Page 63 of Twisted Play

Eva didn’t say a word, but before she could open her door, I said, “We’ll pick you up tomorrow.”

Cole whipped around, his jaw clenched in annoyance, but didn’t contradict me.

“What time do you have class?” I asked her.

“I’ll take the bus.” She shoved at the door until she realized Cole had locked her in. “Let me out!”

“What time do you have to be on campus tomorrow?” he growled, repeating my question.

“Don’t you have morning workouts?” she asked.

“Great,” I said. “We’ll be here at 5:30.” Plenty of time for us to get to campus for the 6:30 session.

“I’m taking the bus,” she said mulishly.

Cole’s chest rumbled, an unfamiliar sound. “You won’t,” he said softly. “Because I don’t want you to.”

Eva deflated, slumping against her seat. The car door unlocked, but she didn’t move. I wished I could see her expression.

I let a fantasy of Eva sweetly obeying commands from the both of us rush through me before tamping down hard on the want. It wouldn’t do me a damn bit of good if Cole’d decided she was his.

“Okay,” Eva whispered. “Don’t be late. I can’t afford to be.”

I followed her to her front door, my hands in my pockets, determined that if Cole was going to shoot his shot, so would I. This was a shit neighborhood, and what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t walk my girl to her door?

One of the steps to the porch wobbled under me, and she looked over her shoulder. “You don’t have to come up.”

“I want to,” I murmured as I reached her side. Thiskitten had her claws deep into me, and I didn’t intend to let her go.

The porch light flickered, and Eva turned to look up at me, her green eyes unreadable. “Thank you for driving me home,” she whispered.

“Oh, Eva,” I sighed, cupping her cheek. “All you have to do is ask. All you ever had to do was ask.”

She scoffed. “Don’t lie to me,” she whispered. “It’s already so fucking hard—don’t make my life harder.”

I didn’t want to make her life harder. I wanted to give her the whole world, if only she would let me in. But how could I communicate that to her?

With a sharp nod, I backed off and jogged over to the passenger seat of Cole’s sports car, where we both waited for her to enter the house before speeding off.

Tristan

Sweet dreams, kitten.

*Tristan added Cole Carter to the chat*

*Eva Jackson has left the chat*

*Tristan added Eva Jackson to the chat*

“What the fuck are you doing?” Cole asked, eyeing the notifications that flashed at the top of his car’s touch screen.

“What’s going on between the two of you?” I asked him, point blank. Cole played mind games as easily as the rest of us played tag—like he’d been doing it since he was a kid.

“If I wanted to talk about it with you, I would have,” he said quietly.

“Are you fucking her?” I asked, taking the knife edge of jealousy in my chest and squeezing until I bled.

“Not quite,” he murmured after a moment’s hesitation,and the possessive note in his voice made my stomach clench.