“I’m begging you, Easton, please don’t tell Elli. We’ll be telling her next week at dinner. We want her to have enough time to adjust to Linc moving in with us.”
My heart hammers in my chest. Now his threat holds more weight. He’s going to be living in the same house as my girl. It makes sense. Mrs. Asher has a mansion from her first husband—Elli’s father. He was a very powerful Lord. Lincoln isn’t nearly that high up on the food chain in our world. I mean, come on, he lives here with us at the house of Lords, which is just basically a frat house.
“We’ll be there,” I tell her, gathering myself and squaring my shoulders.
“Oh, yeah… sure—”
“We’d like to keep it to just the three of us,” Linc interrupts her, still giving me that smug smile I want to cut off his fucking face and wear it on mine so he has to stare at it. “You know, since we’refamilynow.”
I give a smug smile of my own. “I understand, but as Elli’s boyfriend, I’m sure she’ll want me there too. You know, for moral support.” I place my hands in the front pockets of my jeans.
Mrs. Asher frowns. “What?” She looks at Linc and then back at me. “You two are dating?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I nod.
Her frown deepens, looking back at Linc and then to me. “But… you’re a senior at the university. And you’ve been initiated.”
Fuck.
She goes on, “Elli isn’t a chosen.”
“Correct,” Linc agrees, and I want to snap his fucking neck.
“So you’re Elli’s boyfriend, and you have a chosen? You’re cheating on my daughter?” She speaks slowly as if her mind isn’t comprehending what she’s saying but trying to make sense of it.
“No—”
“Darling, you know how these things work.” He chuckles, not letting me finish. “And so do they. It’ll be all right.”
My head tilts at his words. Why the fuck is he defending me now?
“I guess so.” She nods to herself, trying to wrap her brain around why her daughter would allow her boyfriend to fuck other women as if she raised her to have more self-respect than that. She didn’t, but that’s beside the point.
Without another word, I turn and exit his office. I’m practically running down the staircase when I see a very fucked-up-looking Matt exiting our personal gym on the second floor. He’s bleeding from the head and face. He looks to be a little lost.
I ignore him. Guys fight all the time within the house. Tell a hundred men they can’t have sex for three years and well … it never ends well. They end up taking out their frustration somehow.
I shove the front double doors open and pull out my cell. It only takes me a second to find the information that I need. Then I’m getting in my car and tearing out of the parking lot.
ELLINGTON
WALKING ACROSS CAMPUS, I pull my bag higher up on my shoulder. My mind goes to last night. I didn’t get any sleep after my hero left. My head still hurts from crying so hard and so does my ass from him fucking it.
He proved that he was not the guy I thought he was. Maybe it’s for the best. I could feel myself getting attached emotionally. Physically needing someone and mentally needing someone are two very different things.
My cell rings, and I pull it out of my pocket to see it’s Kira. “Good afternoon,” I answer. “Where are you?” She wasn’t at the university today. Well, if she was, I missed her.
She yawns. “I’m still in bed.”
I frown. “You’re at home?” I bite my bottom lip, wanting to ask if Sin is there, but don’t. If he can ignore me, then I can ignore him too.
“No. I’m in a bed,” she says cryptically.
“Ah, I see. I need to meet this new boyfriend.” I laugh, coming up to the parking lot.
“Soon,” she says and then yawns again. “Want to go to the marina tonight? Just you and me?”
“Yes.” I nod to myself. I could use a girls’ night.