Broken Empire A Reverse Harem High School Bully Romance - Callie Rose Page 0,60
was a whole different ballgame, I was discovering.
As we made our way at a snail’s pace across campus, my arm still looped into his, I glanced up at him. I was learning to read the micro-changes in his expressions even when he kept his face carefully blank, but it wasn’t a perfect system. Out of all the Princes, including Mason, Cole was still the most closed off.
“You going home again this weekend?” I asked, studying his face.
A flicker of anger passed over his features, then it cleared as he nodded. “Yup.”
“Cole? What’s—what’s been going on?”
He stiffened beside me, his gait unconsciously picking up speed. I tugged on his arm, and he slowed, but he didn’t look at me. “Nothing.”
“Is your dad—”
The broad-shouldered boy shook his head. “He’s… he’s fine. A few of his business buddies saw that video you took, but he told them he just needed to set me straight. That it was that or the military.” His steps slowed even more, and he turned to look at me. “Were you… under my couch?”
His words surprised me so much that I stopped walking entirely. It was a valid question, just not at all what I’d been expecting him to say.
“Um. Yeah.”
He shot me a look that was part annoyance, part disbelief, and part respect, and I shrugged.
“Hey, all’s fair in love and war.”
Cole was still staring at me, his bright blue eyes penetrating. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
“Is he—?” I knew he didn’t want to talk about this anymore, but I couldn’t let it go until I had some answers. This was the most he’d spoken about his dad in weeks. “Are you… safe?”
“Enough.” He shrugged. “Like you said, sometimes it stops for a while. And at least I get to see Penny every weekend now.”
Something loosened a little in my chest as he spoke, although new worries rose up almost immediately to fill the space.
Maybe his dad was trying to prove to the world—or himself—that he wasn’t a truly abusive parent. That his treatment of his son had been for Cole’s own benefit, that he’d only done it to straighten him out. The same way people sliding into addiction kept telling themselves they could quit anytime.
But at least it gave Cole a small respite.
“That’s good.” I tightened my grip on his arm, which I still held even though we were no longer walking. “I hope I get to meet her someday. She sounds really sweet.”
“You want to?” His face became oddly still as he asked.
“Yeah.” I smiled. “She’s your best girl, isn’t she? I know that makes her special.”
His body was tense and rigid, and I couldn’t begin to guess what was going on in his head as he gazed down at me. He didn’t seem angry, but he was definitely… something.
“I’m taking her to play mini-golf this weekend,” he said suddenly. “Come with us.”
I blinked. “Really?”
He nodded, not saying anything else.
“You sure you want me to?”
His jaw clenched, and he took half a step back from me. “If you don’t want to—”
“No!” I held his arm tighter, not letting him back away. Cole, for as much as he would willingly run into a fight with fists swinging, seemed to struggle with the softer emotions, with feelings of vulnerability. And I had a feeling what he’d just asked had made him feel very vulnerable.
He stopped, regarding me with wary eyes.
“I want to,” I promised. “I really, really want to. I just don’t want to get you in trouble, that’s all.”
His gaze softened a little, and he shook his head. “It shouldn’t. My parents let me take her out places sometimes. They don’t even have to know you’re with us.”
It shouldn’t wasn’t exactly the reassurance he seemed to think it was. His father shouldn’t ever hit him, but obviously that hadn’t stopped Mr. Mercer from doing it on multiple occasions, so what should and shouldn’t happen didn’t mean a whole lot.
But Cole looked almost excited as he watched my face, waiting for my answer—and the truth was, I did want to meet Penny. I wanted to know more about the black-haired boy, and she was such a huge part of his life and of his heart.
“Okay. That sounds fun. What day?”
“Saturday.”
He grinned, and the way it transformed his whole face made my heart squeeze in my chest. He didn’t do it very often, and it gave his broad, heavy features an almost boyish quality. His face settled back into its usual mask quickly, but when we started walking again,