Sweet Peril (The Sweet Trilogy #2)(48)

“No!” Marna said, and her voice shook, too. “Not directly. He asked me and . . . and . . . I told him no! But . . .”

Ginger turned her attention to me. “You should know Marna is the worst liar in history. Most people probably wouldn’t even notice, but Kai and I poked fun at her growing up ’cause she always pauses before she tells a lie—as if she’s working out the story in her head before she tells it.”

Oh, no. He knows. I covered my mouth, feeling sick.

“I’m so sorry, Anna,” Marna whispered.

“What did he say?” I demanded.

She cleared her throat, a dainty sound. “He wouldn’t let me explain the circumstances. He just kept saying he had to go.”

“Tell her everything,” Ginger prompted.

“There’s more?” I asked. I felt sick.

Marna’s eyes bugged out at her sister.

“What?” Ginger asked. “She should know what she’s walking into.”

“Yes, I should.” I crossed my arms just like Ginger, less out of anger and more to try and comfort myself with the good, tight grip.

Marna looked miserable when she mumbled, “He rang me from a bar where he was with his bandmates and some other people from the studio—”

“The other Anna was there, wasn’t she?” I asked. My voice came out sounding a little vicious, and Ginger raised her sculpted eyebrows at me as if impressed.

“Yeah,” Marna said. “She was trying to get people to come back to her place, and Kai agreed, then told me he had to go and he’d be fine. But he wasn’t fine. He was a bleedin’ mess.”

“So what happened?” I could feel and hear my blood pounding in my ears.

Marna shook her head to show she didn’t know, and Ginger spoke up.

“The bastard probably finally gave in and hooked up. No doubt he was thinking of you when he was all Oh, Anna—”

“Gin! Not. Helping!”

But Ginger didn’t stop. “I wonder if he was angry and rough, or sweet and—”

“Shut up!” I screamed at her and she pressed her smiling lips together, then I turned on Marna. “Were you ever going to tell me?”

“Of course! But I was scared. I was waiting until I knew you were going to see him.”

I had to fix this. “What’s his number?” I asked her.

“I don’t know, honestly. He’s changed it again.”

I let out a frustrated sound.

“I would’ve given you Kai’s number this whole time if you would’ve just asked me,” Ginger said.

Marna and I looked at her, shocked.

“You would have?” I asked, doubtful.

She shrugged one shoulder and examined her thumbnail. “He never told me not to. Only Marna.”

We continued to stare at her until she huffed a big breath.

“Look. He’s a complete arse, but I’ve never seen him like this. I’ve never seen him want anything or anyone, truly, until you. It’s almost like he’s being more self-destructive without you than he’d be with you. So, yeah, I would’ve given you the asshat’s number. To drive him mad if nothing else. But I don’t have the new digits either.”

Marna and I looked at each other but didn’t dare to speak.

“Oh,” I said. I had no clue what else to say to that.

Ginger pulled out her phone and looked at the time. “We have to go,” she said to Marna.

“Good luck in California.” Marna embraced me good-bye. “I’m sorry,” she said again as she straightened.

I swallowed hard. “Thanks.”

Ginger surprised me by leaning in for a quick hug of her own. Realizing what she’d done, she cleared her throat and pulled away, looking me in the eye.

“Give Blake a message for me, would you?”

“Okay,” I agreed.

With a wicked flutter of her eyelashes, she leaned forward. I froze with shock at the feel of her small, soft lips on my own. When Ginger’s hips pressed against mine and her tongue flicked at my closed lips I gave a little squeak and jumped away, bringing a hand to my mouth.

Ginger smirked and cocked her head. “Best not to relay that message in front of Kai, I imagine.”

Marna swiped her sister’s shoulder with the back of her hand. “You’re such a cow!”

Ginger laughed and they left, exchanging sibling banter. Marna sent me an apologetic glance over her shoulder and I sputtered a nervous sound before stiffly turning back to the apartment and shaking it off.

That was one message I would not be delivering.

I sat on the concrete steps for a minute, wishing there was an Off button to my brain. I didn’t want to think about any of it. Ten minutes ago I’d been excited at the prospect of seeing Kaidan. Now, not so much. I sighed and pushed myself to standing.

When I got back up to the apartment, Patti pointed to my purse.

“Your phone’s been going off like crazy.”

I checked it. Six texts about a graduation party tonight. Patti gave me a sad look and I felt my shoulders slump. Time to get ready to go out.

That night after the party, I called Dad.

“How was your graduation night?” he asked.

“It was okay. A spirit was there, but he didn’t stay the whole time.”