Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 181613 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 908(@200wpm)___ 726(@250wpm)___ 605(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181613 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 908(@200wpm)___ 726(@250wpm)___ 605(@300wpm)
But his chuckle still makes me glance over my shoulder. “See you at the initiation tonight.”
Aspen
“Give me some of that.”
Before I can even say no, Xavier is already digging into my salad bowl. Again.
“Oh my God, can you please get your own food next time?” I bark.
“No. Yours tastes better,” he replies, still stealing.
“Is there ever a time when you two don’t fight?” Ivy asks.
“No,” we both say in sync.
Grey chuckles. “You two really don’t get along, do you?”
“They never have,” Océane says as she sits down on the grass. “Want a sandwich, Xav?” She opens a package and shows it to him. “Homemade.”
“Fuck yes.” Xavier grabs one of them and finally leaves my salad alone. “Much better than that rabbit food.”
“Well then, why the fuck do you keep stealing it?” I retort.
Everyone laughs.
“I’m helping you,” Xavier says.
I stab him with my fork until he yelps.
“What? You’re the one who keeps popping into the school gym,” he adds.
“To get stronger, not to lose weight.”
“Maybe she just likes the man candy there,” Océane says, and my face goes white immediately.
“Really?” Grey looks my way like I just got caught ogling someone.
“No, I’m just exercising, minding my own business.”
“Right …” Xav mumbles, so I stab him again with my fork for good measure.
He steals the fork from my hand and throws it in the grass.
“Hey! I need that!”
He shrugs. “Shouldn’t have used it to stab me.”
“Fine. I’ll eat with my hands,” I growl back.
“You wouldn’t,” he taunts.
He doesn’t know me as well as he thinks. I dig into the salad, not giving a shit everyone’s looking at me like I’m some kind of animal as I stuff it all into my mouth.
But when Grey gazes at me, I stop midway through eating my cucumbers and stare back. “What?”
He snorts and brings his thumb to my lip, wiping something off. “You have dressing on your face, silly.” And he pushes his thumb into his mouth, groaning. “Delicious.”
My face is probably glowing like a light bulb right now, and everyone’s looking at us, grinning and giggling to themselves.
“Speaking about gyms,” Océane says, “Did you hear the rumor going around that some people actually had sex in the dressing room?”
I nearly choke on my cucumber.
“Whoa, you okay there?” Grey asks.
“Yeah.” I cough a little.
“That has to be just a rumor, right?” Ivy asks.
Océane shrugs. “Apparently, they made so much noise the entire gym could hear them moan.”
Suddenly, something blocks the sun, and I look up only to stare right into Apollo Torres’s eyes. “Moaning? Sounds like they had a great time in there.”
The smirk forming on his face is so goddamn annoying that it nearly makes me want to throw my salad in his face.
I don’t need him to remind me of what we did, especially not with Grey sitting right beside me. I already feel guilty about having to exchange my body for his safety. He doesn’t need the added shame of Apollo trying to shove it in his face.
“Hey there, Freckles.”
Ivy snorts. “Freckles?”
“What are you doing here?” I hiss.
“Inviting you to the Phantom party this weekend.” He throws a pamphlet in my lap. “And your friends, of course.”
“I’m not interested,” I say, handing it back to him.
“Oh, c’mon, you could use the time to relax,” Océane says. “Besides, the Phantoms aren’t all bad.”
“You only say that because your boyfriend joined them.” Xavier raises his brow at her.
“Listen to the girl, not your brother,” Apollo muses, handing me back the flyer. “Join the party.”
I put my salad down and get up. “One sec, guys.”
“Is something going on?” Grey asks.
“Yes,” Apollo says, so I swiftly say, “No. He’s just … enthusiastic.”
“I spread joy wherever I go,” Apollo adds with a grin.
I hook my arm around his and drag him away from the group until we’re at a safe enough distance where they can’t hear us.
“What are you doing?” I hiss. “Do you want me to get in trouble or something?”
“Trouble? Now why would I want that, Freckles?” The sarcasm is dripping off as he leans against the tree in an obnoxious way. “I’m just trying to invite you to my party. That’s it.”
I fold my arms. “I already told you, I’m not going.”
“You sure about that? Because your boyfriend would be very disappointed.”
“Don’t bring Grey into this.”
“He’s already been involved from the moment you begged me to protect him.”
I gasp. “I did not beg.”
He leans in, one hand still on the tree trunk. “I sure as hell remember you on your knees in front of my cock, Freckles.”
“I did what I had to do.” I tap his chest. “And you’d better hold up your end of the deal.”
He grabs my hand. “I will … if you come to the party.”
I narrow my eyes. “Are you blackmailing me?”
He tilts his head. “It’s considered polite to say yes when someone invites you, but if you want to label it that way, sure.”