Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 113699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 568(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 568(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
Reality crashes into me hard and fast when Aries clears his throat.
“Little ole me? Oh, I didn’t do anything. Just being a good friend and helping things along.” Aries’s voice is filled with false innocence. “I saw Salem here in passing and thought since you’re together now, her being your girlfriend, she might want to see what she’s said yes to.”
“What we are, or aren’t, isn’t any of your business,” Lee growls. “Salem isn’t your concern.”
“I didn’t say she was my concern, but I guess it doesn’t really matter since it’s all fake, right?” His gaze bounces between us, watching our faces and our reactions.
The word fake lands like a slap against my cheek. And when his eyes narrow, I know I just confirmed it.
Is it really that obvious? It shouldn’t matter if Aries knows our relationship is nothing but an act; he is Lee’s best friend, after all. But if he sees it so easily, are we really going to be able to sell this to his family? I peek back at Lee.
He remains standing, with little care for his current state of nudity. My cheeks heat to the temperature of the sun. Don’t stare at his junk, Salem. One look at his face, and I know he’s close to detonation. Drops of water continue to trail down his muscled chest and abdomen, each one distracting me further, and right now, he looks less like a Greek statue and more like an avenging angel.
“Salem.” Lee’s voice is deadly quiet. “Come here.”
“Don’t,” Aries counters. “He’s playing you. Has been this whole time. The perfect gentleman act, the careful distance, pretending to be—”
“Shut up. What we’re doing, who she is to me—it’s none of your concern.” Lee takes a step forward, all predatory grace, and my breath catches. “Salem. Come. Here.”
One foot moves forward without my permission.
Two warring instincts: run or stay.
Three seconds before everything explodes.
“You should see your face.” Aries laughs bitterly. “Both of your faces. All this pretending, these carefully constructed lies. If you really want to convince people, you need—”
Whatever he was going to say gets cut off when Lee lunges at him. Moving with shocking speed, he pins Aries to the door with his forearm across his throat.
Side by side, they’re about the same height, but Aries is bigger, with more muscle and weight on him. Somehow, that doesn’t seem to matter. Anyone with enough anger can be dangerous if given the right incentive.
But all I can see looking at them are the long white streaks across Lee’s back. Pale white lines over his shoulder blades, his lower back, even his butt. Mark after mark. There has to be at least thirty of them.
I cup my hand over my face and gasp, but he doesn’t hear me.
“If you ever,” Lee growls through his teeth, the word bitten off, “come near her again …”
The clear threat hangs unfinished in the air. Aries’s eyes widen with something that looks like fear.
I should be doing a lot of other things right now like counting, cleaning, or running. I should be doing anything except noticing how the muscles in his back flex, how powerful he looks, how much I want … yet I can’t help but wonder about those scars.
“Salem.” Lee’s voice slices through me, dragging me back to the present. He hasn’t looked away from Aries or moved an inch. “Go into the bathroom and wait for me.”
“But—”
“Now!” It’s not a request.
I can’t think of a response, so I do as I’m told and flee into the steam-filled room, slamming the door behind me. Is it true? Is this really nothing but a game to him? It seems unlikely, but how can I really know? I’ve been fooled before.
I press my gloved hands against the sink and try to breathe. Thoughts swim in my head, and my throat tightens. On the other side of the door, I hear Aries’s voice, only vaguely muffled by the door.
“You can’t keep pretending forever.”
“Shut the fuck up! You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do. My love life is none of your business. It’s no one’s business. We might be friends, but you’ve taken shit too far this time!”
I don’t want to hear this. I cover my ears with my hands and pace from one side of the bathroom to the next, my eyes darting around. Exit. I need an exit.
Outside, Lee and Aries continue to argue. I don’t understand why this is such a big deal to Aries or why he’s inserting himself in the middle of things. Does he think I’ll rub off on Lee or something? I utter a choked laugh, the sound echoing back harshly from the tiled walls. Maybe he’s worried I’ll turn him into a freak just like me?
Jesus. He’s not wrong.
My anxiety climbs higher and higher. I peer around the room, looking for a way out, an outlet, something, anything to help. An amber bottle sits on the counter near the sink.