More Than Meets the Eye - Page 124

The question of whether his friends knew about Sami’s predicament slipped out before Baz could catch it, with the unsurprising answer that only Naija did, and she hated it even more than Baz did (Sami’s words—Baz sincerely doubted that was possible).The follow-up of “What about your family?”was too natural to pass up on.

The darkness that ran over Sami’s face made Baz wish he could fish the words out of the air.

“No,” Sami said.“Ian suppressed all media coverage about my arrest.For appearance’s sake, obviously, but that did mean they never needed to find out.I told them I got a job and that I wouldn’t attend my own graduation, so there was no point coming.”

“Weren’t they surprised about not having to pay tuition for a year?”

“I had, like, all the scholarships and loans and need-based aid I could get throughout my entire education.They never paid a cent.”His expression turned vacant.That wouldn’t do.Baz kissed his temple, his cheek.The tip of his nose.

“We’ll fix it.I promise.”

Sami’s hum sounded all but convinced.Baz would prove it.If that were the only meaningful thing he achieved in his career, he’d retire happy.

Since words didn’t manage to cheer Sami up, he brushed his lips over Sami’s neck and sucked at the tender skin, right above his shoulder, until it came back red.Fair was fair.

The hickey magicked a wide, silly smile back on Sami’s face, and Baz fell a little more in love with him upon seeing it.How close he had come to losing him.He’d be damned to let this chance at happiness slip through his fingers again.

When Sami’s eyes stayed closed for longer and longer, when his only contribution to the conversation were unintelligible sounds parading as words, there was only one thing left to ask: “Can I stay?”

“If ya not worried about yo’ tires,” Sami slurred.Still a sassy piece of shit even when half asleep.Baz was so damn lucky.

“You’d be worth it.”

“Sap.”Sami’s chuckle turned into a yawn.“What time d’you need to get up for work?”

“I don’t.”

Sami’s eyes snapped wide open.He jolted upright.“They fired you?!”

“Suspended while Erika cleans up ‘my mess’.”

Sami went pale as a ghost, as if that hadn’t been entirely Baz’s fault.He stroked Sami’s too-smooth cheek.He missed the stubble.

“Keep the puppy eyes to yourself.I was the stupid one here, confronting you the way I did.”

Sami sunk onto his chest.A warm, comforting, perfect weight.“I forgive you as long you forgive yourself too.”

“I think I can do that.”With Sami in his arms, everything seemed possible.

Sleep evaded him.

It wasn’t Sami’s tossing and turning, nor his adorable attempts to crawl into Baz—all that, Baz was looking forward to having in his life for good.No, it was his brain, running a thousand miles an hour, mapping out a plan of action.

Convincing Erika that Ian was a fraud was the key.

Sami said Ian would play golf with some rich clients tomorrow, something he apparently did on a regular basis, and that he had told Sami he didn’t want to see his face all day.That offered a limited window of opportunity to sneak under his radar that Baz wouldn’t let go to waste.With their combined effort, Ian would go down and Sami would be free.

It didn’t feel like enough.His recklessness had put Sami in danger, and still, marvelous, selfless Sami had doubled down with a gesture so grand, it demanded more than mere respect.He deserved to get back the life Ian had taken from him—if he still wanted it.He deserved to have the chance to pick up where he had left off and follow his dreams.

Maybe Baz could help with that.It was a long shot, but with Eevee’s connections at UChicago, who knew?

He reached over Sami, earning an adorable grunt and the digging of Sami’s nails into Baz’s bare back.He grabbed his phone from the nightstand.Several messages from Eevee waited for him under the digits declaring 2:12am.

[8:33 PM]

How did it go!!!

[9:54 PM]