cracked his drink open and took a long sip. At least he wasn't trying to murder my espresso machine this morning. "Ride with Arch, or you don't go."
My fists clenched, and I tried those calming breaths that Aunt Marie had tried to teach me. "Why him?" I had my back to Steele and was halfway out of the kitchen when I stopped to ask that question.
He didn't answer immediately, and I could feel him moving closer.
"Because my car got blown up yesterday, Hellcat," he said softly from far too close behind me. My hair shifted, and I knew he'd touched one of the loose waves. "And Arch has bulletproof glass in all his cars."
Curiosity warred with anger, and I stiffened. "Why does Archer have bulletproof glass in his cars, Steele?"
I knew I wouldn't get the real reason, but I had to ask. After his whole spiel to me yesterday, going on about how there were too many secrets between us... fucking hypocrite.
"You'll have to ask him that," Steele responded, and my shoulders sagged with disappointment.
I heaved a sigh and shook my head. "Forget I asked. Tell Archer I'll be waiting in the garage. I don't intend to be late for class just because he needs to manscape in the shower."
"Madison Kate," Steele called after me as I left the kitchen, but I was in no mood. I flipped him off without a backward glance and went to find my shoes and bag.
I'd planned on wearing my usual flat-soled boots, but now that the guys had made an enemy of me again, I felt the need for a bit more height.
Tossing my boots back into my closet, I stuffed my feet into a pair of high-heeled Timberland boots. They were a gorgeous deep crimson with black fur around the ankle, and boosted me a solid four inches without killing my feet, thanks to the small platform at the toe. As if by fate, they matched the sweater I was wearing perfectly, and my black skinny jeans went with everything anyway.
Satisfied, I snagged my bag and slipped it over my shoulder as I headed down to the enormous garage. I seriously doubted Archer would have the Corvette back yet, but I hadn't seen him drive anything else, so I had no clue which cars were his. All three of the boys seemed to have a suspicious amount of money at their disposal, and only Steele had given me any impression it might have come from family.
The simple fact that his parents had been grooming him as a concert pianist and wanted him to attend Juilliard... that just sort of reeked of an upper-class upbringing.
"Over here, Princess," Archer drawled from somewhere farther into the line of cars and bikes. I followed the sound of his voice and found him leaning on the side of a low-slung black sports car. I was by no means a car expert, but the vehicle oozed dollar signs.
"Of course all your cars are black," I commented when he popped the passenger-side door open for me. I waited until he came around and slid into the driver's seat before finishing my statement. "Matches your soul."
He fucking laughed, and I seethed. Clearly he hadn't learned from the steroid powder incident. I needed to come up with something better. After all, what else would I do with my time now that I was under house arrest?
We drove to Shadow Grove University in silence, but stupid fucking Archer D'Ath just couldn't resist the urge to take one last stab at my sanity as we drove into the student parking lot.
"You're actually kind of adorable when you're asleep, Princess Danvers." He delivered it as such casual commentary, like we hadn't whispered our hatred of each other in the darkness of my bedroom.
I shot a glare at him, waiting for the punchline. He didn't look at me, though, as he maneuvered into a new parking space—his usual one, along with Steele's, was still taped off.
He stopped the car and killed the engine before turning to me with a sly smirk. "Mainly because you're silent."
I rolled my eyes and unbuckled my seat belt. "Weak, D'Ath. Try harder next time, and maybe one of your arrows will fly straight."
Stepping out of his car, I slammed the door harder than necessary and made my way into the campus without waiting around for him to join me. He probably didn't even have classes today, given how infrequently he'd attended prior to this.