Page 25 of Payback

I turned around in time to catch her features falling, and she clutched the sides of her dressing gown and stormed into the bathroom.

As soon as the door slammed shut, Henry strode to the door. “I have to get out of here.”

I closed Edward’s laptop, tucked it under my arm, and rushed after him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He opened the door and rushed down the hallway.

“Henry.” I hurried after him. At the top of the stairs, I grabbed his arm.

He rolled his eyes up at the ceiling, features pinched with annoyance. “What?”

My gaze dropped to the slight bulge in his crotch. A blank wall of shock closed in around my brain, and my mouth gaped open. “Charlotte and Rudolph turned you on?”

“Of course not.” He continued down the stairs.

“Then why—”

“It’s been a long time, and my dick has a mind of its own, alright?”

My brows drew together. Ever since Blake had brought me back from the palace, he had spent every night with Edward and me. I barely remembered the last time I’d been intimate with the triumvirate. I think it was a week before the ambush, which was an eternity ago.

Guilt clutched at my heart. Even though there was space for Henry in Edward’s bed, I hadn’t made an effort to ask him to join us. And after everything I had been through, he wouldn’t have imposed.

As we reached the ground floor, I murmured, “Henry, if you want—”

“Leave it.” He hurried down the hallway. From the dim lights illuminating the space, it was probably close to curfew. The common room door opened, letting out a few stragglers.

My mouth opened and closed. “I’m trying to invite you—”

“Emilia.” He opened the door to Edward’s study. “Now is not the time.”

Blake stuck his head through the door. “Have you finished?”

I nodded.

“You’re wanted upstairs.” He stepped out and offered me his arm.

“Are you coming?” I turned to Henry.

He shook his head. I tried to meet his eyes, but he muttered goodnight and stepped inside.

I turned to Blake, heart heavy. Despite my intentions to clear the air with him, things kept getting in the way. A long sigh escaped my lungs, and I took Blake’s arm.

“Problems?” he asked.

“I need to make up with Henry.”

We walked back along the hallway and up the stairs. “He feels responsible for everything that’s happened to you.”

“But it wasn’t—”

“I know.” He kissed me on the cheek. “Henry wants to make amends, and he feels that words won’t be enough.”

Chapter 8

The next morning, Edward’s movement as he rolled out of bed jostled me awake. I blinked my eyes open and lifted myself off Blake’s chest. He stood with his back to the window, and pale streams of sunlight made the ends of his mahogany hair shine like burnished copper. As he stretched and yawned, my eyes tracked gorgeous, tight biceps that led to beautifully shaped pecs. His movements deepened the grooves of his six-pack, making his abdominal muscles even more prominent. The pulse between my legs twitched awake.

“Good morning.” The corner of Edward’s mouth lifted into a half-smile. The kind that said he knew exactly what I was doing, and if I wanted some, I only had to ask nicely.