Page 71 of Petrify

He lets me, untangling his fist from my hair. My skin stings from his claiming bites, pain arcing through my throat, across my chest, the skin warm with his saliva. He quickly rights his mask. And though he steps back, his eyes narrow. “That’s fine, we can keep playing this game.”

“You did that on purpose.”

“What, you want him to like you?” He doesn’t go far. Only moves away enough to let me sit up again.

“How will I explainthis?”

“You won’t,” he murmurs, his fingers finding my jaw again. His thumb runs across my bottom lip, softly at first. “Don’t waste your time. He won’t get you like I do.”

“Baz, I’m not?—”

He silences me with his thumb between my teeth, pressing on my tongue.

“Let him be confused. Let him start rumors. Who cares.” His thumb slips even further back. “You and I aren’t like them.”

With both hands planted against his chest, I shove until he relents. “Rumors. If any sort of rumors get around—then they’ll hate me. And if they hate me, I lose this job.” I slide off the piano, straightening my sweater, brushing out my hair.

“You won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Don’t worry about that. Just—focus on the music. Focus onme. I will take care of the rest.”

“You keep saying that."

“Nothing has happened to you yet, has it?” It’s the first time I hear real frustration in his voice, a hint of his anger.

“Goodnight.” The muscle in my jaw aches. I don’t look at him over my shoulder as I stalk out the room. If I can catch up to Reece, then maybe I can explain?—

What, exactly?

That I almost just let the Ghost he warned me about fuck me on top of the piano?

The halls are empty. He’s disappeared, vanished into thin air. Unsettlingly quiet, the only sound is my heavy breathing. At this hour, all the staff are together, on the other side of the house, relieved of their duties for the day.

And then I wonder what Reece wanted. He knew I would likely be practicing. He knew where I would be.

Threads of dismay weave through my thoughts. Bastien might not be worried, but I am. He has nothing to lose.

I do.

The threat of being ostracized is suddenly so suffocating, wrapping its fist around my throat, that panic begins to shake through each of my limbs. My steps are unsteady, my hands numb. The urge to spilleverythingto all of them, just so they hear it from me first?—

With a shuddering breath, I find myself alone.

Baz hasn’t followed me. Reece ran away.

I am so terribly, sickeninglyalone.

Yet I know, Iknow, of the two men, only one of them wouldn’t scorn me if they knew the truth.

Chapter 36

The Pianist

“Have you seen Reece?”Nathan asks me during lunch.

“No, I’ve been with Henri.” I’d assumed Reece was avoiding me all morning. He left breakfast the moment I arrived, barely even looking at me.