I bite my lip, because I’m worried that if the truth gets out, things won’t go well for Reed. Callum already thinks he’s been too lenient with the boys, and if he finds out about Reed and Brooke, it’ll be just another sign that he needs to pull the reins tighter. I don’t know if I disagree with Callum’s line of thinking. The Royal boys could handle a little discipline in their lives. The problem is, I don’t know what path Callum would take. Military school?
I can’t imagine living in this giant museum without the guys here. I guess I’m a little selfish, too.
“Don’t do anything you’ll regret later,” I warn.
His arm tightens around me. “I’m not making promises I can’t keep. You know I’d do anything for you. For us.”
I wriggle closer to Reed. I just got him back, and I don’t want to fight. Not tonight. I twine my fingers through his. “Are you sure everyone was okay with me getting Steve’s half of the company?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Because Gideon doesn’t like me.”
“Actually, babe, you’ve got that all wrong. Gid doesn’t think I’m good for you.”
Is that Gideon’s problem? He’s never been mean to me, but he’s definitely kept his distance.
“Why does he think that?” I ask uneasily.
“Gid’s life isn’t great right now. He’s got…issues.”
Issues? Like screwing my dad’s widow? I wonder if Reed knows about that.
“What issues?”
“He’s not in a good place.”
Yeah, this isn’t making me happy. I blow a lock of hair out of my face. “I think we need to be done with the secrets between us.”
Reed raises his free hand. “I swear if I could tell you the details, I would. But they’re Gideon’s issues, not mine.”
I sit up. “No more secrets,” I repeat, firmer this time. “You want me to start? Fine, I’ll start.”
“Start with what—”
“Easton and I caught Gideon and Dinah having sex,” I interrupt.
He sits up, too. “You serious? And you’re just telling me this now?”
I study his face. “You don’t look surprised.” My tone sharpens. “Why aren’t you surprised, Reed? Did you know?”
He hesitates.
“You knew,” I accuse.
Reed shrugs.
I angrily shove my hair out of my eyes. “Why is he with Dinah?” I demand. “And why does he care if you and I are together? The night I caught you with Brooke, Gideon asked to meet me—did he tell you that? That’s why I was coming to your room that night, to talk to you about it.”
“No, he didn’t tell me,” Reed says with a frown. “What did he say to you?”
“He told me to stay away from you. He said you would hurt me, and that too many people have already gotten hurt. What did he mean by that?”
He shrugs again.
“Reed,” I warn. “I swear, if you don’t tell me what’s going on, we are not getting back together. I can’t handle any more lies. I mean it.”
He lets out a breath. “Right after Mom died, Gideon and I snuck into a fundraiser my dad was supposed to attend but bailed on. He was too busy with Steve somewhere. We got wasted.”
I grumble in annoyance. “What does that have to do with any of this?”
“You wanted to know what’s going on with Gid. I’m telling you.” Reed scowls at me. “Dinah was at that fundraiser.”
“Oh.” I bite my lip. Shoot, maybe I don’t want to know the details, after all.
“Yeah. She’d kinda been hitting on Gid for a while, and she caught him coming out of the bathroom and they…uh, made out for a bit.”
“Reeeeeeed,” I say with a bucket full of exasperation. “Is this where you got your I’m going to screw my dad’s girlfriend idea?”
His guilty expression gives him away. “Maybe.” He sighs. “Anyway, after that, she wouldn’t leave Gid alone. She’d corner him constantly and make these sleazy comments about how she liked fresh, young, ripe things.”
I can’t keep a disgusted look off my face. “That’s really gross.”
“No shit. She wanted more. Like, she was—is—seriously obsessed with him. After that party, she was shameless about trying to seduce him. He told me so many sick stories about it, you don’t even want to know. But he fell for Savannah and wanted nothing to do with Steve’s gold-digger. So then one night she asks Gid to come over, says she has something to show him. My dad and Steve were out of town, as usual. Gid went over to the penthouse.” Reed pauses. “He came home that night and told me he slept with Dinah.”
“Ew. Why?”
“Because she blackmailed him,” Reed says flatly.
“Are you serious? With what?”
“Pictures. She got her hands on Gid’s phone. I guess he left it in the kitchen or something when she was over one time. Dinah snooped around and found all these pictures that Sav and Gid were sending each other.”
“Dirty pictures?”
“Yeah.”
“So?” I’m still confused. “People text dirty pictures to each other all the time.”
“But they’re cracking down on it. These two kids down in Raleigh were charged with seven counts of child porn when the girl’s parents found out they were sexting. The girl’s full ride to UNC was yanked. If it was only Gid’s neck on the line, he probably would’ve told Dinah to go to hell, but Dinah swore she’d drag Sav into it and even release the pics to the entire school.”
I feel even sicker now. “So Dinah blackmailed him into bed with her?”
“Pretty much. It’s been over a year now. He broke it off with Sav and she was devastated.”
I think of Savannah, who’s such a brittle, hard-edged girl. Her smiles are thin and her words are cutting. If she truly loved Gideon, then the pain she’s going through must be horrible. “That’s so awful.”
Reed makes a face. “He’s gonna kill me for telling you all this.”
“I’m glad you did,” I say sternly. “Because now we can come up with a plan.”
“A plan for what?”
“To save Gideon from Dinah. We can’t let her keep doing this to him. Otherwise he’s going to lose his mind.”
I can’t imagine living in this giant museum without the guys here. I guess I’m a little selfish, too.
“Don’t do anything you’ll regret later,” I warn.
His arm tightens around me. “I’m not making promises I can’t keep. You know I’d do anything for you. For us.”
I wriggle closer to Reed. I just got him back, and I don’t want to fight. Not tonight. I twine my fingers through his. “Are you sure everyone was okay with me getting Steve’s half of the company?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Because Gideon doesn’t like me.”
“Actually, babe, you’ve got that all wrong. Gid doesn’t think I’m good for you.”
Is that Gideon’s problem? He’s never been mean to me, but he’s definitely kept his distance.
“Why does he think that?” I ask uneasily.
“Gid’s life isn’t great right now. He’s got…issues.”
Issues? Like screwing my dad’s widow? I wonder if Reed knows about that.
“What issues?”
“He’s not in a good place.”
Yeah, this isn’t making me happy. I blow a lock of hair out of my face. “I think we need to be done with the secrets between us.”
Reed raises his free hand. “I swear if I could tell you the details, I would. But they’re Gideon’s issues, not mine.”
I sit up. “No more secrets,” I repeat, firmer this time. “You want me to start? Fine, I’ll start.”
“Start with what—”
“Easton and I caught Gideon and Dinah having sex,” I interrupt.
He sits up, too. “You serious? And you’re just telling me this now?”
I study his face. “You don’t look surprised.” My tone sharpens. “Why aren’t you surprised, Reed? Did you know?”
He hesitates.
“You knew,” I accuse.
Reed shrugs.
I angrily shove my hair out of my eyes. “Why is he with Dinah?” I demand. “And why does he care if you and I are together? The night I caught you with Brooke, Gideon asked to meet me—did he tell you that? That’s why I was coming to your room that night, to talk to you about it.”
“No, he didn’t tell me,” Reed says with a frown. “What did he say to you?”
“He told me to stay away from you. He said you would hurt me, and that too many people have already gotten hurt. What did he mean by that?”
He shrugs again.
“Reed,” I warn. “I swear, if you don’t tell me what’s going on, we are not getting back together. I can’t handle any more lies. I mean it.”
He lets out a breath. “Right after Mom died, Gideon and I snuck into a fundraiser my dad was supposed to attend but bailed on. He was too busy with Steve somewhere. We got wasted.”
I grumble in annoyance. “What does that have to do with any of this?”
“You wanted to know what’s going on with Gid. I’m telling you.” Reed scowls at me. “Dinah was at that fundraiser.”
“Oh.” I bite my lip. Shoot, maybe I don’t want to know the details, after all.
“Yeah. She’d kinda been hitting on Gid for a while, and she caught him coming out of the bathroom and they…uh, made out for a bit.”
“Reeeeeeed,” I say with a bucket full of exasperation. “Is this where you got your I’m going to screw my dad’s girlfriend idea?”
His guilty expression gives him away. “Maybe.” He sighs. “Anyway, after that, she wouldn’t leave Gid alone. She’d corner him constantly and make these sleazy comments about how she liked fresh, young, ripe things.”
I can’t keep a disgusted look off my face. “That’s really gross.”
“No shit. She wanted more. Like, she was—is—seriously obsessed with him. After that party, she was shameless about trying to seduce him. He told me so many sick stories about it, you don’t even want to know. But he fell for Savannah and wanted nothing to do with Steve’s gold-digger. So then one night she asks Gid to come over, says she has something to show him. My dad and Steve were out of town, as usual. Gid went over to the penthouse.” Reed pauses. “He came home that night and told me he slept with Dinah.”
“Ew. Why?”
“Because she blackmailed him,” Reed says flatly.
“Are you serious? With what?”
“Pictures. She got her hands on Gid’s phone. I guess he left it in the kitchen or something when she was over one time. Dinah snooped around and found all these pictures that Sav and Gid were sending each other.”
“Dirty pictures?”
“Yeah.”
“So?” I’m still confused. “People text dirty pictures to each other all the time.”
“But they’re cracking down on it. These two kids down in Raleigh were charged with seven counts of child porn when the girl’s parents found out they were sexting. The girl’s full ride to UNC was yanked. If it was only Gid’s neck on the line, he probably would’ve told Dinah to go to hell, but Dinah swore she’d drag Sav into it and even release the pics to the entire school.”
I feel even sicker now. “So Dinah blackmailed him into bed with her?”
“Pretty much. It’s been over a year now. He broke it off with Sav and she was devastated.”
I think of Savannah, who’s such a brittle, hard-edged girl. Her smiles are thin and her words are cutting. If she truly loved Gideon, then the pain she’s going through must be horrible. “That’s so awful.”
Reed makes a face. “He’s gonna kill me for telling you all this.”
“I’m glad you did,” I say sternly. “Because now we can come up with a plan.”
“A plan for what?”
“To save Gideon from Dinah. We can’t let her keep doing this to him. Otherwise he’s going to lose his mind.”
