By the time we’re back on the campus, I’ve managed to shake off my dark thoughts, writing them off as just nerves. Cliff won’t try to do shit now that we have real blackmail material on him—blackmail that extends outside the little bubble of Hawthorne’s campus. Sure, he wouldn’t want the entire fucking school knowing about it, but the shit we have on him would follow him outside of school. It would follow him in his daddy’s circles, in business, in everything.
“Hell, yeah. We fucking did it.” Elias whoops into the dark parking lot. “Guess the leader of the Saints isn’t so saintly after all.”
He pulls me into his arms and presses a playful kiss to my lips, spinning me around.
“Who’s ruling Hawthorne now?” He grins. “Should we dub you Queen Sophie? Because I’m pretty sure Cliff just got dethroned.”
“It is a little strange to think that he’s not going to be at my throat all the time.” I huff a laugh. “Maybe I’ll actually start enjoying school for once.”
“You’ll still need to watch your back,” Declan says, tugging me gently from Elias’s grasp. “But that’s why we’re here.”
He’s right. It’s not like Cliff has been completely neutralized. I’ve damaged his ego twice now—first by kicking his ass and then by standing up to his threats—and I wouldn’t put it past him to pull more petty bullshit like trying to get my art show cancelled. But at least he won’t frame me for murder.
Declan places two fingers under my chin, tilting my head up toward his, and my lips reach up to catch his before I even have time to think. His kiss is slow, promising, protecting. It seals his promise with something that goes beyond words, and I let myself sink into it for a moment.
When we break apart, I suck in a breath, my heart kicking hard in my chest. I catch Gray’s gaze in the growing darkness of the parking lot, his green eyes looking a little closer to his namesake tonight.
“Come here, Sparrow.”
It’s part command and part plea, and even though it’s not really in my nature to obey anyone, I walk toward him, a grin tugging at my lips. “You called?”
He growls softly, catching my wrist and pulling me the last few steps toward him. My body collides with his a second before our lips meet.
When Gray kisses me, it’s like the burn that comes with a good shot of whiskey, a kiss that warms me from the inside out. It makes my lungs burn and my skin prickle as if fire is dancing through my veins.
Max raises an eyebrow when I pull away, and I roll my eyes. I know she would never judge me, no matter how strange my normal might be to other people. Hell, it was strange to me just a few short months ago, but now I can’t imagine my life without the Sinners. I can’t imagine having to choose between them.
Elias’s flirtatious energy, his optimism and sweetness. The quiet connection with Declan that goes beyond words and bodies. The explosive, destructive, chemistry between Gray and me. I would have never guessed on that first day when I walked onto Hawthorne’s campus and met the other two Sinners that it wouldn’t ever just be Gray.
It’s all of them.
I clear my throat as we walk back toward the dorms, realizing that Max is hanging behind a little, her steps dragging. I know she’s happy, but I get the sense that she needs to talk about something—something I’m pretty sure is named Aaron.
“I’ll meet up with you guys later,” I tell the guys quickly, falling back a few steps to walk next to my friend. “I want to talk with Max really quick.”
Gray cocks an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything, and we split up as they head toward the guys’ dorms and we walk toward the buildings that house the girls. Max gives me a grateful look, letting out a little sigh.
“It’s about Aaron, isn’t it?”
I try to keep my voice neutral. I have plenty of fucking opinions about that guy, but I want to let her say whatever she needs to without worrying about judgment from me.
The last light of the setting sun filters through the trees that dot the green campus, and Max keeps her gaze on the path ahead of us as we walk.
“Yeah,” she says slowly. “I’m not sure how I feel about everything that happened back there. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for you, fucking relieved that we don’t have to deal with Cliff anymore, I just—”
“Max.” I stop her with a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to feel bad. And seriously, you can tell me anything. You know that.”
She finally meets my gaze. “I know.”
“Then tell me about it. What’s up?”
“I think I’m starting to have feelings for Aaron,” she admits, her voice slightly strangled. It doesn’t surprise me, but hearing her say it makes it more real. “I know he can be a real dick. I mean, just look at who he hangs out with, but I just feel something.”
I don’t say anything, letting her continue when she’s ready.
“The thing is…” She bites her lip. “I feel a little bad for using him like that, which is stupid.” She frowns as we turn and continue walking through the deserted campus. “But what confuses me most is that he didn’t mention our conversation when we confronted Cliff tonight.”
“Yeah. I thought about that too,” I admit. “I’m glad Gray didn’t mention how we found out about the hooker, but I thought maybe Aaron would. I didn’t expect him to be there or I wouldn’t have asked you to come with us. He could’ve totally called you out for basically spying on Cliff through him.”