Page 49 of Cold Mercy

And yet here we are, next to each other. As if fate were laughing in my face. And fate is called Elizabeth and James, who are playing goddamn house with all their might.

“Okay, what happened between you two? You said you liked her, man.” James says while chewing.

Reed instantly loses the smug grin and kicks him under the table. My eyebrows shoot up. He told James he liked me? I fix my smile, look only at James.

“What happened? Nothing, except Reed turned out to be a complete asshole. That’s all you need to know,” I say.

James laughs, and Elizabeth slaps his arm. Reed's eyes flick to me for half a second longer than necessary, like he expected something else. I don't soften it, even though he looks like he expected me to.

We finally start tasting the damn cakes. I can barely swallow because my throat is tight, but everyone else seems invested. Reed chews with deliberate slowness, eyes flicking up to mine.

“I’m voting for this one,” I say, pointing my fork at the cake. “Caramel, it's perfect.”

I lick a tiny smudge of frosting from my lip.

“Though, I have a weakness for anything caramel. I’d eat cardboard if you covered it in this, so I might not be the most objective judge here,” I add, turning back to Elizabeth.

Thomas shifts in his chair, swirling his drink, his eyes dark with amusement.

“Good to know,” he drawls, his voice dropping just enough to feel intimate. “Remind me to cover myself in this next time I come over.”

A laugh bursts out of me before I can stop it. It rings through the room, surprising even me.

For a second, the tension breaks. I look at him, still smiling, and a flash of satisfaction in his eyes tells me he likes that he made me laugh.

The realization hits me like cold water, and I stiffen immediately, my smile dying on my lips.

“In your dreams, Reed,” I say, my voice sharp again. “Keep dreaming.”

Instead of backing down, he leans forward and rests his elbows on the table, the playful glint in his eyes hardening into a direct challenge.

“My dreams?” he repeats softly. “You act like this is all in my head, Sophia. Like I’m the only one here crossing lines.”

I glare at him. “Because you are.”

He tilts his head, holding my gaze.

“Am I?”

He pauses, letting the silence stretch just long enough to make everyone uncomfortable.

“Because, correct me if I’m wrong, Moreau, but you’re the one who kissed me.”

Elizabeth drops her fork, James stops chewing. Even Reed looks surprised at himself for saying it out loud. If looks could pull a trigger, he’d already be dead by me.

James whispers, “Damn, I knew it…” and Elizabeth shoves him again.

“You’re right, and you were terrible. Now eat your cake and try choking on it; it’ll definitely make me feel better.” I finally manage to speak.

James bursts out laughing, but Thomas looks like he’s planning his revenge.

We return to talking about cakes because apparently that’s our sacred mission for the day. I try to focus, but suddenly I feel his breath on my shoulder.

He leans in and whispers into my ear, his voice low.

“Such a pretty mouth for such dirty lies. We both know you were seconds away from begging.”

I don’t answer. One more word and I’ll stab him with this fucking fork. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and he's enjoying it. He sees exactly how much this gets under my skin. He’s poking the bruise, testing how far he can push before I snap. And I refuse to give him the satisfaction. I won’t let him turn this into a spectacle, won’t let him turn me into the unstable one while he plays charming asshole.