Malice by Amity Hope Read Free Book Online Page A

she probably was. She was bestowing upon me the interest of her brother.
    I shook my head, not wanting to offend but not wanting to mislead either. Besides, she couldn’t be serious.
    Could she?
    Her smile slipped into something more somber.
    “Xavier,” she said slowly, as if I perhaps was too dense to catch her meaning the first time, “wants to go out with you.”
    My thought process finally sputtered into action. The best I could come up with was, “Why?” He’d never seemed even remotely interested in me. And I was definitely not interested in him.
    “That’s all you have to say? Why ?” Daphne demanded. “Do you know how many girls are dying to go out with him?”
    I did know. The problem was that Xavier knew it too. He reveled in it.
    “I’m really not his type,” I said, trying to find a graceful way out of this conversation. His type was totally into him. His type was willing to fall down at his feet. His type was willing to do anything he asked of them. His type…was definitely not me.
    “Every girl is his type,” Daphne argued.
    Finola laughed. “Is that supposed to win her over?”
    I shook my head. “There will be no winning me over. I’m not interested and I can’t believe he is either.”
    “That’s because you can’t stop thinking about Tristan long enough to give anyone else a chance. Either do something about it, or move on. At the very least, maybe you could go out with my brother a few times. I’m sure he’d be a good distraction,” Daphne said with a grin. “I bet if anyone could make you forget about Tristan for a while, it would be Xavier.”
    I wrinkled my nose at her implication. That was her brother she was talking about. Did the girl have no shame? Apparently not.
    “Just think about it,” she urged.
    The sound of heavy footfalls on the staircase saved me from answering.
    Daphne flipped her hair over her shoulder as she craned her neck. When Levi came into view, a flirty smile settled onto her face.
    “Hey there!” she called.
    He stopped at the foot of the stairs and peeked into the parlor. “Hello, girls,” he said with a polite nod. He was dressed in his typical casual attire. A thick, leather bound book was tucked under his arm. His bicep bulged as he cradled the tome close to his body. Dozens of loose pages peeked out from the edges. I assumed that it was his research. I was dying of curiosity, wondering what it was that he was looking into. I also knew it was none of my business.
    “Are you heading out?” Daphne asked, though it was obvious that he was.
    “Uh, yeah,” he said. “I’m heading into town.”
    She rose to her feet. Her long legs unfurled, sending her to her full height. She sauntered toward the door. “Would you mind if I tagged along? I don’t think Fin is quite ready to leave. I’m supposed to meet my brother at The Rush in a little bit. Unless it’s too much trouble…?”
    She’d closed the distance between them. Though she had her back to me, I knew from past experience that she was giving him the flirty eyes and her Do you really want to resist me? smile.
    Finola raised an eyebrow at me. That was the first that either of us had heard that she needed to meet up with Xavier. For just a moment I was annoyed at my friend. Mom would not approve of her asking a guest for a ride. That was beyond unprofessional and Daphne knew better.
    Maybe it was excusable, just this once, because he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed flattered. His gaze slid over her and I couldn’t really blame him. The way Daphne was standing was sending a signal that was a clear invitation.
    Levi’s lips tipped into a grin. “It’s not a problem at all. Do you need a few minutes, or are you ready to go?”
    “I’m ready to go,” she declared. “Just let me grab my purse.”
    Levi nodded his head toward me in a silent goodbye. I gave him a little finger wave. He disappeared as he headed toward the front door.
    Daphne darted back into the room. Her face