Page 159 of Heartless Lord
Sure, I’d let myself go a little over the winter. Who didn’t? But now with summer approaching, I needed to get my ass in shape. Though I’d never admit it to anyone, I wasn’t so sure about marrying Brock.
Despite my father’s money troubles, I was hesitant to tie myself to that man. A chill skirted up my spine, and my shoulders must have trembled because Ashleigh’s perfectly arched brows scrunched together. “You okay, Lore?”
“Yes, I’m fine. It’s just drafty in this damned old house.” I glanced back toward the hearth where the entire fraternity was gathered along with selected special invitees. Everyone was still fawning over Killian, and Lexi was beaming. Ugh, damn I hated how infatuated he was with her. It wasn’t fair. I couldn’t watch this for a second longer without puking. “I’m going upstairs to snag a sweatshirt from one of the guys’ rooms.”
“Who are you hooking up with now?” she asked.
No one. That was the sad truth, but I sure as hell wasn’t admitting that to her. “None of your business.” I threw her a wink.
“You naughty, little thing. It’s someone with a girlfriend, isn’t it?”
I ran my fingers across my mouth in a zipping motion. “My lips are sealed.”
I’d been putting on a masterful performance for so long that lying came as easily as breathing. I’d been playing the part of Lorelei Battenberg, A-student, Vice-President of the Zetas, and perfect daughter to Senator Grayson Battenberg for as long as I could remember.
I didn’t even know who the real Lorelei was anymore.
All I knew was that our finances were in shambles and, according to Dad, the only way to save our family fortune was by marrying Brock.
It wasn’t a future. It was a death sentence.
It didn’t matter that I was only twenty-one and he was thirty-six, or that he was rumored to frequent more high-end escort services than half the male population of Stonewall, or the fact that every time I was around the man every nerve-ending in my body stood on end.
And not in a good way.
I spun away from Ashleigh and weaved around the crowd in the grand living room before making my way up the spiral mahogany staircase. With each step, my feet felt heavier, the inevitability of my bleak future stamped in crisp hundred-dollar bills.
There was something about Brock Haversham that had red flags flaring every time I was near. I knew fucked up men. I’d grown up with one, the greatest actor that ever lived, and I’d hooked up with more than my fair share since I was a teenager, culminating with the completely unhinged Killian Davenport.
But Killian was supposed to be my way out of this mess with Brock. If I could have proven to my father I was capable of finding my own wealthy husband, maybe he would’ve let me out of the deal with the Havershams. The Davenport name had been the key to everything, and I’d lost my ticket out of this forced arrangement with Brock when Killian’s old best friend strolled onto campus.
Killian had tried to deny it for months, but I knew there was something there from the moment I saw him watching Lexi. He’d never looked at me like that, not once.
Who cares?
I didn’t want love. Love made girls weak.
Still, there was something about the way Killian looked at Lexi... It made me wonder what it felt like to be chosen. To be someone’s entire world.
Tossing the pointless thoughts to the back of my mind, I scanned the quiet hallway. The bedrooms were empty, all the members of Sigma Delta downstairs celebrating their new president. Sebastian Davenport was the only notable member surprisingly absent from the festivities.
Killian’s stepbrother had been oddly nonexistent lately. Not that I cared. Now there was a guy with so many red flags not even I dared to mess around with him, despite the countless zeros in his bank account.
As I crept further down the hall, muffled groans seeped through a closed door at the end of the corridor. It was a room I was very familiar with because I’d spent the better part of last year being kicked out of it after getting Killian off.
Tiptoeing closer, I held my breath and pressed my ear to the door.
“Oh, fuck yes, Axel...” A familiar female voice trickled through the thick timber. More moans and the slap of flesh and bodies crashing against each other.
Damn... good for you, Cordelia.
I’d never been a fan of the girl, but she had guts, I’d give her that. I wished I had the balls not to care about anything or anyone. It would’ve made my last three years here at Stonewall much easier.
“I’m going to come...” Axel’s deep voice filtered through the door, and I jumped back, disappearing into the room beside theirs.
If Axel was anything like Killian, there wouldn’t be any cuddling after the fact. I pressed my back against the wall, hiding behind the door for an endless minute. Then another and another.
What the hell were they doing in there?
