Page 23 of Cruel Hearts

Rolling my shoulders, I glared into his gray eyes. “You three owe me, not the other way around.”

“Because of you, Maxwell has been suspended. Again.”

I tilted my head to the side. “But it was you who went away, wasn’t it?” His nostrils flared, and triumph flared across my insides. I pulled my shoulders back and smirked. “What would the Board of Governors say about one twin taking the other’s punishment?”

“Shut your mouth,” he snarled. “Or I’ll—”

“What? Have me thrown to the dogs? In jail? You fuckers already tried that, and it didn’t work.”

“It’s that kind of foul language that got you into trouble,” he snarled.

A laugh huffed out of my chest. “Really?” This guy was so ridiculously uptight. “I thought a petty aristocrat gone mad with inbreeding had gotten us both arrested. Or is your tongue so far up Elizabeth’s ass that you forgot what she screeched to the police on Friday night?”

His lips tightened. “That’s why I’m here. Orlando says you’re not joining forces with us.”

“That’s right.”

“Elizabeth won’t stop persecuting you until you fight back.”

“What does she have against me?”

He sniffed. “You’re an affront to everything great about Templar Academy.”

I placed my hands on my hips. “You believe Elizabeth’s bullshit?”

His face dropped. “What are you talking about?”

“She’s brainwashed you into thinking everyone who isn’t her is somehow unworthy. Apart from being born into the right family, what’s Elizabeth Liddell ever done to earn anyone’s respect?”

Kendrick’s face tightened. I wanted to think it was because he had come to his senses and realized how much time he had wasted on a backstabbing viper, but I didn’t know the guy. However, watching every expression play out on his face gave me a thrill of satisfaction.

He said, “You’ll need us if you’re going to survive the next two years at Templar Academy.”

I glanced at my imaginary watch and stifled a yawn. “Send your asshole brother and best friend over to grovel. They might be irritating wankers but at least they’re not boring.”

He drew in a sharp breath through his teeth, and I gave myself a mental high-five. Kendrick might act high and mighty, but he’d been an instrumental part of Friday’s catastrophe. Without another retort, he strode to the door and turned the latch.

“One more thing.” Kendrick’s voice shook with restraint. “If you decide to join us, keep your hands off my brother. We both know you fell in love with his depiction of me.”

My eyes bulged. Did I just hallucinate that arrogant declaration? I balled my fists. “I prefer men who’ve experienced more than just their right hands.”

“Recent events prove that you enjoy divesting boys of their virginities.” With a satisfied smirk, he pulled the door open, letting in a swirl of snowflakes.

A shocked gasp escaped my lips. He made me sound like some perverted virginity thief. Kendrick straightened his red, tartan tie and strolled down the steps, leaving the door open for me to watch his back.

No way.

There was no way I would let him have the last word. I rushed to the door and yelled at his retreating back. “If you’re as identical to Maxwell as I’ve observed, I’ve already had your cock.”

Kendrick stopped at the foot of the entrance steps, his shoulders stiffening.

Triumph surged through my veins, making me add,“And let me tell you, I’ve had bigger, better, and a whole lot more satisfying.”

He bounded back up the stairs and glowered down at me, baring his straight white teeth. “Elizabeth was right about you—”

“Right about having your brother thrown in prison and beaten up by my ex?” I placed both hands on his chest, reveling in the frantic beat of his heart against my palms. Even though he acted like a frigid dick, I was getting under his skin. “Get out.”

He stepped through the threshold, his chest heaving with fury. “This is desperate even for you. If you wanted a grope, you should have asked.”