My eyes flew to my bedroom door as I remembered that we definitely hadn't locked it and my sister had no sense of personal space.
Fuck.
"Lucas," I hissed, shaking him awake.
He blinked up at me, all sleepy and gorgeous, and a euphoric smile crossed his face when he saw me. It was the kind of smile that made my pulse race and my chest tighten. The sort of look that said he was already falling way too damn hard for a fuckup like me.
"Sorry, I fell asleep," he murmured, his voice thick with sleep.
"Yeah," I whispered, "me too. But Seph just got home, and you need to hide. Like, right fucking now." I slid out of bed as I spoke, hunting my floor for some underwear. I tossed his boxers at him as he scrambled out the other side, then I pointed at my walk-in closet.
"Dare!" Seph called out again. "Why is there untouched Chinese on the counter?"
The handle on my bedroom door twisted, and I gathered up Lucas's school uniform and threw it into the closet with him at lightning speed, then pulled the door shut and tossed a robe on.
"What..." Seph frowned at me, her eyes suspicious as I belted my robe and tried to slow my breathing. "What are you doing?"
"Me?" I replied, folding my arms under my breasts defensively. "What are you doing? You know closed doors generally mean someone wants privacy, don't you? What if I was asleep?"
She wrinkled her nose. "Your light was on; I could see it under the door when I came in. What were you doing?" Her gaze traveled over me, then snapped to the bed, and she gasped dramatically.
"Oh my god!" she squealed. "You had a guy over! No fucking wonder you wanted me to go to Aunt Demi's so bad!"
I looked at the bed, cringing inwardly at the way both sides of the blanket had been tossed back. "No, I didn't," I lied. "I just didn't make my bed this morning."
Seph scoffed a laugh. "Bullshit, you always make your bed. Oh wow. And you got all shitty at me for inviting Lucas over to study while you've had random dudes here fucking your brains out? Holy shit, look at that sex hair, Dare!" She grinned wide, and I ran a self-conscious hand over my wild curls.
Yep, a quick glance in my dresser mirror told me just how obvious I looked. Not only did I have sex hair, as accused, I also had a mark on the side of my throat where Lucas had sucked at my skin there and my lips were all red and puffy from his stubble.
Fuck’s sake. Good planning, Hayden.
"Who was he, huh?" Seph teased, flopping down on the end of my bed—in a section where the blankets weren't disturbed—and smirking at me. "Just some guy? Nah, you wouldn't have brought him here; you're too anal about people being in your space. The only guy I've ever seen inside our home is—" She cut herself off with another gasp. "You're totally fucking Zed! I knew it! You guys are so freaking obvious."
I glared. "I'm not fucking Zed, Seph. Jesus, you need to let that go." To distract myself from her intense stare, I grabbed my black jeans from earlier and found my panties on the floor where they'd been tossed, then pulled them on.
"Uh-huh, sure," she replied with a laugh. "If not him, then who? Don't tell me it was Cass. Actually do. Please tell me it was Cass; you guys are like fated mates or some shit. You're perfect for each other."
"Seph, what's your sudden interest in my sex life?" I exclaimed, my cheeks heating. Her mention of Cass just resurfaced all the hurt of him saying he wasn't attracted to me... that I was too young for him. It reminded me of how he'd rejected me the first time I made a move and how he'd shut down when I'd transformed back into Hades after he'd kissed me. Cass had pissed me right off.
She just shrugged, oblivious or unconcerned with my attitude. "What? You won't let me have a sex life; obviously, I need to be unnaturally interested in yours. So? Was it Cass? Pretty sure he's been in love with you for like... ever."
"It wasn't Cass," I snapped at her. I found my bra on the far side of my bed and shed my robe to put it on. Then I pulled on a black tank top and parked my hands on my hips. "Can you get out of my bedroom now? You're probably lying in a wet patch anyway."
I smirked at how fast she shot off my bed, and she gave me the middle finger.
"If it wasn't Cass, then I'm sticking by my first guess. Oh. Wait. Was it both of them? That'd be hot as hell. I mean, don't get me wrong, those two are practically dead, they're so old, but, like, so are you, so whatever. Get it, girl." She shot me a saucy wink, making her way for my door as I seethed.
"I'm twenty-three, you little shit!" I threw a pillow at her, which she caught with a cackle. "And you've been spending too much damn time with Madison Kate! She's a bad influence on you."
"Maybe you should spend more time with her," Seph shot back. "She's living the reverse harem dream, Dare. You could learn a few things."
"Out!" I shouted, but she was already through my doorway and making her way to her own room.
I marched over to pull my door shut, and she blew a kiss over her shoulder at me. "Demi and Stace send their love, by the way!" she called out. "Don't forget to put that food in the fridge."
Rolling my eyes, I flipped her off, but she was already closing her bedroom door. I waited a beat, just in case she re-emerged for something, but when I heard her TV turn on, I released the breath I was holding.
With my heart racing, I closed my door and flipped the lock before crossing over to my closet to let Lucas out. He immediately clasped my waist, capturing my mouth with his and kissing me until I lost track of whose air I was breathing.
"Cass and Zed are fucking idiots," he told me in a rough voice when we broke apart, both our chests heaving.
I snorted a laugh. "No, my sister is a fucking idiot. A bored idiot who spends too much time fantasizing relationships that don't exist." Or... at the very least she'd overexaggerated the relationships that did exist. Cass and I were over before we’d even begun, and Zed was just a friend.
"Come on," I whispered, peeling his hands off my waist before I became tempted to drag him back to bed. "I need to get you out of here before Seph finds out."
Guilt clenched my gut at that prospect, and I shook my head to try and clear those uncomfortable feelings. It didn't work, though. If my sister found out I was fucking the boy she liked, it was going to result in World War III.
Not an option. Not even close to being an option.
With Lucas's hand in mine, I led the way silently through the apartment, holding my breath as we passed close to Seph's bedroom door. I grabbed a pair of flat boots from near the door and ushered Lucas out into the hall while I held the door open.
Just in time, too. Seph's door opened a second later, and she gave me a sly grin.
"Heading out for round two, huh?" She shot me a wink, then grabbed a box of cold Chinese from the counter. "Have fun, you bitch!"
I didn't answer her, just exited the apartment and closed the door firmly behind me. The locks engaged, giving a small bleep and blinking to show they were active, then I hurried along the hall to where Lucas waited at the elevator.
"That was close," he murmured with a laugh.
I shook my head, my eyes still on my front door as I prayed Seph wouldn't open it. "Too close."