Page 122 of Their Cruel Play
“Did you find out why Luke wasn’t at dinner?”
I swallow around the lump in my throat. The other reason I wanted to end the game early was because I could see Luke was in pain. Maybe not a lot. He hid it well, but it was in the tightness of his lips. The way he favored his left side.
He’d do anything to win, even if it meant hurting himself.
He can have any night he wants with me. I don’t mind snuggling with Death.
“He got hurt and was icing his injury.” I sigh. “Don’t ask me how he got hurt. That’s all I’m saying about it.”
I lift my gaze to meet her worried eyes. I clear my throat before saying, “I forgive him for missing our dinner. He’ll definitely make the next one.”
As she searches me, her eyes widen in surprise.
“You like him?” She smiles softly.
My nose crinkles because it’s not possible to like Death, is it? But there are those moments. “He’s grown on me.”
Mom smiles and takes a bite. “Okay, I’m pretty sure the big guy has a huge crush on you.”
“Caden.” I can’t say his name without a smile. “We have issues, but yeah. He’s a good guy.”
Mom laughs. “I see the crush goes both ways.”
My cheeks feel warm, and I stuff my mouth with chicken and rice. I’m willing to forgive Caden. He was worried about me, and the punishment wasn’t all bad. My heart skips. He saved me.
Had he not shown up... I shake it out of my thoughts, because I don’t ever want to go there. Fortunately Mom moves on.
“Now Jack is interesting. He’s always game to help. His mother is an amazing doctor.” Mom taps her fork on her plate. “Is his sexuality going to be an issue?”
I shake my head. “He’s attracted to both sexes, but he only wants to be with me.”
Oh, fuck, what did I just admit? I don’t meet her gaze, or she’ll give me that knowing look or the conversation about condoms and safe sex. Safe sex? I’m not really practicing it. Everyone is clean and I’m on birth control, but it’s still not a risk I should be taking at eighteen.
I know it. They know it. But I can’t seem to help myself either.
“Eli seems like a charmer.”
I draw in a relieved breath. She’s not going to push the sex stuff. Good.
Charmer? She doesn’t mean that in a good way. She used to say that about my father.
“I met his mother today,” I say tentatively. If Eli is cold sometimes, his mother is icy and not a fan of mine. But maybe she’s just not a fan of the girls Eli brings around. She may have met Ashley.
“Have you met a lot of their parents?”
I shake my head. “Luke’s dad. I’ve seen the others’ parents at parents’ night. Except Caden’s didn’t come.”
Her brow furrows. “That doesn’t surprise me. His mother serves on some committees at the hospital and she almost always videos in from wherever they are in the world. That means Caden and Luke must be home alone a lot?”
I swallow because I really don’t want to lie to her anymore about where I sleep, but if it makes her more comfortable believing I’m at Penny’s, I’ll keep up the ruse.
She clears her throat and drops her attention to her plate, picking through the remains. “If it makes you more comfortable in the house when I work nights, one of them could probably use the guest bedroom. But you’d have to clean the sheets for them.”
I swear my eyes almost pop out of my head. “You mean, have Luke or Caden sleep here on a school night?”
She puts her fork down and covers her eyes. “I’m probably being a horrible mother right now. I’m not condoning you sleeping with them, but I don’t mind if they’re here at night to make you feel safe in your own home.”
I hated lying to her about Penny’s house. What if something happened and I’d have to come clean about sleeping at Caden’s or Luke’s? But having permission to have them here makes my insides bubble.
