Page 107 of Bribed by the Billionaire Bad Boy

A laugh explodes out of Jason, and Lex lets a slow smile curve his lips. Dropping his hand over mine, he turns it so he can twine our fingers, then he brings my knuckles to his lips.

“Wow,” Agatha breathes, her voice tight. “I didn’t know you’d be so proud to be a—” She swears.

I wouldn’t be. If I were. But I’m not even close to one.

“Mhm,” I murmur, trapped in the feeling of Lex.

She’ll think whatever she wants, no matter what I say. The only thing I can do is confirm every suspicion and take control of the situation at the roots, prove it doesn’t faze me in the slightest, remove her power. Lex taught me how to do that when he looked my mother in the eye and told her all her fears were right.

But he loves me, so it isn’t wrong.

Dang. He wasn’t lying or acting then at all, was he?

Did you mean those words you said when you weren’t talking to me?

I guess he did.

Moments pass before I realize Agatha has stormed off. It takes Jason slapping a hand against the table and holdingback tears for me to come to. “Ohman. That girl’s even more annoying outside of Acting Styles.”

“Haven’t seen you that fierce since ‘Daring’,” Lex notes.

I swallow, a rage of blush flooding my entire body. We are mere months away from our performance, and I’ve gone and poked a bear. “Sorry that I—”

“Nope.” Lex’s eyes are dancing. “Tell everyone we’ve slept together. I don’t care. It’s not even a lie.”

Jason’s laughter dies. “’Scuse me, what?”

“Nothing happened,” I blurt, locking eyes with him. “It was just. That. You know. Sleeping.”

Jason blinks, his expression peacefully blank. “’Scuse me. What?” he repeats. His gaze slips toward Lex.

And of course Lex can’t help himself. He fills his chest with air and lets it out all at once. “She begged me. How could I refuse my little sugar glider?”

“I did not!”

“Did so.”

“No way!”

“I blame the separation anxiety.” Lex is all but pouting now.

I nudge him with my shoulder and try to get my hand back to no avail. “Shut up.”

“In my head canon, you’re both dating now. You can’t tell me otherwise.” Jason lifts his hands, then returns to his meal very properly.

Lex laughs, and I can’t bring myself to bluster a response.

Lex

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Will you just listen to me.” Urgency fills my voice. It’s both hard and pleading. Breathless.

Harriet looks toward me, her head shaking. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I do.” Ido. Closing the distance, I reach for her hand, catch it, and refuse to let go. “Even though your wings have been clipped for so long, you never cease to try and fly away from me.”

Torture reflects in Harriet’s gaze. Her fragile whisper slices through my heart. “Maybe you’re someone I should fly away from.”