The Sinners - Ruby Vincent Page 0,37

I when it’s mine too? Queue that bad boy up.”

Camila clapped. “Yay.”

We weren’t insta-friends after Leo and her moving in here. Camila was growing on me, though, and if anything I could do would make her feel better, I was happy to do it.

“Did you eat dinner?” she asked. “I can ask Cassius to bring it up for you.”

“No, that’s what my brother is for. The kid is vexed with me anyway, so it’s my chance to force him up here and love him into submission.”

“You’re hilarious, Em.”

My eyebrows shut up. Nicknames? Maybe we were friends.

I shot Eli a text and then hopped in the shower. My afternoon with Royal sluiced down the drain, but I’d be back again the next day to indulge the heady perfume of citrus, sweat, and sex we made together.

Eli showed up with a tray soon after I got dressed. His face was pinched like it got when he was ticked at me and was planning to hold on to that grudge until one of us died. Proving I was hilarious and honest, I took the tray off his hands, picked him up, and tossed him on the bed. Eli flailed as I jumped on him, peppering him with kisses, and tickled the breath from his lungs.

He eventually got away from me. Red-faced, Eli threw all the pillows on my bed at me as was my standard punishment.

“Please understand, Eli.” I got serious. “You can’t come with me on this. It’s too dangerous.”

“If it’s dangerous for me, it’s dangerous for you. Who is going to have your back?”

“Royal is helping me.”

Surprise overcame his features. “He is?”

“Yes. I won’t be on my own. Eli, you can’t do this with me, but I will tell you everything. I promise. No holding back or keeping you in the dark. If I find out where our parents are, you will be the first one I tell.”

He dropped his shoulders, anger and tension seeping out. After a minute, he nodded.

I held out my arms. “I’ll take my hug now.”

Eli pinked, cutting eyes to Camila, but in the end, he squeezed me tight.

“Want to stay for the movie?” I asked him.

He nodded yes. The three of us scrunched up on Camila’s bed, laughing at jokes we laughed at before, while I snuck glances at the clock. Clay was picking me up at nine for our... date?

Was it a date? Or were we skipping to bed like I did with Cassius and Royal?

He told me to wrap up warm. We have to be going outside.

Doesn’t mean there won’t be sex involved, added the sex-drunk vixen that was my new alter ego. It’s good I put on my sexiest underwear just in case.

The movie wrapped up a little before nine. I walked Eli out in time for Clay to come out of the boys’ side.

“Hey, Ember. You ready?”

Clay was so perfectly perfect a goofy smile fought my lips. His hair was damp from a shower. A warm sweater and loose jeans clung to his frame—much like I planned to.

“I’m ready. Walk Eli to his dorm with me and then we can go.”

“Sounds good.” As though it was natural, Clay laced his fingers through mine and kissed my hand.

Shivers traveled up my arm and turned my goofy smile up to maximum. We stood there grinning at each other until I noticed Eli openly staring at me.

“Are you guys going on a date?”

I couldn’t fault him. He got his bluntness from growing up around me.

“Yeah. First one.”

He crooked a brow. “What happened to ‘stay away from the Angels, Eli’?”

If anyone could inject wry smugness into sign language, it was my brother.

“Things change. They’re watching out for us now. The Angels told the school you’re not to be touched.”

“Really? That’s cool of them.” He cocked his head. “Does this mean I can ask Royal to design my future tattoo?”

“You two can design plans to drive me crazy. You’re both the experts.”

Laughing, he stepped on the elevator.

“Why does it seem like I witnessed a battle you lost?” asked Clay.

“Because that’s my every day with this imp.” I hooked Eli around the shoulder and dropped a kiss on his crown. “He’s particularly amused by my going on a date with a guy I warned him to stay away from a few weeks ago.”

“A date, huh?”

I peeked at him through lowered lashes. “Did I use the wrong word?”

Clay stroked my thumb. “No.”

We said bye to Eli on the first floor. I waited till he was in his dorm and