I feel him grin against my cheek, the sweet smile of his that is as much a lie as the rest of him.
It’s a fight to resist the urge I have to lean back against him, though. Part of the liar’s charm is his ability to attract.
He was beautiful in high school, but the years since have only served to carve this man into something damn near irresistible.
“My fault. I should have parked it better.”
Biting the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing, I turn to face my old nemesis.
Instantly, I regret it.
He stares back at me with emerald green eyes that are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. But they’re only simple jewels that adorn a face designed specifically for a woman’s destruction.
My gaze traces the strong line of his jaw. The height of his perfect cheekbones. The straight line of his nose that leads down to perfect lips. When he smiles that full watt grin, it’s a fight not to smile in return.
I know better than to believe it.
“Gabriel,” I purr, “is there a reason you’re down here?”
His eyes search my face, pausing for only a moment on my mouth before he lifts his beguiling stare to mine.
“I was just passing by and thought I’d say hello to an old friend.”
Sure you were, sweetie...
This man can take a long walk off a short pier with that lie.
The smart thing to do right now is to walk away. But I’m in trouble, and the Inferno boys aren’t the only ones adept at playing games. I need something from Gabriel, and I’m willing to play along with just about anything to get it.
I’m that desperate.
“I should hate you right now,” I say, playing coy.
He cocks a brow and steps closer, our bodies brushing together as he lifts a finger to brush a stray hair from my face.
“Why’s that?”
“I think you know.”
Grinning, Gabriel locks his stare with mine.
“I don’t, but if you’d like to tell me about it, I’ll be happy to listen.”
Liar...
He’s not the only one.
After casting a quick glance at the people around us, I turn back to him and lower my voice. “We should talk somewhere else.”
Gabriel nods and wraps his fingers over my arm to lead me away.
Most would believe I’m the idiot falling for his charms. And most would be wrong for assuming that.
I haven’t spent the last few years falling victim to the socialite life my parents want for me. Not like everybody thinks I have.
Instead, I’ve spent them sharpening my edges, honing my skills and perfecting my game.
If our past has taught me anything, it’s that there’s no better person to play against than the silver-tongued devil beside me.
Gabriel
The first time I met Ivy, we were nine.
It wasn’t the best meeting two children could have, mostly because I was in a bad mood and took it out on the first person I saw. I had a hell of a temper when I was young, something I eventually learned to control, but she was the unfortunate target of it that morning.
This war we have?
I started it.
I’m not sure if Ivy remembers that since this has lasted so long, but the beginning was entirely my fault.
I’m a big enough person to admit it.
What happened that day started a fierce hatred and competition that would last the next nine years.
And fate has a lovely habit of bringing things full circle.
It takes effort to control my expression, the corners of my lips fighting to curve because the universe was kind enough to place Ivy in my path again.
I haven’t seen this woman since the night she sank my car in a pool.
The last memory I have of Ivy is the way she stared down at me from the second story balcony of Kevin’s mansion, surrounded by her entourage, a smirk gracing her poisonous lips because she believed she’d won the war. She hadn’t.
She may have won that battle.
And I’ll admit, a few others.
But the war never ended.
It was only postponed for a little while.
That was the last party I attended in our neighborhood before leaving for Yale, the last time I locked eyes with the person I’d fought since we were children.
I’d heard Ivy was sent to an all-women’s college because her father was fed up with the notoriety her pranks and bad behavior had earned her in high school.
That was only part of the reason, but then I know more about it than I should.
Governor Callahan wanted a well-behaved social darling for