Page 104 of A Lethal Game of Trust

There was my drama queen.

“It’s been a week,” I reminded him.

“It’s beenyears,” he corrected, almost offended. His eyes pleaded with me. “Years of wanting you, Leonie.”

But that was a lie. If he’d wanted me all those years ago, he could have had me. He didn’t. But he also didn’t want anyone else to have me.

If he was telling the truth… he’d, what, wanted me fortenyears? He’d pretended to hate me all that time?

“Did you mean it? What you said?”

“Every word,” he promised.

I picked up my towel and wrapped it around myself, all while he stayed on his knees. “I need… to think. You can stay and give me a lift just because my car’s oil light is now on.”

“Please let me buy you a new car,” he pleaded. “That thing is a death trap.”

Dominic Belov was on his knees before me, imploring to buy me a car. It was all my teenage fantasies in one.

I reached to help him stand and pressed my palm to his chest. “You can’t buy me.”

“Don’t want to,” he said, shaking his head. “I want to earn you.”

I swallowed, trying to keep myself grounded, stop myself from falling. I was already on the edge.

“Friends?” he asked, taking my hand from his chest to hold in his.

“Friends,” I agreed, not sure how long that would last. “And, as your friend, I have something to tell you.”

He stilled and nodded for me to continue.

“Mia threatened to tell Issy about us if you didn’t give her Ghost,” I admitted.

He nodded. “I’m aware. I’ll handle it.”

“You can’t give him up—”

“Okay, let me rephrase,” he said and cupped my cheek, “we’ll handle it. We’ll think of something.”

But I just rolled my lips between my mouth, procrastinating what I had to tell him.

“Go on,” he pressed. “Talk to me.”

“I invited Sam Yun to Issy’s birthday.”

39

He’d Be So Proud of Her

Dom

Leonie was staying in her old room, down the hall from mine. Before I left for the military, Dad had bought me a little apartment on the coast. Now, I paid someone to run it as an Airbnb but rented it out myself over the summer each year.

I loved my parents, but it didn’t mean I had to enjoylivingwith them.

So when I packaged the dress I’d bought for Leonie to wear that night, I slipped a card in with a note and the address and left it in her room while she gave Issy her birthday presents.

Though, if she didn’t come to mine, I was more than prepared to stay here for the night. To ensure no Yun took a step into her room.