Page 54 of A Forbidden Arrangement

I snort. “Are you gonna let me go somewhere on my own?”

He doesn’t answer that. Instead, he shifts his grip and sits me upright like it’s nothing. The room spins a little as he tugs the hoodie over my head. The air hits my skin, cool against the heat of my cheeks. He tosses the hoodie onto the floor and looks down at me for a long moment.

“And taking you somewhere will make you happy?”

“Mmhmm. Super happy.” My words slur just a little. I sink back against the pillow as he pulls the blanket from under me, smoothing it out and tucking it up to my chin. The motion is careful, practiced, like he’s done this before.

He exhales, slow and quiet. “You’ll be safe with me.”

“I know.” My lips curve lazily. “You’re super scary.”

“You think I’m scary?”

I open one eye, the other too heavy to lift. For a second, I think I see something real flicker across his face. Pain. Or maybe regret. It disappears before I can be sure. “Not to me. Other people. They don’t know about…”

“About what?” His voice drops lower, the words vibrating in the space between us.

I’m too tired to answer. My head sinks deeper into the pillow. The sheets smell like fresh linen and faint soap.

Fingers brush my hair back from my face. A light kiss lands against my forehead, soft and almost hesitant.

“That’s good,” he murmurs. “So long as you’re not scared of me.” Another kiss touches just above my brow. “I hope you don’t remember this in the morning.”

I want to ask him why, but my mouth won’t move. My head feels too heavy. He seems to understand anyway.

“Because you don’t want me to know any of this,” he says quietly.

My lips twitch into a small smile. “I’ll just pretend it didn’t happen anyway.”

For a long moment, there’s no sound but his breathing. Then a soft puff of air grazes my skin, almost like a sigh.

“Good night, pretty girl.”

Good night.

Chapter 25

Xander

My heart is still racing.Every time I step into her room, I lose years of my life. I make my way to my office, knowing it’s going to be a late night so I can get ahead.

Marco’s already there, leaning against my desk with a glass in hand. “How’d it go—” He turns, catches the look on my face, and sets the drink down. “Woah. What’s with that smile?”

I don’t answer. The corner of my mouth pulls higher. No matter how I look at it, she’s softening. Even if it’s only when she’s drunk, it’s progress. The thought sits warm in my chest, foreign and addictive.

“Toby’s getting whatever he wants for his birthday,” I say finally, moving behind the desk. The corner of Marco’s mouth lifts like he wants to ask why, but he knows better.

I drop into my chair, wake the computer. “Tell everyone we’re going to the Montclair Ball.”

Marco blinks. “I thought you weren’t going to those anymore.”

“My wife wants to go on a date.”

Chapter 26

Dahlia

I still can’t lookat Xander without heat crawling up my neck. Bits and pieces of my drunken behavior have slipped through, each one more humiliating than the last. I hid in my room for days, doing my best to avoid him.