Page 126 of Knox Academy Omnibus
“Is Baxter going to be here?” I ask.
“What? No,” Kalen cries in disbelief.
“You both want me to go to this party?” I ask them. They both nod hopefully. “Get Baxter here.”
“Amelie—” Kalen groans.
“Those are my terms. You get Baxter hereandyou leave me alone for the night.”
There’s a silent standoff between us, but Kalen gives in with a deflated sigh.
“Fine.” He pulls out his phone to text someone and I grin in triumph.
“Good boy,” I snigger, patting his head like a dog on the way past. “Elsie, you have some serious making up to do!”
“I’m so sorry?—”
“Stop!” I cry, holding up my hand. “Just get me another drink and we’ll call it even.”
Elsie was right. Itisthe party of the year. Kalen disappears into the crowd, and I feel myself relax. I can do this. I can have a good time with my bestie, without a Knox boy around. Together we grab drinks and hit the dance floor, moving to the pounding bass like we haven’t a care in the world. There’s more people here than I’ve seen on campus since returning, but I guess I have been holed up in bed for most of that. Still, I can’t help but wonder if everyone here is a student. It’s easy to tell which ones are: they’re giving me the skank-eye. No one dares approach methough and I wonder if it’s due to Baxter’s warning or the fact that this is a Knox party.
“Amelie!” a surprised voice cries. “I didn’t expect you to come.” I spin around to see Slate approaching me and despite the drink in my hand I have just sipped from, my mouth goes dry at the sight of him.
“I didn’t exactly know what Elsie was dragging me to,” I grumble. And then because I feel like a bit of a dick, I grudgingly add, “Happy Birthday. I didn’t bring a gift.”
“Thanks,” he chuckles. “But it’s not my birthday until tomorrow...well, a few hours from now. But I’ll be sure to tell Onyx you send well wishes.”
“You guys were born on different days?” I ask, surprised. I don’t know any twins born on different days.
“Different years,” Slate clarifies, grinning at me.
“Whoa, that’s mind blowing,” I mutter to myself.
“It’s good to see you, Amelie,” Slate says softly. I look into his dark eyes and feel a pang. I miss him. I miss what we had. Lie or not, I can still miss it, right?
“I won’t keep you, but I wanted to say you look stunning. Have a good night.”
With a move like he’s about to kiss me, he suddenly stops and pulls away. He grimaces apologetically at me, then he disappears into the crowd and I’m left reeling. Is he fucking with me?
“You summoned me?” a dark voice whispers in my ear sometime later and I shudder against the hard body pressed against my back. The faint smell of cigarettes and leather fills my senses, even over the chaos of the party. Baxter. I don’t reply, but dance back against him, relaxing. He grabs my hips and moves withme, his breath hot against my neck as he speaks once more. “What are you up to, Robin?”
I chuckle at the sidekick reference, relieved that the humour breaks the sexual tension. It’s not Baxter, it never has been, but damn if I don’t needsomethingfromsomeone.
“You really think you’re Batman?” I ask him, still dancing. I may have put a little more swing in my hips.
“I missed you, little sidekick,” he chuckles, grinding against me and driving all thought from my mind. “So tell me, who are we pissing off tonight?”
“No one,” I say, turning in his arms so that we’re face to face. I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck, our chests touching. He looks good, smells divine. Why can’t I just fancy him? Life would be a lot simpler if I chose him over the Knox brothers.
“I don’t fancy you either,” he laughs darkly. “Probably for the best. We’d burn the world down together.”
“Sounds appealing.”
“It’s tempting.” He fake sighs. “But let’s just stick to games for now.”
“Deal,” I tell him before planting my lips on his. I feel Onyx’s furious gaze on us and grin a little against Baxter’s lips. Okay, so I lied about not wanting to make anyone jealous. So sue me.
“Amelie,” Elsie interrupts with a disapproving frown. “Let’s get another drink. And that food you promised me.”
