Cruel Kiss

Fucking fuck.

What the hell just happened?

9

WHITLEY

What the hell just happened?

I fell face-first on the bed with a frustrated groan. Gavin had been so eager to bring up Robert. I’d seen the fear in his eyes that said he didn’t want me to ruin his friendship.

I didn’t know what I’d just done. All I could think was panic. Don’t be the girl who comes between friends. Don’t be the girl who hurts people. Don’t show them that you care enough about any of it.

So, basically, my MO.

If you didn’t care about anything, then you couldn’t get hurt.

Except that I had cared about what happened last night with Gavin. I’d lit up in a way that I didn’t remember ever doing before. And it was beyond the rocking orgasm. It was something about being with him.

But that look.

Ugh!

And then what was that at the end? When he’d said it was too bad it couldn’t happen again. He was the one who had made it seem like he didn’t want it to happen again. Sure, he’d offered me breakfast or whatever, but that was just Gavin.

He didn’t want anyone to know. He didn’t want it to get back to Robert. So, I’d followed along.

And as much as I wanted to not care, it hurt.

I needed to get it together. Katherine was coming in today, and we had a girls’ trip planned.

I’d told Gavin that we could just be friends. That nothing had to change. Just like what he wanted.

I could do that.

I could play the part.

But I needed a shower first.

By the time I headed down to the pool, I’d missed breakfast. I ordered a carb-heavy snack from the waiter, coupled with my standard piña colada, and collapsed next to Lark and English.

“God, I’m tired. I still feel hungover,” I complained.

Lark laughed. “Well, you and Gavin were drinking pretty heavily.”

“We were.”

“How late did you stay out?” English asked.

“Uh, I don’t know. To bar close.” I really did not want to talk about Gavin King right now. Last night had made me heat up, and this morning had doused me with ice water. It was enough to make any girl have whiplash. I quickly changed the subject. “So, have you heard from Katherine?”

“She got in a few minutes ago,” Lark said. “She texted and said she’d meet us poolside. So, here we wait.”

“I wonder how her anniversary went,” English said.

“How do you think it went? She has an arranged marriage, and they practically hate each other,” I said.

Lark shook her head. “No, they don’t hate each other. There’s something there. I just don’t know how she deals with it.”

“He’s an ass, but he’s our ass,” English said. “He helped me when I had the issue with the publicity firm.”

“Yeah.”

“And he got Court out of trouble.”

I laughed. “You got Court out of trouble.”

She waved a drink at me. “It’s a theme.”

“He also helped get Sam a job,” Lark said.

“And crushed that horrid ex of yours,” I pointed out.

Lark wrinkled her nose. “How could I forget? But regardless, he pushes all of her buttons.”

“That can be fun in bed,” I said, waggling my eyebrows.

“It can,” Lark agreed. “If Katherine would dare to let him.”

English grinned devilishly. “All of us would dare to let him if we weren’t currently attached.”

Lark snorted. “Not me. I grew up on the Upper East Side. I don’t go that crazy anymore.”

“Anymore, she says,” I said with a laugh.

Lark tossed a throw pillow at me. “Hey!”

We all fell into a fit as my nachos, fries, and drink showed up. I tipped the waiter and dug in. I was nearly done with my hangover cure when Katherine Van Pelt herself appeared in all her glory. If I wasn’t already sure I was bi, then Katherine would have confirmed that for me. Because, damn, she could wear a bikini.

English jumped up first and pulled her into a hug. Katherine dumped her stuff on a chair, but to our surprise, Camden didn’t immediately disappear. In fact, it was weird enough that they’d shown up to the pool together. They never did things together that weren’t specifically planned.

Camden asked her about a drink and then attacked her mouth. My eyes widened in shock. Camden Percy initiating public displays of affection. What in the hell was happening?

It wasn’t until he left that she came clean.

“Well, we have a sort of … truce.”

“Truce?” Lark prompted.

“Yeah. We’re not going to argue at all while we’re here. Going to just … see how it goes.”

Lark saw one of her other friends and pulled Katherine over to say hi. English and I exchanged a glance.

“A truce? With Camden?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Seems like a recipe for disaster. But what do I know?”

“Maybe it’ll be good for her.”

“Maybe.”

“And what about you?”

“Me?”

English rolled her eyes. “You were flirting with Gavin all night. Don’t act so innocent.”