Kieran
I gave in to temptation, but happily ever after was never part of the deal.
I am heir to a mafia kingdom and taking my place means leaving Arcadia behind. Arcadia U was built to house bastards of the criminal elite and wayward children of soldiers loyal to the four founding families. I am neither. When a death at the school puts everyone at risk, I return to keep my friends safe. But things have changed since the three months I've been gone. Loyalty must be earned, and my secrets revealed. But is it too late to save what I want most?
Tomás
I chose the enemy. I chose to be a secret. Kieran asked me to wait until he was ready, and I fell easily into the lies. But I have a lie of my own. After a death puts the school on lockdown, I'm forced to face a past I buried. A past that threatens everyone I love, including Kieran. To protect him, I must lie to him.
But lies fester. And the rot always finds a way out.
Beautiful Liar is best enjoyed if you've read Beautiful Dark Temptation.
Be Warned: m/m sex
The theatre building had been my first stop but for some fucked up reason it had been overrun by Ashton and his fucking idiot band of idiots. He’d gathered the largest, dumbest jocks to him plus a miniature crazed assassin by the name of Annika. Charity broke away from the group and approached me.
“He’s in the library,” she said still walking away.
I walked with her. “What’s going on?”
“Backroom alliances. We’re all fucked.”
She wasn’t wrong. She turned left to her housing while I continued to the library. The whole school was on edge.
The library had turned into a refuge for angsty students wanting to congregate and act as if the world made sense. When it did not make any type of sense at all.
Tomás sat hunched over the desk, flipping through a thick tome, taking notes, oblivious to everyone around him trying not to stare at him. He still had the bandage wrapped around his hand, concealing my brand underneath. His hair longer, touched his shoulder. The curls untamed made him look so damn young.
Morgan’s words that Tomás wasn’t like us stuck with me. He was too kind. Too naïve to think that he could escape me.
Be nice.
Be nice.
I had to chant the words as I slowly made my way to the table he occupied alone, ignoring the eyes on me.
The most important people knew how much Tomás meant to me. Tor and Fox. And once I got Tomás back into Arcas, I planned on telling everyone else. He didn’t look up as I approached. Not until I pulled out the chair next to him and sat down.
Those baby browns were lighter, and laser focused on me for a few seconds before he lowered them and popped out an earbud. “What do you want?” he asked in a huskier tone than normal. His voice still hurting him, but damn if it didn’t sound fucking sexy as hell. Considering how we had spent last night, I thought he should’ve been kinder. Maybe I’d used up my allotted kindness from him. He flipped the textbook page.
Be nice.
“Can we talk?”
“We are talking.”
I clenched my teeth. “Can we talk somewhere private?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Still, his eyes remained on the book. “You don’t know what rumors could spread around about us. You wouldn’t want—”
Niceties over, I pulled the book away from him, forcing him to look at me. “Come with me to talk, or I will drag your ass over my shoulder, and take you somewhere to talk.”
He narrowed his eyes, and I wanted him to test me. I needed him to test me so I could show him I wasn’t fucking kidding. He sighed, plucked his bag off the floor, and started walking to the exit. I left the book on the table but picked up his notebook and followed behind him.
