Page 12 of Whisper Pretty Lies (Lust & Liars #1)

EvanAnn

It’s like being surrounded by wolves. I don’t know who to keep my eyes on. But I can’t keep my eyes on all of them. Cam is in my kitchen rummaging in my fridge while Damon glares at me. And Hawk stands there acting nice.

They tower over me, making me feel even smaller and more insignificant than I am.

I don’t trust Hawk’s nice act. I don’t trust any of them. But I also don’t know what to do to get them to leave. Mom probably won’t be back until much later, if she even comes home. How many nights have I stayed alone in this house and felt safe?

I don’t feel safe now.

“I didn’t know my mom was dating your dad.” I turn to Damon. Maybe if I put my cards on the table, he’ll know I had nothing to do with our current situation. “She doesn’t usually get attached to her boyfriends.”

His lips press together and those blue eyes turn hard. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say. But it’s the truth. I don’t like feeding people lies. I mean, it’s part of my job, but that’s storytelling, not real life.

Lies only end up hurting.

“Unless you want us to go through your house without you, I’d lead the way, Annie.” Hawk gestures for me to get on with it.

I squeeze my hands together. He keeps calling me Annie , but I don’t feel the urge to correct him. Changing from Evan to EvanAnn required a lot of correction so it’s almost instinctual, but he isn’t calling me Evan. Though Damon does and I don’t correct him.

I don’t want to think too deeply about either of them.

“Come on, goody two-shoes.” Cam comes out of the kitchen with a slice of leftover pizza. He takes a bite and says, “Give us the tour and we’ll go.”

More lies? Telling me what I want to hear so I let down my guard? Maybe. Or maybe I should trust them until they prove they can’t be trusted. Hawk really seemed perplexed when I turned down his offer for lunch. But there’s no way to embarrass me in front of everyone here. Unless they film me.

But that would be obvious.

Besides, I’m not ashamed of where we live. It may not be what they’re accustomed to, but this has been my home and I’m proud of what we made of it in the two years we’ve lived here. Unfortunately, unlike Damon during his tour, I can’t sullenly look at my phone.

“Fine.” Besides, this shouldn’t take long. “The living room.”

I step around Cam, but he shifts so our bare arms brush. A little jolt of electricity shocks my system, but I ignore it as I step into the kitchen. Yes, the attractive guys are attractive. Thank you, body, for reminding me.

“The kitchen.”

I don’t turn to see if they’re still with me. Pushing open the door to the one bathroom, I try to ignore the bras hanging to dry on the rack and turn on the light.

“Our bathroom.”

“Just the one?” Hawk asks as he puts his hands on the top of the doorframe, blocking me in as he leans in to inspect it. His arms bulge with muscles.

That scent of leather and books overwhelms me for a moment and draws me like a moth to a flame. I close my eyes and inhale. Fuck, why is that so intoxicating?

Fingers brush my cheek and my eyes pop open.

My breath catches. Fuck. I take a step back from the touch, but the wall is right there.

I can’t get away. Hawk’s green eyes have darkened as his gaze follows his fingers over my cheekbone and down the side of my neck. My insides shimmer beneath his touch.

My pulse goes crazy.

I can’t suppress the shiver that works through me or the goosebumps rising in the wake of his fingers against my skin. He seems mesmerized for a second as I’m frozen in place. His touch isn’t bad. Just the opposite, and that’s what’s so alarming.

When he touches me, I forget myself.

He shakes himself out of it and steps back. “Nice.”

I’m assuming he’s talking about the bathroom and squeeze by him to get out of there. I drag a breath into my starving lungs. My cheeks feel warm and that same overwhelming feeling deep in the pit of my stomach strikes me. I have a boyfriend, but I’m in my house alone with three guys.

This can’t be good, but I can’t exactly call the police on my future roommate? He’s not my step-anything yet. If my mom does end up marrying his dad, that would start our relationship off on the wrong foot.

Remember that time you had me arrested. Somehow I don’t think that will ever be funny, no matter how many Christmases down the road. Besides being annoying and invading my space, they haven’t really done anything that would warrant a call to the police.

Nope, I need to get through this.

I hurry to my mother’s room and push the door open wider. “Mom’s room.”

I breeze past Cam and Damon to head up the stairs. Only one more room. It’s not a huge place, but it’s ours. Or was ours. It’s home and I’ve been happy here. My heart squeezes. I hate to leave it.

They’re right behind me as I stop outside the door to my bedroom. I left it open so I gesture toward it. “My room. Tour over. You can go now.”

“That’s not very nice, goody two-shoes.” Cam steps into my room and Damon follows him.

“Going through my things is not part of the tour.” I cross my arms over my chest again. Maybe I should call my mom and tell her what’s happening. But if Damon’s house is the only place we have to go, what will that accomplish?

A shudder goes through me remembering the apartments. I’d rather deal with Damon than the apartments.

“Should be, Annie.” Hawk smirks and drops his gaze to my chest.

I follow his gaze thinking I spilled something on my t-shirt, which wouldn’t be a surprise. Instead, it’s just my breast... that I’ve hoisted up. I drop my arms.

“I have work to do, so if you could go...” This isn’t my strong suit. I had trouble getting my friends to leave even when I was a kid. Even Chase has overstayed his welcome on more than one occasion.

Hawk walks over and lifts one of the scripts off my bed. Cam is already at my dresser, opening drawers. Damon sits at my desk and rifles through the papers.

They look ridiculously huge in my tiny room.

“What’s the end goal here, guys? I have no control over where my mother takes me. I didn’t even know about any of this until a couple hours ago.” They have to listen to reason, right? “If you’re trying to intimidate me to get her to change her mind, it won’t work.”

Damon lifts his gaze to mine. It’s clear he doesn’t like me. What I don’t understand is why.

“Is it because Chase is on the football team?” I lean against my doorframe with my arms crossed.

Cam chuckles. “Why would we care if Chase is on the football team?”

I shrug. “Hockey-football rivalry.”

“Not a thing.” Hawk winks at me before he goes back to reading over the script.

“Is it because we’re both up for valedictorian?” I’m grasping at straws, but that’s all I’ve done today. My brain can’t find any reason why they’d suddenly be interested in me. I’m no one at school.

“Nah, you can have it, if you want it, Annie. I’ve already got my future planned out.” Hawk doesn’t even look up this time, but flips the page.

“Then what?” I almost whine, because this is a lot. “I don’t want your attention. If I didn’t do anything?—”

Damon is quick. He’s suddenly right in front of me, glaring down at me with those piercing blue eyes. “If you didn’t do anything, Evan, you have nothing to worry about, do you?”

My breath catches in my chest, but not before breathing in Damon. Something dark and earthy swirls in my lungs as I wait for him to shift away, to give me the space to breathe again.

He takes all the air when he’s near me, like his aura wants to suffocate me. From the look in his eyes, he might enjoy watching me die. The others are fucking with me, but there’s some real intense hate coming my way from Damon.

“I don’t understand,” I say softly.

His eyes narrow. He reaches out and I flinch. I don’t know why. Maybe I’m afraid he’ll touch me and I’ll feel what the others make me feel. How wrong would it be if a guy hates me and I want him? What kind of cliché is that? But maybe I’m afraid he’ll hurt me.

He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. Sparks light beneath my skin where his fingertips brush. Fuck. My heart sinks into my stomach.

“You’ll figure it out, Evan.” He drops his hand. “Time to go.”

He turns and walks down the stairs. For a second, I can breathe again. Then Cam stops in front of me.

He’s tall and broad. His light brown hair is untamable. And he always has an easy smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. I’ve wondered if the party boy persona is a mask he wears.

He gives me a once-over that makes me blush.

“Later.” He smirks and makes a kissy face at me before following Damon down the stairs.

Hawk stands and sets the script down on my bed, almost reluctantly. When he crosses the room, he lifts his green eyes to mine and holds my gaze. His eyes are truly pretty. My heart thumps a little faster and harder.

“I wasn’t trying to make a fool of you in the cafeteria.” His words are quiet as he closes in on me.

My heart beats in triple time. My mind goes blank with him so close. “What?”

His fingers trace over the back of mine. I’m so shocked at the sparks he lights I don’t pull away.

“I wanted to buy you lunch and get to know you better.” His smile is soft and tempting. Everything about Hawk is tempting.

My breath catches. “I have a boyfriend.”

Am I reminding him or me?

He smirks. “You’ve said, but he’s not here tonight, is he?”

I don’t say anything, because he’s obviously not.

“If you were mine, you wouldn’t be alone in a house with three guys forcing you to give them a tour.” His words are soft, but they make absolutely no sense to my brain. His?

What does that even mean?

He puts his hand on the doorframe above my head. “Think about it, Annie.”

He leans down like he’s going to kiss me, but I turn my head to the side. He chuckles.

“I’ll know for next time.” He starts down the stairs.

“You’ll know what?” My voice is breathy and my heart hurts from pounding so hard.