Glass Heart Hero: A Dark High School Romance by Lindsey Iler (free ebook reader for iphone .TXT) 📕

rumors. I believed him because you’re you. It wasn’t until I saw the way you were with Delaney at the first gauntlet that I knew he was lying. You’re capable of a lot of things, but that night I wasn’t just a girl in a bed.”

“You weren’t,” I say with full sincerity.

“I always wondered why we could never . . .” Her thought trails off as if she’s afraid of saying it.

“Because I’m not your monster.” Madison’s head falls to my shoulder. The door flies open, and in the hallway, cascaded in their own shadow, are Delaney, Dixon, Marek, and Palmer. “I’m her monster.”

Madison smiles because she already knows. “I figured that out that same night.”

“What the hell is going on?” Delaney enters first. “We thought you were coming to Hollow Hill to kill Tripp.”

“I did,” I admit, pushing off the floor. I grab her hands as soon as we are eye-to-eye. “And then I realized that wouldn’t solve anything.”

“Some would call this progress,” Madison jokes, making us laugh. “We never got to truly meet. I was away during Christmas break when my brother stayed with you, and then the night of the gauntlet, I was one of my brother’s pawns. He didn’t want us swapping war stories, but I’m Madison.”

“I know who you are, and your brother is a piece of shit,” Delaney says.

The tension in the room is palpable when it’s not necessary. I squeeze Delaney’s hands.

“I’m hoping she can help us out,” I say, glancing at Madison.

“How could she help us?” Delaney barks.

“You want to pee on his leg, sweetheart? I don’t want your man,” Madison slings. There’s the fierce attitude I remember. “Because I already had him,” she adds under her breath.

“Bitch, who the fuck do you think you are?” Delaney lunges, but Dixon grabs her around the waist and holds her in place until he knows she won’t try anything crazy.

Madison laughs, and the mood in the room begins to shift for the better.

“I’m sorry, okay? I inherited that shit attitude from my mom.” Madison slaps my stomach. “You got a good one, Break. If she’s willing to fight me for a little off-the-cuff comment, a broad like that is worth her weight in gold.”

Delaney giggles, easing the rest of the tension. “You’re a piece of work, Madison.”

“I’ve been called worse.” Madison sits and offers us a seat. “Now, what can I do for you?”

“We need to know everything you can find out about Sky Technology International,” I tell her.

“Oh shit!” Madison shakes her head, a firm grimace set on her face. “Taking on the big dogs, huh?”

“What do you mean?” Delaney asks, searching our faces, but we’re as unsure as she is.

“You know how Henry Lexington had his little operation on Glass Heart campus?” Madison asks, knowing damn well we are all too aware of it. “Well, let’s say Henry was amateur hour. I overheard someone in my father’s office saying he couldn’t believe Henry kept it up for as long as he did.”

“What’s your point?” Palmer begs the question.

“My point is, if you’re planning on fucking with Sky Technology, you’re out of your god damn mind.” Madison reaches across the table and opens her laptop. “Lucky for you, I’ve got nothing to lose.”

“You’ll help us, then?” Delaney asks.

“If it means bringing my brother down a peg or two, then I’m in,” Madison announces, a sickening, happy smile plastered on her face. “This should be fun.”

******

“Is she settled?” I ask Delaney as she walks into the bedroom, flinging her body down onto the mattress.

“She’s great, Breaker. I don’t understand how you two never dated.” She covers her face with her arm. I lift it, catching a peek of her faint smile. “What?”

“Baby, I don’t date.”

“Oh, I forgot.” She sits up, wiggling her fingers in the air, playfully mocking me. “Now, explain your relationship with her. I don’t know much, but I would like to.”

I stand from the bed, traipse over to my dresser and take out a t-shirt, tossing it at her chest.

“Put this on, crawl into bed, and we’ll talk.” I slide under the covers and watch her undress. Her body is flawless. She gives me her back, reaching behind to unhook her bra. Her gaze is delicate as she grins over her shoulder. My t-shirt slips over her head and falls into place, teasing her thighs as she faces me, standing on the opposite end of the mattress.

I run my fingers up and down her thighs, tickling her bare skin. “Have I ever told you how much I love seeing you draped in my clothes?”

“Quit changing the subject.”

“Fine, you want the truth?”

“What is with guys asking that? Like there’s some poor girl roaming amongst you who loves to be lied to.” She grins. “Answer the question, baby.”

I sit up and lean against the headboard, placing Delaney right where I want her. On my lap. I glance away, knowing damn well if she has long enough to look in my eyes, she’ll see the turmoil I’m trying to hide.

“You had a life before me, Breaker. It’s okay. Whatever she meant to you, I’m not jealous of those emotions because I know you’re mine.” She presses a quick kiss to my lips. “Now, spill it, or else I’ll never let you inside me ever again.”

“You sure that’s the game you want to play, Delaney?” Her eyes follow my tongue as it glides along the corner of my mouth. She starts to slide off my lap, and I hold her in place. “Fine, we can talk about this, but this is it. Never again.”

“Deal.” She swivels her hips, knowing damn well what she’s doing.

“Madison was an escape, nothing more, but I felt protective of her. We connected in a way I didn’t expect, but it didn’t go any further than the bedroom. It ended with a climax, so don’t get this crazy idea that there’s some romantic undertone to our friendship. There never has been,” I plead, hoping she understands my compulsion to make certain