BLUE BLOOD

25 | what the hell are we doing?

I couldn't even look at him, thinking of the worst and of how Satin Queens had been tangled with him up in a bed. Though it was a complete lie, I managed to say, "Yes."

"Shut up," Avery let out, but his tone was soft enough for me to look at him. He sighed, staring out ahead. "Satin pushed someone to spill a drink on me. I didn't realize until I went upstairs to change and she came in, drunk and high."

"Did you kiss her?" I whispered.

The idea made me nauseous in a way Erik's cheating never did. Maybe I was just sick of being cheated on, even though it technically wasn't cheating since this was a fake relationship.

Or maybe it was because I never thought someone like Avery Dragomir could do that to me.

"No," Avery replied, without hesitation. "I didn't even see her. She just pushed me and straddled me. Erik came in at the worst time possible."

I nodded, relieved because I believed him after seeing the disgust in his eyes, but Avery clearly didn't feel that this conversation was over.

"Do you trust me?" Avery asked again, quietly.

I lifted my eyes to see that he was watching me. Unsuccessfully, I tried to read the thoughts behind his eyes.

"Yeah," I told him truthfully. "I do."

Avery shook his head, seeing that I was being honest. "Then what-"

"We had an agreement," I said evenly, meeting his silver gaze. "You can do whatever you want with whoever you want."

Because our relationship wasn't a real one.

And he wasn't my boyfriend.

"Then why are you upset?" Avery demanded.

Why was I upset? "I'm not," I lied, before making something up quickly. "You can do whatever you want with whoever you want but you cannot get caught."

His expression hardened. Any vulnerability vanished and I realized that this was the Avery I had first met. Unreadable.

He knew I was lying. He wanted me to admit it.

He wanted me to admit that I liked him.

Damn it.

I liked Avery Dragomir.

"That was a part of our agreement," Avery nodded politely but I could see him calculating something. "But you also broke those terms yesterday night."

I paused for a second before taking off my helmet. "You saw me with Erik. Before whoever took those photos."

Avery didn't affirm nor deny it but I knew he did. Shit.

"Avery," I started to say, internally groaning at my stupidity, "I-"

"I trust you," he shrugged. "But I don't trust him."

Avery could have misinterpreted my proximity with Erik, but for some reason, he trusted that I didn't do anything. He trusted that I didn't cheat on him.

And this was how I repaid his trust.

By mistrusting him with Satin.

How much did it take for him to not jump to the conclusion that I was another Satin?

He was so close. Avery was so close. He reached over to brush my bottom lip with his thumb and I looked up at him through my eyelashes. His lips were centimeters away from me, his veined hands slowly tangling through my hair, the hunger in those stormy, silver eyes. He pulled me closer... and closer...