Page 159 of Burning Daylight

“You did,” I say. “It was storming outside, and she got freaked so you put onVoyagerto distract her.”

Alex hums. “I think I remember that too, actually.”

“See?” I gesture. “Don’t question me. I’m always right.”

Paxton’s mouth opens like he wants to argue, but then he closes it. And I couldsweara hint of a smile passes over his face.

“Right,” he says quietly, turning on the blinker. “I forgot about that.”

I give him an odd look, and then put my feet up on the dash, wincing from how sore I am between my legs because Roman just fucked me silly.

My heart flips.

“Get your filthy feet off my dash, Juliette.”

I give him a pointed look. “Stick up your ass.”

He smacks at my shoes.

“Whatever,” I mutter, dropping them to the floor and taking out my phone. “This just proves my theory that Felicity’s words eat at my brain like a parasitic worm.”

Alex groans. “Can we not talk about space worms while I’m trapped in this car? It’s bad enough you both are talking about Felicity like either of you know her better than me.”

I twist in my seat. “She’smybest friend, you Neanderthal. Leave her alone.”

Paxton looks at Alex in the rearview mirror. “You’re an idiot.”

“Technically, I’m the smartest one in the family,” Alex corrects.

I scoff. “Says who?”

He smirks, leaning back. “They don’t have to say it. Common knowledge, I fear.”

“How’d you get away from your date, anyway? Does he know we came to get you?” Paxton asks, side-eyeing me as he flicks on the blinker and turns right.

My cheeks heat when I think about how I could feel Roman’s cum dripping out of me while I made excuses to Preston. My body still hums with the feel of his hands, and the way he was trying to mold me into something that belonged to him.

“He thinks I’m not feeling well.”

Alex laughs, and Paxton shakes his head.

My gaze whips back and forth between them. “What?”

“You couldn’t have come up with something a bit more original?” The corner of Paxton’s lips quirks up.

“It’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.”

“Every dude knows if a girl flees in the middle of a date, it’s because she doesn’t like him,” Alex chimes in.

“That’s not true,” I reply.

But maybe it is. They’d know, wouldn’t they?

I chew on my lip, wondering how convincing I was. “Preston didn’t seem to mind.”

“Your date was with Preston? Preston Ascott?” Paxton questions. “Yourex?”

“Yeah, and? What’s the issue now?” I say sharply.