Page 100 of Vicious Desire (Fallen Royals 4)

I open the door and step out, almost directly into Eli.

He catches my waist and pulls me close, grinning.

“Hello, there,” he says.

My heart stutters, and I mirror his expression—even though I’m still annoyed.

I tuck my phone in my pocket and loop my arms around his neck. “Hi.”

“You okay?”

I shrug. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you’re scowling. You’ve got two little lines right… here.” He leans in and presses his lips to the space between my eyebrows.

I let out a shaky sigh.

“And for the record,” he says, his lips still on my forehead, “I was dancing on the table like a drunken fool. Jackie joined me for a minute, and then I hopped down.”

“Oh.”

“She’s jealous of you,” he continues. “I think Skylar probably got it on her phone. I saw her filming videos for her social media.”

I step back, holding his wrist and tugging him with me.

“I don’t want people to be jealous of me. I just want to… be.”

He nods once and follows me inside.

Butterflies are fanning their wings in my stomach, and I’m not sure what it means—or what’s going to happen. The anticipation is sweet and fluid through my veins.

We get to my room, and he flops onto my bed.

“Come on, then,” he says.

His shoes hit the floor one at a time, and I wince. He’s so damn loud sometimes.

I sigh, shrugging out of the sweatshirt I threw on and climbing onto the bed. I lie on my side, facing him, and there’s a mile of space between us.

Slowly, he pulls the blankets up and over. He smiles at me in the darkness, seeming content to stay over there.

“I don’t want to be a lawyer,” he says suddenly.

He’s been taking pre-law online classes. His schedule is packed with history and economics, American Law.

“Why?” I ask.

“I’m sick of it already.” He lets out a hoarse laugh. “I’m a junior, which is apparently the most important year of high school for college applications. I need straight A’s and a goddamn miracle.”

I can’t believe I was asleep only a few minutes ago. I’m wide awake now, practically buzzing because Eli is in my bed.

“What would you do instead?”

He sighs. “I don’t know. Which means I’ll just keep my head down and do what Dad tells me to do. Being a lawyer wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world… It’s good money if you get into an established firm. Or open your own practice. I’ll probably work in the stupid bullpen with a bunch of grade-A assholes who don’t know the first thing about a courtroom.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Yeah?”

“Dad’s been taking me to his trials since I started high school,” he informs me. “Having me look at cases and try to find the winnable defense.”