Page 114 of Challenge Me

“Funny you should mention that. I have a list.”

“Yeah, I bet you do.” Taking both sides of his face, I pressed my lips to his firmly.

He hummed against me and wrapped his arms around my neck. “I have to be honest here. I’m afraid to go to your bedroom.”

I pulled back slightly. “Why?”

“You might have a porcelain doll collection in there. Frankly, I won’t tolerate those creepy eyes following me around.”

I tried to shove away from him, but he tightened his arms around my neck.

“Fine,” he said against my mouth. “I’ll tolerate it for you.” His tongue slid over mine, and he released a throaty groan. “But . . .” His teeth tugged on my lip before he sucked on it. “If I wake up to a Werther’s caramel on my pillow, that’s the last straw.”

“Shut the fuck up, Remi.”

I went for his pants, and he finally seemed to take the demand to heart.

At some point, I’d have to sneak away from him tonight. If I was lucky, he wouldn’t notice when I grabbed those caramels from the cabinet and tossed them into the safe. I wasn’t sure my pride could handle another round of his damn jokes, especially if he ever found out he’d been right about something.

Chapter 30

Remi

What altar built of bone and sin,

Could cage the storm you carry in?

Each kiss, a shroud; each breath, a blade;

And still I kneel, unmade, remade.

“I have math. I hate it.”

Mal’s voice snapped me out of my haze. As my eyes focused, bringing the phone back into view, I wanted to go right back into it.

“Hey, Little Valkyrie.”

She plopped onto the couch beside me and peered at the screen. “Uh oh.”

“Yeah,” I sighed.

There was no denying I’d pushed Clara’s buttons. She might have dug deeper regardless, but it was in the tone of her writing. The words she used were punchy where they’d previously feigned curiosity.

“As if Mr. Keane’s past wasn’t concerning enough already, we’ve discovered that he may have a spottier history than we once thought. Not only did he appear in New Haven quite suddenly, but he seems to have been fleeing. What was he running from? A restraining order taken out two years ago might give us the information we all so desperately need.”

In my opinion, they didn’t need any information. Desperately, no less.

It wouldn’t have pissed me off that much, except that she was framing me as someone of severely questionable character by very deliberately leaving out the details. The best way to get clicks was to make the audience wait for the big reveal, and these people would no doubt fall for it like the screen zombies they were.

Amir was in the backyard, dealing with a phone call from his agent, Vera, and some other people who were somehow relevant. That was enough to tell me this wasn’t an ideal start to the season.

“Are you alright, Remi?” Avery asked as she came into the living room.

I put on the best smile I could. “Just the same tired narrative.”

“I saw. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Shaking my head, I got to my feet. When I pulled her in for a hug, she made a surprised sound, then returned it a little awkwardly. After I pulled back, she smoothed down her dress.