Gripping the edge of the door, I turn and look over my shoulder. “If he does, let it be from me, not you, an ex-girlfriend who looks more insecure than worried.”
That hits a nerve with Severine. She rushes forward and stops in the middle of the room. “I’m not insecure, I’m concerned!”
“Go to him then,” I demand firmly. “Call Macsen right now, and tell him everything.”
She says nothing.
“Come on, Severine,” I say softly. “If you were really concerned, you wouldn’t give up until he knew everything. Let me tell him the truth. Let me tell him that everything has changed.”
I leave her standing there with anger written all over her features.
My steps are sure as I walk down the hall. I pass by a few girls in my dorm and give them polite smiles, but my heart’s thundering in my ears as I hurry down the stairs and out the front door.
Something ugly came out of me when I talked to Severine. Something possessive leaked out of my heart and is controlling my mind.
I’d do anything. Say anything. Be anything. Just to keep Macsen.
Dark love hurts
.
My phone rings and I jerk it out of my bag impatiently. “What?” I snap out.
“Emilia?” Aniston asks with concern.
I slow down my steps and take a deep breath. “Yeah?”
“What’s wrong?” my brother asks.
“Nothing,” I say with a sigh. “You just caught me at a bad time.”
“Are you okay? Why haven’t you been answering your phone?” Aniston rushes out.
“I’m fine,” I tell him firmly. “I’ve just been studying a lot.”
Guilt clogs my throat. Sometimes it’s never-ending.
Terrible
,
my conscience whispers.
You’re a terrible person.
I know I’ve been ignoring my brother
, without caring how it would affect him. But I haven’t been ready to talk to him yet. He can read me like a book.
“Everyone is excited to see you tomorrow.”
“I’m excited to see
everyone too,” I lie. Quickly, I speak up and try to push past my thoughts. “What are you doing?”
“I just woke up.”
“Aniston, it’s 3 P.M.”
“I had a late night.”
A late night drinking. That’s what my brother isn’t telling me.
“Okay…” I drag out. There’s not much I can say after that. “Just be up before 3 to pick me up tomorrow,
alright? I don’t feel like hanging out at the airport all day.”
He laughs. “I’ll be there
… along with Eden.”
I start to smile because he hasn’t mentioned Macsen …
or my Burn List. “Sounds good.”
“You can tell me all about Macsen and what you did to him.”
Dammit.
I cringe and hurry toward my car. “Can’t wait,” I croak out.
I take the coward’s way out and quickly hang up before he can say anything else. When I’m in my car, I take a deep breath and lean my head against the seat.
I’m
dreading tomorrow.
~
I grab a slice of pizza and lean against the counter. Macsen’s way of ‘making dinner’ is pretty good, but many more meals like this and I will never fit into my clothes. I take another big bite.
My nerves are still making me shake. I keep replaying the conversation with Severine in my head. Her words are right there. It’s like a gun is pressed against my back pushing me to admit the truth. But it’s my last day with Macsen before I leave. I look over at him as he picks up the kitchen.
“You are always picking things up around here,” I comment.
“I live with Chris,” Macsen says from the opposite side of the kitchen. “If I didn’t clean, this place would be condemned.” He dumps a few old plastic plates into the trash and looks over at the fresh pack of cigarettes on the counter. Quickly, he grabs the pack and tosses them into the trash.
My eyes widen. “Macsen! Those were
Chris’s.”
Shrugging, Macsen leans an arm around me to grab a slice of pizza. “I’m doing him a favor. Smoking is fucking nasty.”
I wipe my hands on a napkin. My eyes are trained on Macsen the whole time. “You don’t like smoking?”
He leans his hip against the counter and shrugs. “It’s just gross.”
I open my mouth, but the strong smell of cologne stops me. Chris walks through the living room. He’s dressed to go out and snatches a slice of pizza.
I shoot him a look and he only winks at me. “Hey there.”
“Hey.” I grab another piece of pizza before Macsen and Chris can steal it. “I thought you had a date?”
“Yeah.” Chris frowns. “In an hour, why?”
I point at the food in his hand. “Aren’t you going out to eat?”
He gives me a dry look
.
“No, I’m taking her to a ritzy, fucking cocktail lounge where we will sip on mixed drinks all night,” Chris says sarcastically before he taps a finger to his temple. “Look alive, Rapunzel. I’m eating my dinner now. And when I take this girl out, anything that I eat will be recharge ... you know, before all the sex.”
Crossing my arms, I look at him skeptically. Macsen just grins and asks, “And who’s the lucky girl that’s going to have the Bresloff experience?”
Chris frowns down at the counter. And for the first time, since I’ve known him, he looks serious. “Some girl.”
“Chris is lying,” I say with a smile.
He shoots me a dark glare. “You’re my mom now? It’s just some chick I met.”
Macsen leans against me and plays along. “Are you sure?” He points to Chris’s face. “I think you’re blushing.”
Chris’s mouth opens, before he presses his lips into a thin line. He whirls around and stomps toward the door. “Fuck you two! I’m out!”
The door slams behind him, and I laugh while I shut the empty pizza box. I turn around and bump right into Macsen. The gleam in his eyes makes heat unfurl in my belly. His hands rest against the counter behind me, and I’m boxed in between his arms.
“I finally have you alone,” he says in a sexy whisper.
My stomach flip-flops with anticipation. He makes me forget about leaving. Makes me forget about my conversations with Severine and Aniston. All those worries fall off my shoulders like heavy weights.
Grinning up at him, I pat his chest. My fingers linger on his stomach. “You do.”
“You want me to carry you to my bedroom
, all alpha male?” His brows move up and down.
A laugh escapes me as I duck under his arm and throw away the pizza box. “You really are hung up on that, aren’t you?”
Macsen crosses his arms, “I know you read them!”
Turning back to him, I rest my hand on my hip.
“I think you want me to read romance books. What if I read sci-fi novels?”
Macsen takes a sip of water and tips the drink in my direction. “Then you just got even sexier to me.”
“But what if I just read nothing but romance books?” I counter back.
He steps forward and
playfully smiles at me. “Then you can tell me everything you want.”
I grab onto his arm. “Can I talk seriously to you now?”
Macsen pulls me out of the kitchen. “Can you tell me as we walk to my room?”
We round the corner and I laugh as we walk past the living room. “I found out I’m getting a B in Calc.”
Macsen stops in his tracks. When he turns around, he’s grinning at me with pride. “That’s great!”
He has
faith in me, and that suddenly makes me a tongue-tied. “I- I wasn’t expecting it.”
“I was.” Macsen loops an arm around my waist
and squeezes me tightly. “Because you’re a genius, and your tutor is brilliant.”
“Maybe at
the end of this school year I’ll have an A,” I confide to him.
Macsen’s answer
is instant. “Of course you will.”
“And that’s because of you?” I ask.
His hands rest on my shoulders as he walks me into his room. “No, you just needed the right person to teach you.”
I
turn around and give him a kiss before I grab my overnight bag sitting on his computer chair. Macsen looks at the bag, and then he frowns at me. “What are you doing?”
“If I’m staying the night
I want my pajamas.”
“Why?”
“Because!” I sputter out and look around his room before I finally admit, “I like sleeping clothed!”
“What’s the problem with sleeping naked?” He steps in fron
t of me and tries to grab the strap of my bag. “I’ll be sleeping naked, too,” he says suggestively. “Does that make you feel better?”
It makes me feel more than better. I’m tempted to drop my bag and wrap myself around him like a coiled snake. Taking a step back, I smile regretfully.
“I have an early flight tomorrow. Eight A.M., remember?”
His smile fades
. “You should skip it. Tell your family that you’re sick with the flu.”
“Too late for that,” I reply
regretfully.
“Next year, you’re spending Thanksgiving break with me,” he says confidently.
Next year …would there really be a next year for us? I can hope for that, but the future can be tricky. I know that it can hold a string of events that you aren’t prepared for. I’ve been knocked off my feet more times than I can count. And I don’t want to fall with Macsen. I want to stand on my feet ready for everything the future could toss my way.
I smile down at my bag as I grab my pajamas. “I’d like that.”
He grins at me before he falls back onto his bed and closes his eyes. I take that as my cue to change and take my jeans off.
“Are you tired?” I ask him as I put my sleep shorts on.
“Yes,” he says in a drained voice. “I cleaned out more horses stalls today than I want to admit.”
He can’t see me, but I make a face anyway, and turn around to face the closet. “I bet that smelled wonderful.” I take off my shirt and bra and reach for my camisole.
When I get nothing but silence, I look over my shoulder. Macsen is sitting up now, with his hands braced on his knees, staring at me. Instantly, my heart starts to pound when he stands up and walks toward me with a glint in his eyes. I quickly put on my camisole.
“I’m all changed,” I announce cheerfully and turn around.
Macsen stands in front of me, looking me up and down. He reaches out and plays with the strap of my shirt. My nipples instantly harden. His brows slant down, and his breathing increases as he touches me.
“What are you thinking?” I whisper.
His eyes veer to my face. “That I want you.”
That makes me shiver. “Why are you frowning then?” I ask. His hand is still toying with the thin strap of my shirt. I step closer to him. “I think you wanting me is good.”
“To want you all the time? That’s a good thing?” he rasps out.
“Yes.” My voice is barely a whisper.
To me, it’s the greatest thing. Macsen shakes his head and moves away, walking toward the bed. I step forward.
“I have no idea what you’re doing to me,” he admits hoarsely.
His hands cover his face as he sits on the bed. I frown at him, wondering what he’s thinking. I don’t want him tortured by us.
Loudly, I clear my throat. “Are we going to stare at each other all night?” I tease.
My attempt to break the tension works. Macsen lifts his head and looks over at me. “I hope not.”
“Good,” I say happily,
and sit Indian style on the bed. “I have to know … why did you throw away Chris’s cigarettes earlier?”
He narrows his eyes at me. “I hate smoking.”
“I know.” I smirk. “I can tell.”
Macsen rolls onto his back and rubs both hands down his face. “My mom smokes. All the time,” he admits. “Can’t stand it.”
We’ve never talked about his mom and I’ve never pushed. Secrets are secrets for a reason. I think most people treasure the skeletons in their closets. We want them to remain unrevealed for a reason.
Maybe Macsen will confide in me and maybe he won’t. I can’t judge. I have my own secrets.
Toying with the hem of my shorts, I look over at him. “Can I ask you something else?” I say slowly.
He glances over at me wearily. “Okay.”
Taking a deep breath, I shift my body and face him. “Tell me about the girl you cheated on with Severine.”
His eyes open wide and he gives me a shocked expression. “You want to know about her?”
“Yes,” I admit solemnly.
“Why?”
“Because...I-” my voice fades off and I try to find the right words.
“Because what?” Macsen probes.
“Because I know that’s not you!” I blurt out loudly.
Macsen laces his finger behind his head and stares up at the ceiling. His lips are drawn into a tight line. I might be pushing my luck, but this is something I’ve been dying to know.