Page 27 of Whisper Pretty Lies (Lust & Liars #1)

Damon

Cam sits down as he puts on his socks. Hawk leans against the lockers, looking pissed. We’re done for the day, but we’re far from being finished.

“What’s the plan with Evan?” Cam asks.

I smirk because he isn’t calling her EvanAnn like he used to. I didn’t tell them about the cameras, but I enjoyed the footage from the week and plan to show them all of it. It should give me the leverage I need over Evan to make her fall in line with my plans.

“You got cast?” I ask Hawk.

He’s been quiet all day, but I know why. Rejection stings. But my plan will take that pain away. He’s going to know how affected Evan was by that kiss.

He nods. “Practice’s scheduled. Read through on Monday.”

“What do we know about Mia? The new girl she’s been hanging out with?” I ask Cam. She’s also been absent from Evan’s outside of school life.

Cam always has his finger on the pulse of what’s going on at school. I focus on hockey. Hawk focuses on academics. And Cam focuses on the social network of our combined schools.

“New girl. Acting.” Cam meets my gaze. “She’s been eye-fucking the guys on the hockey team. Pretty sure she’s going to make her way through the team, given the chance.”

I’m going to have to consider how I can use that.

“The good thing is that means she’ll be dragging Annie along with her to games.” Hawk rubs his jaw. “But Mia can cause issues if our girl thinks her friend has dibs. If Annie’s loyal to that fuckboy, she’ll be loyal to the whore too.”

“What makes you think she’s a whore?” I stand and grab my jacket and keys. I haven’t paid much attention to the new girl, but I’ve caught the look in her eyes when she glances my way—the one that says she wants me. But I’m used to that from girls.

“She offered to blow me on day one.” Hawk shakes his head. “Turned her down, but now I’m thinking I probably should have let her. Shown Annie what kind of friend she really has.”

“A slut, like her.” I shrug.

Cam makes a non-committal noise. He looks doubtful, but I’ll prove him wrong.

I know what I saw that night on the road.

And I know she hasn’t told her boyfriend about what happened with any of us.

If Chase was half the man he pretends to be, he would have at least come at Hawk for kissing her.

Maybe Evan wants to keep her claws in the rich prick.

Maybe he’s her meal ticket. Like mother, like daughter.

“Are we going to show her the video of her boyfriend fucking another girl?” Cam looks up at me. He wants her to be free to do whatever we want. He wants to fuck her as badly as the rest of us do.

I don’t understand what it is about her. Maybe it’s this plan or maybe it’s just a game I want to win. This girl is under my skin already, and I want to show the whole school who the little wallflower really is.

“I have a better idea.”

EvanAnn

I didn’t think this through. I don’t have a car.

When Chase offers to drive me home, I’m not about to admit I’ve moved in with Damon.

That he might be my future stepbrother if our parents decide to get married.

Even if they don’t and they stay together, we’ll be spending breaks together during college.

Does Chase know where Damon lives?

Even if he doesn’t know it’s Damon’s house, pulling up to a mansion is going to make Chase ask a million questions I don’t want to answer.

“Why don’t we just go to the high school?” I turn in my seat to Chase. “You need to catch the bus to the game. I can ask Mia to give me a ride home.”

“You think?” Chase glances at the time on the dashboard. “It would save time.”

The restaurant took a while to get the bill to us, so we didn’t have time to go somewhere to make out like Chase wanted. I wasn’t really thrilled with the idea, but maybe that’s what we need.

Some time to reconnect.

Dinner was nice. He talked about his thoughts on Iago and then about the team they’re playing tonight.

“I’ll text her right now.” I pick up my phone and panic for a moment. I can’t call Mia. I’m not ready to tell Mia who I’m living with, either. If she knew about my living situation, would she use me to get closer to Damon, Hawk, or Cam?

My stomach twists uncomfortably and I resist the urge to put my hand over it. Even if I wanted to be with them, I can only be with one of them. So why does it hurt to think of her with any of them?

There’s a new text message on my phone. Curious, I open it.

Unknown:

How are you getting home, Annie?

Need a ride?

Fuck. I hate how I know it’s him without him saying, but no one else calls me Annie.

Hawk didn’t give a damn about me this morning or all day, but now... Dammit. I hate the little thrill racing through me that he texted. Part of me wants to tell him to shove his ride up his ass. But I don’t have a lot of options.

I don’t have the money for a car service to pick me up and I don’t know if my mom is even home.

It’s Friday night, and that’s typically her date night. She doesn’t know if I’ll be home because it’s football night and she hasn’t been around for me to tell her it’s an away game.

Fuck it. At least, Hawk can solve one problem right now. My heart skips a little and I tamp it down.

Me:

Can you pick me up at school?

Unknown:

I’m still here

Fuck, I glance up at Chase, but he’s paying attention to the road. I don’t really want Chase to run into them. Not before I can tell Hawk I’m not telling anyone about our kiss. Fuck.

Unknown:

I can’t wait to get between your legs again

What the fuck? I flip my phone over on my lap. My cheeks flare with heat, but that’s not the only place that grows heated. My phone vibrates, but I ignore it as Chase pulls into the parking lot. He drives around the back to park near the bus loading area.

When he shuts off the engine, he leans toward me. “If we win tonight, I could come over so we could celebrate properly.”

He kisses me, but I pull away before he can deepen it. I’m so confused right now by all of this. But I need to make sure Chase doesn’t drive to my old house.

“My mom is going to be home tonight and we’re watching a movie. I’ll see you tomorrow though.” The lie flows out of me before I can stop it.

I smile as panic floods me. If he goes by my house, he’ll see we’re not there anymore.

Then there will be the questions of where I’ve moved and why I didn’t tell him?

And then I’ll have to tell him about Damon sleeping a door away from me at night.

Which I shouldn’t be afraid to tell my boyfriend where I’m living when it’s not something I can control as a teenager.

I haven’t begun to process being that close to Damon Storm all the time. Or how I’ll sleep knowing he’s right there.

“I’ll miss you.” He kisses me softly. “Wish me luck, babe.”

“Good luck.”

We get out of the truck and he heads toward the locker room. I have no idea where Hawk is, and frankly, I’m a little scared to read whatever he sent me after the last text.

I walk around the side of the building and toward the front of the school where the main parking lot is.

I glance over my shoulder to make sure Chase isn’t following me.

I don’t think he would, but I already feel guilty about not telling him about the kiss and now I straight up lied about how I’m getting home.

What am I supposed to say when Mia mentions that she didn’t give me a ride home? It shouldn’t come up, but the potential is there. Fuck.

I open my phone and ignore the new message. Instead, I pull up my text with Chase.

Me:

Mom is coming to get me instead

Have a great game tonight

Go, Devils!

Chase:

See you tomorrow

I breathe out and open the message from Hawk.

Unknown:

Out front where we park

My footsteps falter. Fuck, I didn’t even consider it might be all three of them. Or someone might see me leave with them. Someone who might tell Chase. This is why I hate lying.

The truth always comes out.

If it weren’t for everything riding on this play, I could be truthful with my boyfriend. I could tell him his costar kissed me, and while I did kiss him back, I did push him away.

Eventually. Even though everything inside me wanted to keep going. That means something, right? My insides churn.

I should be able to tell my boyfriend that I’m moving in with the costar’s friend who might be Chase’s enemy for some unknown reason. Or maybe Damon’s mad at my mom and me for encroaching on his space. Though in a house that big, we shouldn’t have to run into each other.

Except we’re sharing a bathroom, so I will be in his space. I don’t think our parents really thought that through.

I lift my gaze to see all three motorcycles and three guys waiting for me. I’m not ready for this. Not ready to be with all three of these guys off school property, but I don’t have a choice if I want to keep Mia and Chase in the dark about my strange association with these three.

Part of me wants to turn around and run as far away from this as possible. But the other part accepts this is what my life is right now. Like everything that’s come before, we’ll get through this. I drag in a deep breath and steel myself.

Another part of me is so fucking curious as to be a pest.

Damon

It’s amusing to watch Evan walk as if she’s a death row convict on her way to the electric chair. Knowing she left her boyfriend’s truck to come home with us is the icing on the cake. It won’t be long now before I have her under my thumb.

She’ll do everything I say if she wants to keep her house of cards from falling down around her. I know Cam wants her to be free of her asshole boyfriend, but I don’t. No, I want to bask in the knowledge I led his girl to ruin and she’ll help us ruin him.

And when the time is right, he’ll find out.

But right now, I’m confident this girl who prides herself on her loyalty will do anything to keep her boyfriend from finding out what she’s been up to. I’ve watched her carefully.

Everything she does at school and at home—none of it strays outside the boundaries of her little world.

Except when she let Cam into her house and fed him pizza. And when she let Hawk bring her home and kiss her. I hope she enjoyed it, because I’m going to be watching the live show as soon as I show her what’s at stake.

Her gaze lifts to mine like she can feel me watching her. Can she? What will she think when she discovers there are no locks on the bathroom doors? I left the ones on our doors to the hallway. Can’t have mommy or daddy coming in to disrupt whatever show I decide I want to watch at any given moment.

Evan hesitates and I arch an eyebrow at her. Come on, little devil, I know you want to come out and play. Every move she makes leads her closer to her ruin.

Hawk already has her helmet out and ready for her. We’re all connected to the same Bluetooth setting so we can communicate while riding. Now we’ll have access to Evan too.

And soon we’ll have an all-access pass.

Evan’s gaze drops from mine. Maybe it’s the knowing smile on my face making her shy. Because I know exactly what my little devil has been up to.

“Thank you for offering me a ride home.” Evan’s voice is soft as she steps up to Hawk. “I’m sorry about last night.”

“Don’t mention it.” Hawk presses his lips together. He lifts his spare helmet, and she helps guide it down onto her head.

Cam’s eyes narrow at the exchange, but he’ll know what it means when we get back to my house. I made sure to tell my dad I’d help to get Evan situated so he can take her mother out on their date.

Fuck, that woman spent every night this week at our house and left poor, little Evan all alone. I know because as soon as I got home from hockey, I turned on my new favorite show while I went about my evening.

Evan may not know it, but we spent every night together this week.

Eating, studying, getting ready for bed.

I wished the camera went both ways, because watching her sleep with her nightgown riding up around her hips made me horny as fuck.

Those cotton panties shouldn’t be sexy, covering every inch of her and hiding her from my view.

Part of me wants to go through her drawers and throw away every pair of those panties.

The other part wants to rip them off her body and take what’s going to be mine.

I don’t care how many fuckers she’s had before me.

From now on, there will only be three. I’m willing to share her, to watch the others fuck her, but no one else.

That means I need her to cut off Chase with whatever lie she has to tell him. She can tell him she has a STI or a fucking yeast infection, but once I get my dick wet, he gets cut off.

She may not like the terms of our agreement, but I will. And that’s all that matters. After tonight, she’s mine.