Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 157308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 787(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 787(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
“Compromise your mission to infiltrate this upper-class community for the purposes of recovering trade, government, or family secrets that’ll destabilize the country.”
“Huh.” We reached the steps to the cafeteria. “You mean like you are?”
Wilder stopped dead. “What?”
Grinning, I spun on the steps, facing him. “By your own admission, you’re surveilling members of this upper-class society. You refuse to share details about your background. You’re going to extreme lengths to conceal the information stashed away in your room. You conduct who knows what kind of business in the only room in the house I haven’t been inside, and you’ve expressed anti-government sentiment on more than one occasion. If there’s anyone suspicious around here, it’s you, Wilder O’Rourke.”
I flicked his nose and his jaw slackened like it was the lever. “But... I didn’t...”
“You’re not getting anything out of me until I know you can be trusted.”
He nodded, teeth grinding. “Well played, Sinclair. Very well played.”
I winked. “I know.”
Spinning around, I made to leave.
“But just so you know, as sexy as that was, making me fall for you won’t distract me from revealing your true purpose.”
I tripped over my feet. Wilder strolled off as my stuttered reply was still making it through my head. I forced my feet to continue forward, heading inside the café and joining the line. Victor appeared at my side in a blink.
“Sinclair.”
“Wilson.”
We slowly moved up the line, me stealing glances at him when he wasn’t looking. “So, we’re just not going to talk about it,” I blurted.
“Talk about what?”
“Owen, Levi, and those other guys. You said you were going to take care of it, then you walked off all tough. What did you do?”
“It’s ongoing,” Victor replied, stepping up to grab a tray. “I’ll tell you when it’s done.”
“Why are you being mysterious? Just tell me.”
“Why are you being impatient? Just wait.”
I groaned. “I don’t need you to fight my battles.”
“No, you’ll just think I’m a sexless coward if I don’t.”
My eyes popped. Is this guy for real? “Hey, you were the one who—!”
Victor sweetly cut in. “We don’t fight in public, remember, honey pie?”
Huffing, I snatched up my tray and made a beeline for the cinnamon buns drizzled in chocolate hazelnut sauce. I could list a million awful things about this school, but their food wouldn’t be on it.
Victor met back up with me at the drink station. He poured coffee while I opted for milk and shooting him dirty looks. And to think there was half a millisecond where I thought he might not be that bad.
Settling down at our table, we ate our breakfast in silence.
I should’ve given the eggs and bacon another try.
Victor smothered a laugh.
“What are you laughing at?”
He chuckled, silver pools shining with mirth. “I’m laughing at you.”
“Me?” My hand flew to my face, checking if there was something on it. “For what?”
“Did you know you make this kind of moany, snorty sound when you eat something good?”
“I do not,” I cried.
“Oh yeah, you do.” He snorted, mimicking me, and nearly toppled his chair cracking up. “Like a happy little piggy.”
Embarrassment melted me into a puddle on the leather. “I will take you down in this café in front of all your friends.”
Breathless, he threw up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I didn’t say it wasn’t cute. You can be my happy piggy all you want, Luna Sinclair.”
And then the puddle evaporated and reduced to vapors escaping in any direction as fast as they could. If there’s something to say in response to that, I didn’t know it.
“You going to let me try one of those cinnamon buns?”
His grin was doing weird things to my body temperature. Let him try it? I was about to have them checked for tampering. Wilder may have had a point about eating in this place.
“I’m not sure,” I replied, forcing an even tone. “I’m still considering choosing violence.”
“It’s inevitable that I’ll grow on you.” Victor helped himself to my bun, painting his lips with icing and chocolate, then swiping his tongue over the treat as my legs clenched under the table. “As annoying, arrogant, and spoiled as you think I am, it won’t change a thing. You falling for me is going to happen. But I’m still curious how you plan to win my heart, honey pie. I’m not a cheap date.”
This is our game, Luna. Play it. Keep a cool head in, and your feelings out.
“Pretty sure I don’t have to do much,” I breezed. “Just flashing you my boobs will get you in a closet with your pants down.”
He held up his hand. “I say we test that theory.”
Biting my lip, I penned in a laugh. “I get it. I should put in as much effort as you to make this work.” Despite being blackmailed into this engagement in the first place.
“Does Friday night dinner count for sixty percent of the effort? Because your mother has perfected making a person feel small in five words or less.”