Chapter 168

#35

Emma’s chest is heaving as she looks from me to Eli and then back again, her face a mixture of deep betrayal and absolute disbelief.

“Emma,” I say, my voice dropping into a frantic, hushed whisper as I step back from the edge of the bed. My mind is racing, scrambling through a dozen different lies before realizing that there is absolutely no way to explain away the fact that she just caught me swallowing my bodyguard’s tongue. “It’s not what it looks like. Just… just let me explain.”

She steps fully into the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click that sounds like a guillotine dropping. “Oh, really, Lucia? It’s not what it looks like? Because from where I’m standing, it looks exactly like you’re hooking up with the guy who is supposedly supposed to be protecting you, while our best friend is downstairs crying her eyes out because he just broke her heart. Is that the explanation, or do you have a more creative script prepared?”

Eli shifts slightly