Page 91 of Colton

She shrugs. “You’re very important to him,” she says, the emphasis on the word him hitting me like a ton of bricks. “And since he doesn’t have any intention of letting you go, I’d rather not get on his bad side by treating you horribly.”

My brows narrow. “Basically, you’re apologizing because you don’t want him to be upset with you?”

“More or less,” she shrugs. “You need to understand that his word is the law back home, and I’m not willing to risk my future by pissing off future Mrs. Mayor.”

I ignore the title, though I can’t help but roll my eyes. “You’re apologizing because you want to be on his good side, not because you mean it.”

“Oh, I mean it,” Artemis clarifies. “I am sorry, but I doubt I would’ve cared enough to apologize if it weren’t for these circumstances.”

I take a deep breath. This is the best I’ll be getting out of her, and as long as she doesn’t bother me anymore, I won’t complain too much about the lack of actual apology in her words.

“It’s fine.”

She nods. “Good. Bye, then.”

“Wait,” I push myself off the wall, and Artemis looks at me over her shoulder.

“What now?”

And there’s the attitude I’m used to. A small chuckle slips out of me, and I shake my head. Then, I straighten up and approach her, lowering my voice just in case.

“Where is he?”

“He’s probably asleep,” Artemis says, shrugging. “He was up late last night.”

“What?” I frown. “Why?”

She pauses. “I can’t really tell you that. But hey, if you skip the first class, you can sneak into his room. There’s no one there at the time. Every professor is either in the teacher’s lounge or in class. And the rest of the staff eats their breakfast at the cafeteria then, too.”

Artemis walks off, and I ponder the thought.

Either skip history lessons or see him. On one hand, it’s my absolute favorite class in my entire academic career, but on the other hand, I’m worried about him, and I do want to see him. We’ve barely seen each other since that weekend at Saint Valley.

The decision comes quickly, and I waste no time sneaking out.

◆◆◆

His door is unlocked, and I push it open softly, stepping inside quickly and closing the door behind me. He’s asleep in his bed, sleeping with his shirt off, on his stomach, one of his hands under the pillow. The sheets are around his waist, and I bite my lip. It should definitely be a crime to look this good.

I take my shoes off before stepping onto the carpet and approaching the bed. The mattress dips with my weight as I sit down, but he doesn’t wake up. In fact, he doesn’t even stir. My blazer comes off next, and I lay down next to him, running my fingers through his hair.

He hums in his sleep, turning around, his eyes still closed. Yet, his arms wrap around me, and he pulls me into his chest. His breathing is tender against my forehead, and I smile into his chest.

“Naughty girl,” he murmurs, his deep morning voice sending chills down my spine. “Sneaking into my room?”

I laugh softly. “I just wanted to see you. I’m sorry for waking you up.”

“Don’t be,” he says quickly, then kisses my forehead. “Just let me rest like this.”

My eyes close too, and although I’m not tired, this is enough to lure me into a small, quick nap. His familiar scent fills my nose, and the sense of safety overwhelms me, all of my walls coming down instantly. It’s not long before he pulls back, and my eyes peel open.

“You look tired,” I murmur, looking up at him. “Is everything okay?”

He hums. “I had something to take care of back at Saint Valley, and it took longer than I anticipated.”

“Do I want to know?”

He pauses. “Not really.”