collected secrets like some people collected coins. I sometimes wondered where he stashed them all.
“Your mama made you quit, yeah? Such a shame. Those tiny leotards you wore were my favorite,” he replied with a smirk.
God, I missed wearing them. I missed everything about gymnastics.
I let out an exhale before heading to the mirror. I pulled out my bag of makeup and slowly began applying my war paint. Godfrey grabbed a brush from my bag and started running it through my hair, making sure to scrape the bristles of the brush along my scalp in an almost painful way.
“You’re going to look good at the Junior Debutante dance,” he said, changing the conversation.
Surprised, I looked at him in the reflection. So that was it? No threats about how he was going to tell my mama? No blackmail bargains? I didn’t trust him for a single second.
“I guess.”
“You know, I’m surprised you gave in so easily. Frilly dresses and socialite bullshit was never really your thing. I expected you to put up more of a fight...maybe bargain a bit.”
I traced my eyes with charcoal liner and bit my lip as I mulled over his words. He was right. I usually wouldn’t have given in so easily. But I’d been too shocked by the murder that I’d witnessed and too addicted to the possibility of being friends with them again to really consider it.
“Yeah, I guess I dropped the ball on the manipulation tactics,” I said dryly. “You would know, since those are your speciality.”
I started sifting through my various glosses until I found a pink tinted one, then slowly began applying it, puckering my lips once I was done to appreciate the color.
Godfrey looked contemplative. “Your mama must be ecstatic. She’s always wanted you to be a Savannah debutante. Hell, she would probably give anything to have you up on that stage next year,” he said, looking at me pointedly.
Our eyes met in the mirror again, and I suddenly realized what Godfrey was suggesting. And he was right.
A smile bloomed over my face. I could bargain with my mama to do this. Feeling suddenly ecstatic, I spun around and wrapped my arms around his neck before kissing his jawline. I smiled when I saw the pink of my lipstick there. “Your evil genius never ceases to amaze me, Godfrey Taylor.”
He reached up behind him and yanked my hands from his grip before pinching my cheeks together with his fingers. He stared at me, and there was a confusing mix of irritation and arousal in his eyes.
“I learned from the best,” he said before looking once more at my lips. “But I need something from you, too.”
Without warning, Godfrey leaned forward and placed his lips against mine. My first reaction was to compare his firm touch to Rogue’s devouring pout. He was clinical, moving in practiced swoops of his tongue and holding my neck in place as he did so. It was a nice kiss. And maybe if I wasn’t still on the high that was Rogue Kelly, I would have been able to feel more invested when he bit my bottom lip, or maybe I could have pressed my towel-clad body to his as he groaned against me. Maybe I would have shivered when he whispered that I tasted good.
But it just wasn’t there. When he pulled away, his lips were covered with pink and I had to smile at that, because it felt a bit empowering. He looked feral, chest heaving as he trailed a finger along the veins in my neck. And even though I tried to hide it, Godfrey could always see through me.
He dropped his hands, and a small sigh escaped him as he stuffed his fingers into his pockets. “It was always him, huh?” Godfrey asked.
Of course he would know who I really wanted to be kissing. The Heirs had always been my friends. They were handsome and captivating. There was a time that I couldn’t decide between them. I liked flirting with them all, teasing them, playing with them.
But when Rogue and I had come together on the stairs, everything changed. Our souls, our anger, and our desire imprinted on each other. We clung to each other like shadows. Rogue Kelly was my Achilles heel, and I’d never take another step without feeling the aching pain of his rejection.
I was surprised when Godfrey decided to walk me to class after I’d gotten dressed. My pink lipstick was still smeared across his chin and I told