Page 70 of Vicious Little Snakes

Buttoning my jeans, I sit down on the bed’s edge to put my sneakers on.

“Liam, people are going to think there’s something wrong with me.”

I spin around, grabbing my T-shirt and pulling it over my head. “Then tell the world I fucked you, ate you, and thoroughly used you up.”

I’m back on my feet, throwing the door open and leaving her on the bed. I storm down the hall, berating myself for being so fucking stupid. When I reach the stairs, I take two at a time, heading back to where Grey is. My eyes search the crowd for Caroline, but I don’t see her.

I can’t fucking believe that I almost fucked another girl because I couldn’t just tell everyone that I’m crazy about Caroline. I’m an asshole who couldn’t turn down the salacious reputation he’s built because I don’t know how to be my own man.

Girls are dancing on the chairs around Grey as I come up. “Hey. You seen Caroline?”

He nods. “Yeah, she was over here looking for you earlier. What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” I rush out, noticing Kai’s missing too before I ask my next question. “Where’s Kai?”

Grey shrugs, taking a drag off his cigarette, then looks at me. “Oh wait, he went to find Caroline.”

There’s a rock in my fucking gut. He’s going to tell her what I was doing. I tug my phone from my pocket and look at the time, 11:50. Fuck.

Grey shoves my arm. “What the fuck is up with you, dick?”

My eyes come level to his. “Did you tell Caroline what I was doing?”

“No. I mean, I said you were becoming a legend, but—” Grey’s words bounce off my back because I’m already headed to the atrium.

She knows. I can’t make my feet move any faster without calling way too much attention to myself, but my heart is in rapid movement. The moment I’m up the stairs and out of sight, I book it, hoping I beat Kai from finding her.

The massive glass doors to the atrium are closed, a heavy blanket of darkness behind them. Any picture I could see also hidden by the intricate iron pattern over the top half. I run down the long hall, begging inside to find Caroline. The closer I get, the more the moonlight shines in from the ceiling, illuminating what’s behind.

My feet skid to a stop. All the breath in my body sucked out. The picture I see through the patterned, metal-framed glass is broken and mangled like a Picasso painting, or maybe that’s my pride because what I see is the girl I’m in love with, locked in a kiss, with Kai.

* * *

I waited through the moans, the panting, and her undoing. I waited, standing in my place, feeling like I could break every wall around me. But I waited, so when she walks out, she’ll know that I know.

This was her choice, and it’s what I fucking deserve, but I can’t help but hate her just a little.

The door opens, Kai coming out first, shirt untucked.

“Whoa. Hey man,” he says, surprised to see me.

My eyes land on hers, not acknowledging him. “Give us a minute, Kai?”

She pulls her hand from his and nods at him. He leans down, kissing her lips before saying something I don’t hear and walking away.

I wait again, but this time I can feel the knife in my chest.

“Did you see us?” she questions, but her voice doesn’t sound like hers.

She doesn’t look like her anymore either, and not because she fucked Kai. There’s something cruel about her.

My jaw tenses. “I guess I should say, ‘Congratulations.’”

Stop being a dick when this is your fucking fault.

Her eyes narrow. “What do you want, Liam?”

For you to erase this and let me be the one. Or keep it and still let me be the one.