Treachery

“You must be Luca. I’ve heard about you.”

I don’t know whether to be pleased by that or terrified.

“I’m sure whatever you’ve heard is a lie. Or something worse.”

She nudges me with a shoulder and reaches to accept a beer Gabriel hands her. Another is waved in front of my face, my head turning to look at him. He cocks a brow, giving me a pouty lip when I don’t immediately take it.

“I thought we had a deal?”

I glance at Ava, back at him.

“Fine. But just one more.”

“Actually, what I heard is that you’re the only woman brave enough to go toe to toe with Ta

Turning back to her, I pop the cap from my beer, and take the first sip.

“Brave or stupid,” I say, setting the bottle on the table while the guys ante up for another round.

Sawyer’s voice lifts above the music and din of conversation, “Hey, just so you all know, I invited a few people over.”

That a

I grin to think Ta

“Ta

Maybe I should have cut myself off after the first beer. I’m becoming far too comfortable around the guys.

A few of them hoot and smile at what I said, Sawyer leaning across the table to high five me.

Great. I’ve become an instigator. But then, that’s what Ta

“Ta

At the confused look on my face, she explains, “He pulled in behind me just a few minutes ago when I arrived.”

“He was on a date.”

She shrugs and sips her beer. “Guess it was a short one. He didn’t look happy at all when he got out of his car. Last I saw, he was going around to side door into the house. He didn’t even acknowledge me.”

Without saying a word, Gabriel gets up from the table and silently leaves the room, my eyes following him as he turns a corner to run upstairs.

Wondering what that is all about, I try to ignore the small amount of satisfaction I feel to know Ta

I don’t have too much time to think about it, though. People start pouring into the house within the next twenty minutes, not as many as when the Inferno threw parties at Yale, but enough to fill the dining room and living room.

Eventually, Ava drags me away from the table to let other guys sit in on the poker game. She leads me to a couch where other women are sitting, none of which I recognize.

We go through the introductions and settle down into conversation, the night wearing on without any sign of Ta

How bad is it that my eyes keep sca

I shouldn’t feel this way about man who’s been nothing but a nightmare, but I can’t deny he does something to me that goes beyond the typical anger I feel.

Everybody has seen better...

Some of the last words he said to me filter through my thoughts and remind me why I have to keep hating him so much. But beneath that, there’s confusion.

He’s so hot and cold. A bastard when we’re arguing, but something else when we’re not. There’s attraction on both sides. I’m not stupid enough to try to deny it, but it feels like we’re fighting it as much as we’re fighting each other.

Still, I won’t deny how my body reacts to him every time he’s near. I can’t ignore the increased speed of my pulse when he touches me, the way my breath catches when he looks at me like I’m the only woman in the world that he sees.

It doesn’t help that Ava has apparently heard of me, that my name should carry any significance when it comes to the Inferno.

I’m nothing more than a game to Ta

But after tonight, it doesn’t completely feel that way. They relaxed around me for once, showed me they can be decent people.

Maybe I misjudged them.

A weight drops down beside me suddenly, a heavy arm going around my shoulders when I turn to see Sawyer’s easy smile.

“Hello, ladies. I’ve been sent over to find out why you all are gathering over here and avoiding the men. I, personally, am offended by it. It makes me feel like I’m easy to resist. I’m going to need all of you to stare at me longingly so that my ego resets to its normal level.”

He tightens his arm around me and winks, those gorgeous brown eyes sca

“Always the charmer,” Ava jokes. “One who will never grow up.”

Sawyer grins at that, a boyish look to his face that is adorable.

“Growing up is boring. I’ll let Ta

It only reminds me that neither Ta

While Sawyer and the women around me start talking amongst themselves, I cradle my beer to my chest, my back relaxing against Sawyer’s warm chest as I glance at the stairs wondering why they’re avoiding us.

I’m stupid to even notice their absence.

I know that.

But I can’t help the worry I feel that neither of them has come downstairs.

What could have happened that they are spending so much time away?

And more important than that:

Why do I even care?