Free Trust Me by Romily Bernard Page A

A foot. I ease forward, grab the edge of her comforter, and yank, sending the blanket flying. Alex shoots upright, but I’m already running for the door.
    â€œYou are so going to pay for that, Tate!”
    A pillow hits the wall next to my head as I bolt into the hallway and run for the elevators. The guys are playing video games in the common room, and thankfully, none of them notices as I pass. One floor above, the workroom is quiet except for the low murmur of the air-conditioning, and I don’t bother with the overhead lights before returning to my station. I power on my computer and drop into the chair, studying the illuminated buildings around us as it cycles through the system start-up.
    I could get used to working like this: the darkness, the quiet. It’s like being the last person in the world . . . until a shadow separates from the dark.
    I turn, face it.
    â€œI missed you.”
    I smile. He can’t see it, but I know he feels my grin when his hands skim my face. Our mouths are almost brushingand my knees are already crumbling. Milo touches me like I’m perfect and he’s in awe.
    â€œYou missed me?” I whisper. His laugh is a silent ghost and turns my joints liquid.
    Molten.
    Now I’m laughing. “Prove it.”

11
    Milo’s lips catch mine and it’s everything I remember: soft, teasing. And then insistent. He presses me into the chair, pinning me underneath him as my hands dig into him, dragging him closer.
    Always closer.
    â€œWhere have you been?” I murmur against the angle of his jaw.
    â€œLooking for you.”
    I start to pull back and Milo cuts me off, covering my lips with his. He’s on his knees now, and I am disintegrating.
    Where has he been? What happened? I splay both palms against Milo’s chest and push. He doesn’t budge.
    â€œMilo!” I rip my mouth away from his, hear him panting. “Seriously. Where have you been? We can’t get caught doing—”
    â€œIt’s okay. I told them about us.”
    â€œYou what ?” I kick both feet into the floor and wrench my chair away, putting space between us.
    â€œAshamed of me?” Milo’s still on his knees, the tips of his fingers grazing the floor. The half-light from the windows has caught his eyes, turning them plastic bright.
    â€œDon’t be stupid,” I whisper, feeling my stomach go cold and oily. “It’s just . . . just . . .”
    â€œJust what?”
    â€œYou don’t give people stuff like that.” In the dark, it’s easier to say what I mean. My voice is climbing and I’m struggling to make it stop. “You don’t volunteer info on yourself—or someone you care about.”
    Milo stiffens, watching me for a silent moment before pushing to his feet. “Just say it, Wick. You think I gave them leverage on you. You think I sold you out.”
    I do . . . sort of. I didn’t tell Hart anything about Milo. I withheld. I protected him. And now . . . I square my shoulders. “You did sell me out. I didn’t tell them anything about you.”
    â€œMaybe you should have.” Milo shrugs. “It’s not like we have anything to hide. Not anymore.”
    He’s right of course—all the lies and all the sneaking around. It’s finally caught up to me. I’m paying for it.
    But by now the silence between us has stretched too long. I take Milo’s hand in both of mine. “How did they . . . catch you or whatever?”
    â€œCatch me?” His smile is equal parts cocky andamused and perfect. “No one catches me. You should know that.”
    I wait, brows raised, until Milo looks away, dipping his face into the shadows.
    â€œFine. I think one of my customers sourced me originally, but after I figured out you were here, I wanted to come.”
    â€œHow . . . ?”
    â€œCircled the block and caught the license plate of the town car. You’re acting like they