Page 13 of Mr. Match

“Same thing.”

“It’s not the same, Pax. I don’t think West is gonna use that kid to get his money back, OK? You went too far. You never know when to stop.”

“Yeah? Well, not knowing when to stop is what saved your sister’s life two weeks ago. So stop trying to make every choice I make sound so questionable.”

He’s got me there. So I just sigh and say, “Where the fuck are you guys staying, anyway?”

Pax smiles. “Ariel offered.”

“Oh, fuck that. You can’t stay in the same house as Weston.”

He shrugs. “She offered.”

“Well, decline her offer. My dad has a condo a few blocks over that he hardly ever uses. You two can stay there. And if you make one joke about him using it to cheat on my mom, I will—”

“Don’t be a dick,” Pax says.

“Me?” Fucking asshole. I walk over to the desk, open the top drawer, and go looking for the keys. “I’ll let him know you’re staying there so he doesn’t come blow your head off if the neighbors report suspicious activity.” I find the keys stashed in the back, and toss them over. “Go tell Cindy. I got shit to do, so I’ll see you guys later.”

Pax stands up and stretches his arms up toward the ceiling. “You coming to dinner then?”

“Dinner where?”

“Ariel’s house, I guess. We’re all invited.”

I squint my eyes at him.

“What? Wasn’t my idea. I think the girls have some kind of thing going on.”

“So West mentioned. Tori isn’t convinced the Conrads are on the up and up.”

“Are you?” Pax asks.

“I dunno. I haven’t really thought much about it, to be honest.”

“Well, I have. And I have a pretty good feeling that Liam Henry knows something about them. I’m not convinced this is just about those gold coins, you know? I think there’s something much bigger going on with him and Weston’s family.”

And then he tosses the key ring in the air, catches it, and walks out.

I slump back into my desk chair and let out a long breath.

Why the fuck can’t this shit just go away already?

I glance at my desk, spy the folder with Katya’s profile on the top of the pile, and wonder if Pax was taking notes while he was here. That’s all I need. Him digging into my past.

“Relax,” I tell myself. “Just relax.” Paxton has no idea I have a history with this girl. He’s got no idea what’s happening. Hell, he’s my best friend and he doesn’t even know what I really do for a living.

I’m still good. Everything’s cool.

I open up my laptop and Kat’s face pops up again on her profile. A little red check mark indicates she posted a new video. My fingers can’t tap the pad fast enough. I click the play button and… holy fuck.

She’s naked from waist to shoulders again. Sitting on a couch. No sound, even though I fuck with the volume control for several seconds. Her fingertips stroke circles around her nipples, then she pinches them, making them bunch up like hard, little spikes.

It’s not long, only about a minute thirty seconds. But I play it on loop, over and over again, until Ariel calls up from down below.

“We’re all going to lunch for Lisa L’s birthday, Oli. You gonna come?”

“No,” I yell back. “No. I got too much work to do here.”