Page 5 of Wicked Games (Silvercrest U #1)

KILLIAN

My phone pings several times in rapid succession. I pick it up to check my notifications and let out a weary sigh when I see Natalie’s name.

I’m tempted to ignore her, but that would only lead to her blowing up my phone and pissing me off even more.

Natalie : when are you picking me up?

Natalie : Are you excited to see my new dress?

Natalie : I think you’ll *really* like it

The last text is a row of smirking and winky face emoji.

I let my head fall back against the padded headboard. I really don’t want to take her to the Black and White party at King House tonight, but I can’t cancel without her throwing a fit, and I’m so not in the mood to deal with that on top of everything else I’ve got going on right now.

Killian : I’ll swing by around 9

Natalie : are you sure that’s early enough?

Natalie : we might not even make it out the door when you see how good I look for you

She adds another row of winky face emoji.

Killian : I’ll see you at 9

I’m just putting my phone on the bed when the door to my room swings open. Felix doesn’t even glance my way as he closes the door and walks over to his side of the room.

I don’t like the irritation that prickles in my chest at his easy dismissal.

It’s been a week since Felix moved into my room, and I’ve barely seen him. He’s gone every morning when I wake up, and most nights he’s not even home when I go to sleep.

I have no idea how he keeps managing to slip in and out of the room without waking me, and instead of being glad he’s making himself scarce, his disappearing act is pissing me off. So is how he can so easily ignore me and pretend like I don’t exist when we’re in the room together.

None of it makes any sense, but I can’t push down my anger as he rummages through one of his drawers.

“Where have you been?” I ask before I can stop myself.

He stops rooting through his drawer and slowly slides his gaze to mine. “Why do you care?”

“I don’t.”

“Then why ask?”

“Why not ask? Isn’t that what roomies do? I’m just showing concern for your safety and whereabouts.”

He pulls something out of the drawer and shoves it in his pocket. “I was having dinner with Eden.”

“Are you fucking her?” The question slips out before I can stop it.

He snorts out a laugh and shoves the drawer closed. “No, we’re just friends.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“Believe whatever you want.” He shoots me a flat look. “But why ask if you’ve already decided what the answer is?”

“Maybe I’m testing to see if you’ll tell me the truth.”

“I told you the truth.” The corners of his lips curl up in a little grin that looks more like a sneer than a smile. “Do I get a prize for passing your test?”

Some of my anger melts away. Usually Felix can keep his mask of indifference in place no matter what, and I don’t understand why I like that he’s not wearing it right now.

“What?” he asks warily, his sort-of smile falling.

“Nothing,” I say as casually as I can. “I’m just deciding what your prize is going to be.”

“Can it be you leaving me the hell alone?” he snaps as more of his iron-clad control slips away.

I grin as he pulls in a quick breath and squares his shoulders like he’s resetting himself after letting me see him crack.

“Nah. You were a good boy,” I drawl. “And good boys deserve a reward.”

“Is it too late to be a bad boy and lie to you?” He crosses his arms over his chest, his icy blue eyes fixed on mine. “Eden and I are fucking like bunnies all day and all night. How was that?”

“Too late.” I shake my head. “I’ll think of something, don’t you worry about that.”

He rolls his eyes. “Why do I feel like my prize is going to be a punishment?”

“Because you’re paranoid and have no faith in your big brother.”

His eyes narrow in a glare. “Fuck off with that big brother shit.”

“Isn’t that why you’re here? So your big brother can take care of you?”

“I’m here because no one at this school gives a fuck about what I want,” he snaps.

Excitement moves through my chest. I can’t remember the last time I saw Felix snap at anyone, and a weird sense of anticipation fills my chest as he levels me with another glare.

“You think the school gives a shit about what I want?” I demand, letting my own anger take over. “Do you really think you’d be here if they did?”

“Obviously not.” His glare is so intense I can almost feel it like a physical thing.

“And here I thought the Hawthorne name meant something,” he continues, his eyes blazing with something so dark my blood thrums in my veins and pounds in my ears.

“Guess you’re just as much of a nobody as me, after all. ”

More of that weird anticipation gathers low in my belly. “The only reason you’re here is because your whore mother convinced my dad that this was a good idea. I could have you kicked out of here in a heartbeat if my dad wasn’t so pussy whipped.”

“Like father like son.” He sneers.

“What did you say?” My entire body goes taut and buzzes with electric energy.

“Nothing.” He shoots me an innocent smile that’s somehow filled with condescension.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand. “What. Did. You. Say?” I repeat, taking a step closer to him with each growled word.

He squares his shoulders and meets my glare with his own. “Nothing.”

I close the distance between us in six long strides and stop when our toes are touching and our chests are barely an inch apart. “Are you sure about that?”

Felix doesn’t even flinch. And instead of backing away like he should, he leans closer to me. “Am I sure about what?”

A strange scent envelops me—a combination of pool chlorine, citrus, and something spicy, like cinnamon. They shouldn’t work together, but somehow they do.

“You have five seconds to tell me what you meant by that,” I say, trying to ignore the strange heat that’s gathering deep in my stomach.

“Or what?” He tilts his head and leans closer. “What’s my big brother going to do to me?”

My vision goes white for a few beats, and the next thing I know, I have two handfuls of Felix’s sweater and I’m shoving him back, forcing him to stumble along until I slam him into the wall.

Something I can’t read flashes in his eyes for a second as the air is forced out of his lungs in a fast whoosh .

“Keep testing me, I fucking dare you,” I snarl, pinning him to the wall with my body.

Felix draws in a gasping breath and grabs my wrists. But instead of struggling or trying to pull me off him, he just holds them, his grip loose and his body relaxed.

I expect to see fear and maybe some shock in his expression. Instead, his blue eyes are so bright they almost look backlit, and the sparks of fire in them make him look more alive than I’ve ever seen him. Usually Felix’s eyes are icy and completely uninterested in everything around him.

The change is exhilarating, and I don’t understand why it excites me so much. All I know is I’ve cracked through his defenses, and I’m enjoying the fuck out of watching him fight back.

“Is this your big plan?” he asks, wheezing slightly from how hard I’m holding him against the wall. “Do you really think going all caveman and tossing me around is going to make me do what you want?” He laughs, actually fucking laughs .

I may not be as crazy as the twins or as brutal as Xavier, my other cousin on campus, but I’m no saint. This isn’t the first time someone has ended up on the wrong side of my anger this week even, but it’s the first time anyone has ever laughed when I’m like this.

I’m so stunned by his reaction that I freeze, inadvertently loosening my grip enough to let him break free if he wanted.

“Cat got your tongue?” He lets go of my wrists and lets his hands fall to his sides.

“Or did you forget that this is the part where you threaten to kill me and try to force the information out of me?” A slow smile stretches his lips.

“Come on, big brother. Do your worst. I fucking dare you,” he says, throwing my earlier words back at me.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I hiss, finally snapping out of my daze at his taunt.

This is usually the part where people either beg me to let them go or do exactly what I want. Felix’s defiance is a completely new beast, one I’m not sure I entirely dislike.

He laughs again, the sound low and throaty. “A lot.”

“Are you going to tell me what you meant earlier?” I ask, my head spinning a bit from how many twists and turns this conversation has already taken.

He studies me for a moment, seemingly unbothered by the fact that I still have him pinned against the wall and could crush him if I really wanted to. “Would you believe me if I said I didn’t mean anything by it and was just talking out of my ass?”

“No.”

A smirk lifts the corner of his mouth. “Then maybe you should ask your girlfriend why she goes to the lower library stacks every Wednesday at four o’clock.”

I blink at him a few times as his words register. “The library stacks?”

“In the main library, next to the old microfilm archives.”

“Microfilm?”

“In the basement. Do I need to draw you a map?”

“Watch it.” I push him harder against the wall and press my body against his, using my bulk to grind him against the drywall.

Hot breaths fan over my cheek as his chest rises and falls against mine.

My earlier rage is gone, replaced by something equally dark and wild. Something I’m not sure I want to let out.

I’m so aware of Felix that it’s like we’re caught in some sort of feedback loop. The weirdly intoxicating scent of chlorine and cinnamon is strong now, with just a hint of citrus, and a strange tingling sensation dances over my skin as his body heat seeps into me.

The corners of Felix’s lips curl up in a smile.

My eyes fall to his mouth without my permission and I can’t look away as he drags his teeth over his bottom lip in a move that’s far more fascinating than it should be.

The sharp ping of my phone breaks through my daze. I instinctively let go and jerk away from him.

Felix watches me, his expression settling back into his usual mask of indifference.

When I’m a half dozen paces away, he pushes off the wall and casually walks over to his bed.

I can only stare as he picks up the paperback on his bedside table as he climbs onto the mattress and settles against his pillows.

He shoots me a quick look, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Good talk.”

Before I can react or respond, he opens his book and fixes his attention on it to dismiss me.

That finally breaks the spell I apparently fell under, and I march into the bathroom without a second look at my stepbrother. When the door closes behind me, I lean against the sink and pull in a few deep breaths. They do nothing to alleviate the turmoil crashing around inside me.

Looking up at the mirror, I stare blankly at my reflection and replay the last few minutes in my head. Seeing Felix give in and fight back should have been a win. It wasn’t supposed to excite me, and it sure as hell wasn’t supposed to make me want more.

But then again, I wasn’t the only one who was excited—or the only one who liked it.

Felix might have won this round, but he has no idea who he’s fucking with. Or how far I’m willing to go to make sure I come out on top.