“Want to get out of here?” Kinslee whispered to me.
I shook my head. Better to face them, rather than run away like I was guilty.
Holding my head high, I continued making my way through the room to the lunch line. I chose and paid for my food on autopilot, answering Cassius and Kinslee without really hearing them.
As I slumped in my seat with a sigh, my skin prickled with awareness. I was so attuned to his presence that it felt like a magnet was pulling me in his direction.
I turned my head.
Over on the far side of the room was Caiden. My breath caught in my throat as I stared at him. His raven hair was all tousled, the muscles in his arms flexing under his tattoos as he leaned forward, planting one hand on the wall and shoving the other into the pocket of his jeans. He was so sexy, so assured, confidence radiating from him as he effortlessly commanded my attention, without even being aware he was doing so.
I wanted him.
So much.
It was taking everything I had to keep him in the friend zone, but I couldn’t—
Wait a minute.
My eyes slid from Caiden to the person he was talking to. Until that moment, my entire focus had been on him, until I saw the slim hand landing on his arm, sliding up his bicep.
Hot, raging jealousy filled me, and I gasped aloud at the force of it. If I’d ever doubted my feelings for him, there was no doubting them now. My whole body vibrated with tension, desperate to race over to him and pry Portia’s claws from his arm and claim him as mine.
Mine.
I couldn’t tear my gaze away. I watched as he smiled down at her, watched her toss her perfect hair, batting her perfect eyelashes, thrusting her perfect tits towards him.
It hurt. Way, way more than I thought it would.
“Winter,” Cassius hissed, bending his head to my ear and putting his arm around me. “All isn’t as it seems.”
“Isn’t it?” I laughed bitterly. “Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like Portia’s making a move on him, and he isn’t doing anything to discourage her.”
“That’s your jealousy talking, babe. I shouldn’t have to tell you, but he likes you. A lot. I knew it before either of you, and now he knows it, too.” He gave me a smug smile. “There’s no way he’d fuck things up. Plus, you asked him to trust you. That goes both ways.”
“I know that,” I mumbled. “It’s her I don’t trust. But what if he decides I’m not worth the effort?”
“You really think that?”
I made a non-committal noise, managing to finally tear my gaze away from Caiden, becoming aware that Cassius was still talking to me.
“Sorry, what was that? I zoned out for a minute.”
He rolled his eyes but squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. “We’re gonna sort out this shit with Granville. I’ve been thinking, and”—his voice dropped, so Kinslee and I both had to lean in to hear him—“things aren’t adding up. Have you got time to talk?”
I picked up my phone to check the time. “I’ve got a lecture in twenty minutes. I’ll be free after that, though.”
“Good. Meet me out the front of the Brunswick building at four o’clock. We need to go somewhere we won’t be overheard.”
“You’re not leaving me behind.” Kinslee’s tone was firm, non-negotiable.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, babe. I’ll see if West is free, too. Z’s…busy, and I don’t wanna involve him or Cade yet, anyway. It might be speculation, but my instincts are never wrong.”
“Never? You seem very sure of yourself.” I laughed.
“Never.”
“It’s dark already.” I shivered, pulling my beanie hat lower so it covered my ears, sinking down onto the large flat stone that Cassius had covered with a thick blanket from his car.