Page 116 of Filthy Little Pretties

“I’ll have her killed.”

“Grey!” I laugh, shaking him a little, then drop my smile. “Stop. She’s a shit, but she’s loyal to you. Yes, she meddled, butyoulet her. It took guts for her to show up at my place.” His head turns, looking out into the room, annoyed by what I’m saying, but I pull it back. “She came for you. That deserves your forgiveness for her plotting. Come on, nobody could’ve anticipated you’d go off the deep end, fight an entire school, including your friends, and burn down a tree.”

A sly smile graces his lips as he shrugs unapologetically. “You know about the tree?”

I giggle and narrow my eyes. “I can only imagine what everyone had to say today at school.”

He grips my waist, pulling me closer, pressing our bodies together as he stares at me saying, “The Bonnie to my Clyde,” as he leans in, kissing me again. “Fine. I’ll forgive her after you do the same. One big happy family.”

“Deal.”

“Good. Solved. Name another.”

I roll my eyes at his arrogance. “This is what we’re doing? I’m going to list them, and you’ll tell me how we solve them. Just like that?”

“Just. Like. That.”

Just say it, Donovan. Rip the Band-Aid.But I can’t, so I say the next thing that comes to mind.

“Fine. Your father and the company.”

He scoffs, shaking his head. “Fuck my father. I sign those papers in two weeks. He’s irrelevant to me. McCallister’s mine.”

“After last night, you might have given him the ammo he needs to pressure the board to block your place in the company.”

Grey tilts his head, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. “You seem to know a lot of what I never told you.”

“I have connections.” My words stutter as he bucks his hips, forcing me to fall forward into him.

“I’m impressed and terrified of you. It’s making my cock hard.”

“Would you focus? Obstacles, remember?” I chastise, pushing myself to sitting again. “Page Six will run a photo of me and Paul. We look like a new couple. Heats off of you, and if anyone finds out about what you did, the photo can be used as evidence for the real story. It plays both ways. I did that for you; now you have to behave until your birthday.”

His fingers grip my ass, digging into the flesh as he brings his lips to my collarbone, placing kisses across to my shoulder. “Do you want to tell me who took the photo and how you got it?”

“No.”We just fixed Caroline, no need to revisit.

“All right. So we pretend friends for two weeks, just in case anyone wants to do some digging.” I raise my eyebrows in shock at how easy he’s being. “Don’t be so surprised. I waited five years; I can make it two weeks with you as a secret fuck buddy.”

I giggle. “Fuck buddy, huh? Maybe I just want to be a ‘buddy’ until you sign.”

Grey darts a hand out and begins to tickle me as I scream with laughter, twisting in his lap until he wraps his arms around me, pulling me to him breathless, his eyes on mine searching. “I told you, nothing stands between us. So tell me what you’re really thinking because Caroline and my future isn’t it. What’s really going on in that beautiful head of yours?”

My teeth find my lip, my eyes dropping as I finally admit the only real worry I have.

“Liam.”

“It’s a nonissue, Donovan. You chose.”

His words come out too fast, more like a defense rather than a factual statement.

My head shakes as I lift it. “No. I told you I would never lose either of you. I wasn’t being dramatic or wishy-washy. I won’t give him up. He’s my best friend. And you shouldn’t ask me to.”

Grey’s whole body tenses underneath me, as he easily lifts me off him and kicks his legs off the bed, throwing on a pair of sweats before walking toward the window. I knew it. We’re done. He’s not going to give.

I watch him stalk to the window, silent, placing his palms above his head against the glass to look down, before he speaks words that make my heart hurt.

“You’re asking me to share you with someone who I know loves you.”