Page 79

“I’m just getting warmed up,” shepromised.
“I have every confidence in you.” I knew themaze like I knew Charlotte’sfucking epicbody, so I knewexactly where we were headed. And it was the perfect place to foolaround.
“Ooh, it’s curvy,” she exclaimed as thestraight corridor we were in took a sharp left and redirected us inthe direction we’d come from.
“Is it a hint to tell you what this lookslike from the top?” I asked, following her through the spiral thatmade up one leaf of a lucky clover.
“Yes, so don’t.” She marched determinedlyonward, to the center of the clover. Here, there was a small,diamond-shaped courtyard with four benches and a small pedestalfountain. “Your family is into the water features.”
“My great-grandfather wanted this place tolook like Versailles. Not sure how this maze fits into it, but wedon’t have a Petit Trianon either.” I stopped at one of thebenches. “I need to take a rest.”
“Oh, right. Leg. I forgot.” She winced.“Sorry, does it bother you when I bring that up?”
“Not as much as it bothers me to have aruined leg.” I stifled a groan as I sank onto the hard stone. “Atleast you’re willing to acknowledge it. Everyone else kind of…”
“Dances around it?” Her face scrunched up.“That wasn’t meant to be a pun.”
“I’m sure I can still dance.” I hadn’ttried, but I was pretty sure I could. “And I didn’t get a chance todance with you at Scott’s wedding. Tonight, you’re going to be allmine.”
“Wait, there’s dancing?” She blanched.
“After dinner.” Maybe the timing wasn’t herconcern. “Don’t freak out. Nobody is going to ask you to enter atango competition.”
“This is all so new. And weird.” She satbeside me, her gaze fixed on the fountain. “Am I embarrassing you?If I’m doing anything to embarrass you, you have to tell me. It’sthe law.”
“I’m not sure it is, but no, you haven’tdone anything to embarrass me. Why are you even worried about that,anyway?”
“Maybe because I’m kind of what’s commonlycalled a ‘fish out of water’ here.” She made air quotes around thephrase. “For example, I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to wearflorals to a garden party.”
“I’ve never heard that rule before.”
“I’m not sure it applies to you,” she saidwryly.
“My sister probably made it up.” All of ourstupid rules were made up. But I doubted that would help Charlotte.I’d grown up in “society,” so I was allowed to reject theconformity. Charlotte wanted to make a good impression, so she hadto walk a fine line.
I put my arm around her shoulders. “I knowthis is a weird, totally nonsensical way of living. And I know it’shard on outsiders. Nobody wants to let anyone in. So, I appreciatethat you’re willing to try. For me.”
“I’m certainly not doing it for me,” shesaid, nudging the pea gravel at our feet with the tip of herstrappy sandal.
“You get some benefits,” I reminded her.
“The free designer clothes?” She asked.
“I was talking about the incrediblesex.”
“I’m not getting that benefit today,” shegrumbled.
“That’s not true.” I put my hand on her kneeand inched her skirt up enough for her to get the point.
“You said—”
“I said you weren’t allowed to come,” Ireminded her. “I never said we weren’t going to have sex.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
(Charlotte)
Matt’s hand on my knee practically burnedme.