clearly, as I arch a brow.I dare you,I think. He stands taller and pins me with a darkened glare as I turn back to Orion. “Annoyingly, the fangs suit you,” I say.
He smiles a genuine smile. “I know.” He seems to relax a bit, too, and his arm comes around my shoulder in a friendly manner.
Nothingeverhappened between Orion and me, and it never would, but Liam doesn’t have to know that.
“So, no more law school,” he muses.
“Um, yeah. It’s probably a very rash decision, but it felt right at the time.”
“You’re okay though?”
I nod. “I am. Thanks for asking.”
A second later, Juliet and Chase walk over to me. “Zoe, I need your input,” Juliet says. Her eyes are glassy and bemused as Chase grins down at her.
“Mine? What is it?” I ask, looking at Liam, who is now close enough to hear us.
“Chase and I can’t agree on something, and I figured I’d ask you, Layla, and Stella.”
I smirk. “Fine.”
“What age did you lose your virginity?” She gives a pointed look at her husband, and he laughs. “He says eighteen is too young, but I asked him to find one woman who lost it after eighteen,” she explains.
I swallow.Fuck.The one secret I’ve kept locked up for over a year threatens to spill over.
“I was eighteen,” I say quietly.
Out of my peripheral, I see Liam straighten.
“Second question,” Juliet says. “Did you know the guy you slept with very well?”
Don’t look at Liam. He can never know.
“Yes,” I answer.
“See?” Juliet says. “I’m right. Most of us have a similar story, though now I’m curious to hear your story, Zoe?—”
Orion laughs. “You didn’t know? She met some guy in Catalina last year and he was the reason she joined the lifestyle.”
Oh, fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Really?” Juliet asks.
