I laughed. “I’d like to read that letter of recommendation though, Coach. Does it mention the time you lost a bet to me?”
Rolling his eyes, Coach Michaels replied, “How was I supposed to know you’d pull off the Yurchenko Vault?”
“Don’t doubt me, Coach,” I joked with a chuckle, my face twisting into a smile for the first time since yesterday.
We were quiet for a moment before Coach spoke again. “Talk to your mama, Livingston.”
I sighed lightly “She wouldn’t pay for it. She’d probably take away my trust fund, too. But thanks. I appreciate it,” I said before disappearing into the locker room. I had to escape that talk before it got my hopes up. I needed to shut the cage door on my heart, because it would be a cold day in a Savannah summer before Mama let me give up Harvard.
I checked the locker room for prying eyes as I made my way through. One time when I showered after gym, someone took a picture of me and leaked it all over the school. Luckily, I wasn’t ashamed of my body, but it didn’t stop the entire student body of Smith Academy from tormenting me for it. They treated me like I asked to have my naked self plastered all over everyone’s cell phones. After making sure the room was clear, I made my way to the showers, stripped, and let the warm water trail down my back.
I was just washing soap out of my hair when I heard, “There you are.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin as I whirled around and saw Godfrey leaning against the wall of the shower stall. With a hand over my heart, I glowered at the asshole that ruined my relaxing shower.
“Back in the gym huh? I always did like watching you show off how...flexible you are,” he said with a wicked grin.
He looked like the devil dressed in his pressed school uniform. His eyes were bloodshot, but his golden hair was neatly styled. I ran my eyes over the throbbing veins in his neck. I bet he expected me to get out of the shower and get dressed, cover myself up out of shame. But I wasn’t the girl that went the predictable route any more. I wasn’t the girl that ran away from a challenge, either. So instead, I dropped my hands and went right back under the stream of water to rinse the rest of the soap out of my hair. I kept my back to him, but made sure to slide my hands over my skin slowly, just to prove how unaffected by him I was.
“You really are a little Heir Chaser now. Showing off for me, Scar?” The nickname burned through my eyelids, but I didn’t let a single tear fall.
“You and Rogue keep interrupting my showers. It’s getting predictable,” I said dryly before turning around to wash my breasts and between my legs. Calling Godfrey predictable was the equivalent of slapping him in the face. When did I become so brazen? Based on the look on his face, he was asking himself the very same question. Godfrey’s gaze didn’t once slip from mine. He didn’t roam my body with his eyes or dip for even the slightest peek. He was the perfect gentleman, surprising me. Dammit. Without a word, he’d gotten the upper hand, meeting my play with a move of his own.
I turned off the water and got out of the shower stall before walking towards him. He grabbed a towel from the pile of clean ones near the counter and tossed it to me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, before using the towel to wrap up my hair, leaving my naked body dripping and exposed. His eyes sunk lower for a fraction of a second before he narrowed his eyes and then grabbed another towel, once again tossing it over. Huh. He was stronger than I thought. Okay, Godfrey. You win this round. I bet he was proud of himself for not looking, for keeping me guessing. I bet he would later brag to the others, lying about me having a disappointed look on my face.
“Rogue wants eyes on you at all times.”
“I bet he does,” I replied bitterly. Rogue wanted a lot of things. Didn’t mean I was going to give it to him.
“You got to school early. What were you up to?”
“I went to the gym. Needed to clear my head,” I said, and Godfrey’s eyes brightened. “And no, I’m not supposed to be here. I can already see you pocketing this information to use against me later, but if you could just not, that would be great.”
Godfrey collected secrets like some people collected coins. I sometimes wondered where he stashed them all.
“Your mama made you quit, yeah? Such a shame. Those tiny leotards you wore were my favorite,” he replied with a smirk.
God, I missed wearing them. I missed everything about gymnastics.
I let out an exhale before heading to the mirror. I pulled out my bag of makeup and slowly began applying my war paint. Godfrey grabbed a brush from my bag and started running it through my hair, making sure to scrape the bristles of the brush along my scalp in an almost painful way.
“You’re going to look good at the Junior Debutante dance,” he said, changing the conversation.
Surprised, I looked at him in the reflection. So that was it? No threats about how he was going to tell my mama? No blackmail bargains? I didn’t trust him for a single second.
“I guess.”
“You know, I’m surprised you gave in so easily. Frilly dresses and socialite bullshit was never really your thing. I expected you to put up more of a fight...maybe bargain a bit.”
I traced my eyes with charcoal liner and bit my lip as I mulled over his words. He was right. I usually wouldn’t have given in so easily. But I’d been too shocked by the murder that I’d witnessed and too addicted to the possibility of being friends with them again to really consider it.
“Yeah, I guess I dropped the ball on the manipulation tactics,” I said dryly. “You would know, since those are your speciality.”
I started sifting through my various glosses until I found a pink tinted one, then slowly began applying it, puckering my lips once I was done to appreciate the color.
Godfrey looked contemplative. “Your mama must be ecstatic. She’s always wanted you to be a Savannah debutante. Hell, she would probably give anything to have you up on that stage next year,” he said, looking at me pointedly.
Our eyes met in the mirror again, and I suddenly realized what Godfrey was suggesting. And he was right.
A smile bloomed over my face. I could bargain with my mama to do this. Feeling suddenly ecstatic, I spun around and wrapped my arms around his neck before kissing his jawline. I smiled when I saw the pink of my lipstick there. “Your evil genius never ceases to amaze me, Godfrey Taylor.”
He reached up behind him and yanked my hands from his grip before pinching my cheeks together with his fingers. He stared at me, and there was a confusing mix of irritation and arousal in his eyes.
“I learned from the best,” he said before looking once more at my lips. “But I need something from you, too.”
Without warning, Godfrey leaned forward and placed his lips against mine. My first reaction was to compare his firm touch to Rogue’s devouring pout. He was clinical, moving in practiced swoops of his tongue and holding my neck in place as he did so. It was a nice kiss. And maybe if I wasn’t still on the high that was Rogue Kelly, I would have been able to feel more invested when he bit my bottom lip, or maybe I could have pressed my towel-clad body to his as he groaned against me. Maybe I would have shivered when he whispered that I tasted good.
But it just wasn’t there. When he pulled away, his lips were covered with pink and I had to smile at that, because it felt a bit empowering. He looked feral, chest heaving as he trailed a finger along the veins in my neck. And even though I tried to hide it, Godfrey could always see through me.