BLUE BLOOD

10 | he could have asked for a secret

Or maybe, we were screwed up enough in the first place to play them.

Avery's gaze raked over my body and I couldn't help but stiffen under his scrutiny. "You need to change. You can't show up in heels and a dress."

"Why?" I let out a breath I didn't know I held when he looked away. "They wouldn't-"

"Mind?" He snorted. "They would know if a dress was last season's or ten season's ago. They'll ask too many questions. That would draw too much suspicion."

I lifted an eyebrow, hoping no one would see me in a car with him. He was right. "So what will I wear?"

"I would suggest asking one of the girls for something but that would be the equivalent of asking you to walk into a pit of vipers."

I thought of Gloria's sneer, Helen's cold eyes, and Kalina's words. My stomach dropped. "I would rather not owe any of them a favor."

"We're dating aren't we?" Avery's smile was hard. "I'm sure it would convince them that if you showed up in my clothes."

None of us were particularly happy about that.

Avery stopped the car in front of Gloria's mansion and got off to go grab some things from his trunk. He returned with an oversized hoodie, wide-legged jeans, and sneakers. Avery felt the need to reassure me from the look I gave him when I caught the clothes.

"That's my hoodie and it's fresh from the laundry. Besides," he shrugged, starting the engine again. "I don't let girls wear my hoodies. I never get them back and it creates too many rumors. Too many complications."

I held up the surprisingly fashionable shoes and jeans. "These are my size. A little bigger, but still," I looked at him dubiously, wondering how he knew my size when I've never told him. "I doubt you could ever in these."

Avery smirked. "I never said girls don't leave their clothes."

"That's disgusting," I wrinkled my nose after I realized what he meant.

He only laughed. It was a surprisingly warm laugh, eyes twinkling at me. "I'm kidding. They're my older sister's. I don't bring girls to my car-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes, finishing his sentence, "too many complications."

"Or anywhere," Avery finished, thoughtful.

I slipped into his large black hoodie over my dress since I was getting cold and felt too exposed. I hated that it had his faint scent. I couldn't place what it was but it was the type of scent that was hard to forget. "Let's just get this over with."

He entered Gloria's estate and I noted that there were only a couple cars left in contrast to the hundreds that were there last night. I ducked into the nearest bathroom to change after a maid let us in. She stared at me before quickly ducking away.

I stared at myself in the mirror after that. What was I doing? The girl in the mirror looked like a stranger.

Grabbing my purse, I left the dress hanging on a rack because I didn't want to throw it. It was worth a few thousand. Hopefully a maid would wash that and then donatr it to charity.

Avery waited outside. I caught him scanning the place and after he caught my piercing gaze, he only shrugged. "I like to know all my possible exits in case of an emergency."

Another thing I wish we didn't have in common.

"Do I have to play these games?" I told him, softly so that no one would overhear.

He led us through the foyer and down a tall hallway. "Do you want to be in this Cadre?" When I didn't say anything, he nodded at me. "Just play along my plan."