Page 10 of Harnessed in Gold

I unfold my blue dress, my cheeks catching on fire as I note how permeated it is with his cologne. I led him on—the way I danced with him, kissed him, put his hand on my thigh. I used him for comfort and familiarity. And, to his credit, he was everything I ever wanted him to be.

Until he wasn’t.

As I hang the dress to air, I pick up another scent. Leo. Last night,he held me upright when I was flagging. He scooped me up and carried me to his couch, and I slept there under one of his blankets, cocooned in his warm, earthy scent. Comfort and familiarity in two very different but equally toxic men.

I frown at the dress. An air-out might not be enough to rid this light blue crepe of all my shame and confusion. I give it a wide berth and force a smile. “How was the rest of the ball?”

Liv brightens for a moment, then bites her lip. “Oh, it was good.”

Poor thing, she doesn’t know I can sense every one of her emotions. There’s no need for her to feel guilty for having fun. “Seriously, Liv, I’m fine. I want to know.” To encourage her, I grin. “All the juicy details.”

Hesitantly, she tells me about the drunken serenade the brothers gave her for being chosen next year’s Sweetheart. But before long, she’s beaming. “I think it was Cole’s idea. He’s a really good singer. Did you know that?”

“Cole? Well, there’s a surprise.”

While I transfer the dirty clothes from the suitcase to my laundry bag, she chatters about the line dances everyone did and how badly they did them. About Jenna spilling Long Island Iced Tea down her dress, and about Evan, a pledge, getting it on with some girl in the women’s bathroom.

“Getting it on, getting it on?”

Liv smirks. “Oh, yeah.”

“Why didn’t they just go up to their room?”

“Because she wasn’t his date.”

“Oh.” Well then, I guess the girl he came with had an even worse night than I did.

Liv gushes, “This morning I stuck around to help Mia and Jenna with the cleanup and stuff. They said it was ‘Sweetheart training.’”

“Smart. You’ll be in charge of next year’s formal.”

“Oh, I’m already thinking.” She taps a finger on her head. “I’ve got some great ideas for themes. What do you think of The Golden Age of Hollywood?”

“I think it’s fantastic,” I say. Because it is. And it’s the reason why Liv is the perfect choice for Sweetheart. “How was your night with Braden, by the way?”

“Good. Really good.” She flops onto her bed while I shove my empty suitcase under mine. “But, god, he was such a grump this morning. Poor baby. He’s so cute when he’s hungover.”

Dread pools in my empty stomach. If what Lara said is true, and Braden only took Liv to the ball to get me to go with Zander, then he no longer has a reason to stick with Liv. And every reason to be grumpy about her being Sweetheart.

Unable to fight my frown, I busy myself with my phone.

Liv asks, “Did you get Zander’s messages?”

I nod. “I was hoping you would tell him I got home safe.”

“I did. It’s just…” She scrunches up her face.

“I know.” I can picture him moping and pouting. And some of it probably wasn’t even fake.

“And god, Betts, Lara was like a… a vulture.”

I let out a slow breath. “She’s a disease.”

“For what it’s worth, he didn’t give in this time.”

I nod. What is there to say? Zander’s sex life is no longer my business.

“Have you had breakfast yet?” I ask, pocketing my phone and grabbing my keys.