Lyrical (Academy of Stardom, #2)

by Bea Paige

She reaches for me, stopping us both in our slow walk back to the table. “You are here under duress, aren’t you?” she asks, her voice low and her fingers cool on my forearm. I nod my head. What would be the point in lying? Her jaw grits, anger flashing across her gaze. “I’m sorry for that.” “Why?” “I assumed, and I was wrong. I’m guessing you didn’t want to fuck Mr Bernard tonight,” she says, canting her head towards Zayn. I can’t tell whether she genuinely doesn’t know that Zayn is playing Jeb or does and is protecting that secret for some reason I’m unaware of. I’m not sure I care either way. “No, I didn’t,” I bite out. “And you dancing was a way to get out of that?” “Yes.” “You think that’s going to prevent him from taking what he wants regardless?” Grim asks, her voice low, angry. Her reaction surprises me. I really didn’t think she’d give a shit. “The moment’s over. Besides, who wants to fuck with a gun aimed at their heads?” I say with false bravado as I nod towards Beast who still has his gun clutched in his hand. My gaze flicks to the men standing high above us, all of them pointing at the Breakers and the men opposing them. I bite down on my lip to stop it from trembling as I focus my attention back to the face-off unfolding in front of us. Dax has joined Xeno, York and Jeb. Zayn maintains a relaxed posture at the table, looking almost bored. He plays the role of Jeb well. Too well. My stomach flips over at the thought. I catch Zayn’s eye. I can’t read him, won’t ...