Chosen Bear: Council of Seven by Juniper Hart

Author:Juniper Hart [Hart, Juniper]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-01-04T16:00:00+00:00

8

“Are you kidding me?” Toni breathed when they entered the house. The party was twice as boisterous and the guests three times as obnoxious as when Simone had left. “Where the hell did you go? I was worried sick about you!”

She flashed Toni a half-smile and sauntered past her toward the kitchen, where she’d left her purse, to recover it.

“I got… detained,” Simone replied smoothly, shooting Theo a meaningful look over her shoulder. Toni glanced at the strange man and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” she demanded. “We haven’t met.”

“No,” Theo agreed. “We haven’t. You got everything, Simone?”

She nodded and turned back toward the entranceway.

“Where are you going now?” Toni yelled, her face paling. “Wait! Can I talk to you for a second?”

Simone swallowed a sigh and slowly pivoted back toward her friend. “Can it wait? I’m not feeling that great.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Toni snapped contemptuously. “Funny how that happened. Upstairs, please.”

Simone shot Theo an apologetic look, but secretly, she was grateful that she wouldn’t find herself alone with him again so quickly. She didn’t trust herself around him.

He had the most profound, exhilarating effect on her, one which made her want to strip off her clothes and drop herself onto his lap. She’d never been one to believe in love at first sight, but whatever was happening between her and Theo was impossible to ignore.

Not that I want to ignore it. I want to do unspeakable, uncharacteristically dirty things to his—

“What the hell has gotten into you and Rachel?” Toni exploded, slamming the door to her bedroom.

“What?”

“One minute, you were fine, and the next, she’s off having an anxiety attack in the corner and you’re disappearing with a stranger! Who is that guy, Simone?”

“Theo? Oh, he’s a friend of mine,” Simone said quickly. “I hadn’t seen him in a while, so we were just getting caught up.”

“You’re just going to leave then? And get ‘caught up’ with your buddy?” Toni demanded. Simone felt guilty, seeing her chagrin so clearly.

You came here to support her, she thought, and you’re leaving without spending any time with her at all. No wonder she’s pissed. But Simone knew she didn’t have a choice in the matter. Even if she had wanted to stay, there was no way that Theo would allow it.

She blinked to herself. Had she really just thought that? That she needed his permission? Simone stuffed the defiance down, her inherent desire to fight against everything that controlled her taunting the back of her mind.

“I’m sorry, Toni. I really shouldn’t have come in the first place. Parties really aren’t my thing, you know?”

“Yeah,” Toni sighed. “Mine either.”

For a fleeting second, Simone considered inviting her along with them, and she managed to shut her mouth before the words spilled out. Have you lost your mind? You can’t bring her with you. You need to be in hiding.

“I’m really not feeling that well, Toni,” Simone said again, laying the foundation for calling in sick over the next few days. “Can I call you later?”

“Whatever.

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