Faked (Ward Family #2)(18)

He probably laughed after I left, the silly sister who tried to pull off a switch and failed. Because she wasn't fearless like her sister. That was what he'd said, right?

Oh, the irony. I wanted someone to see me for who I was on my own, and he had to choose the one word that would make me feel like the biggest fraud. She was the fearless one, and I faded into the background.

My eyes flashed up, and unwittingly, I caught my reflection in the mirror.

"You didn't fail," I said quietly. My chin lifted. "You didn't fail," I repeated.

Adele and Robert thought I was Lia.

Okay, so I scored a seventy-five percent, which ... technically, was a passing grade. But to the girl who always got A’s, a C sure felt like a failure. Especially in something like this.

My hands steadier, I wrapped my fingers around the metal of the zipper once again and finagled it past the jam, all the way down, until I could step out of the dress. By the time it pooled onto the carpeted floor of my small bedroom, I went from frustrated to pissed. At everyone.

At Bauer, for seeing through me so easily, which made zero sense.

At Lia, because where the hell was she? She should've been home by now.

And Finn. Oh, freaking Finnegan Davis.

How could Finn not warn Lia?

So fricken what if he was sick and it was Bauer's idea to step in tonight? Did he lose the ability to text? Could Adele's chicken noodle soup not fix his arms?

The ungracious thought—especially about Finn, who'd never done anything to deserve it—brought me up short.

"One night with that man," I muttered. "One night, and I'm talking crap about Finn."

Finn, with his beautiful eyes and big smile. Finn in his stupid scrubs. I laid a hand on my stomach as I thought about it, forced it into my head.

I stepped over the pile of yellow satin and yanked open the top dresser drawer with barely restrained violence. I tugged on some cotton shorts, a tank with a built-in bra and my U Dub T-shirt, worn through in spots from being washed so many times.

When I flipped on the bathroom lights, I took a second to remember, again, what I'd felt like before the night began.

Happy. Terrified. Excited. Out of my league.

Now I just felt exhausted.

A makeup remover wipe took care of my face, bringing it back to its normal state.

A brush did the trick for my hair when it was tugged high on top of my head and off my neck.

My hand was just about to flip the light switch off when the door buzzer rang.

I froze. "Nooo," I moaned because I knew. Oh, did I know who it was.

It rang again, and I swore under my breath. It was the kind of language that would've cost me a fortune in our family swear jar.

With a brick of nerves lodged in my throat, I hit the speaker button. "Who is it?"

"Let me up, princess."

"Shit, eff, dammit," I mumbled. I cleared my throat and pressed the button again. "I'm sorry, who is this? Lia is gone if you're looking for her."

I pinched my eyes shut at how utterly ridiculous I sounded. He called me out right before I fled. Like a coward.

"Princess," he replied patiently, the smile evident in his voice. "Let me up, please. I need to talk to you about something."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Trust me, it's a great idea."

I rolled my eyes but hit the buzzer. The faster he came up, the faster he could leave.

The faster he left, the faster I could put this entire evening behind me and pretend it had never happened.

His heavy footsteps approached the door, and I pulled it open, one hand perched on my hip. "Say what you need to say and go."

Bauer slowed to a stop, his fathomless eyes tracking from the top of my messy bun, across my sleep clothes, and stopped at my naked toes. A grin covered his face when he met my gaze. "This is the real you, isn't it?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "What do you need, Bauer?"

He didn't answer right away, which allowed me some studying time of my own. His jacket was gone, as was the tie he'd been wearing. The white shirt was unbuttoned, just at the top, and there was another line of ink under the notch of his throat. Honestly, what was he trying to compensate for with that many tattoos?

"May I please come in?" He held up his hands. "It'll take me five minutes."

"You have three."

"Ouch." When I pulled the door open and moved to the side to let him in, he grinned down at me when he passed. "You know, you're a lot nicer to me when you’re pretending to be Lia."

I shut the door with a frustrated huff, briefly leaning my forehead against the cold surface before I turned to face him.

"I'm sorry," I told him. "I shouldn't be taking my frustrations out on you. It was stupid to even try to pull it off."

He was studying the small family room.

It was a small apartment, as most were for students like Lia and me. But Logan refused to let us live somewhere without a secure entrance or seventy-five locks on the apartment door. Our décor was eclectic because while Lia's taste was obvious in the teal, pink, and yellow pillows, and the colorful throw rug, I'd picked the neutral couch and the tasteful prints hanging on the wall.

My face burned when he picked up the small plush kitten sitting on the arm of the couch. I'd always wanted a cat, but I'd yet to get Lia to cave. Watching Bauer study the stuffed animal, I felt invaded by his presence.