“You called her before we were together.”
He took another bite. “Surely that only makes it better. I didn’t run to my new team once I’d won you over in the sack.”
Cleo choked on her drink, coughing, and spraying soda over herself.
“I was trying to say thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He leaned forward and swept a kiss across her lips before stealing another cock-ie. “These are moreish.”
“I’ve been saying that for years and they call me a ho.”
“I don’t think you’re a ho.” The sudden addition of Will’s voice to the conversation made Molly shriek, and drop her bag of frosting onto her still-wet cookie. “Shit.” She bounded to her feet. “What are you doing here?”
“I figured we should talk.” Dark circles underlined his eyes, and he wouldn’t look at her, but he held up a plastic bag.
“What’s this?” She peered inside the bag. Graham crackers, caramel Ghirardelli, and marshmallows.
“A peace offering.”
She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Yeah?”
“I figured we could light a fire, Finn could play his guitar, and we could have s’mores.”
“But it’s the middle of the day.”
His lips curved into a small smile. “When has that ever stopped you before?”
“Fair point.”
He jabbed his hands into his back pockets, and peered around Molly to the table behind her. “Can we talk first?”
She nodded and dropped the bag on her chair before leading him to her room. While part of her wanted to launch herself at him and squeeze him, a currently larger part wanted to claw his face off for suggesting she was a whore.
“I’m sorry.” He started speaking before he’d even closed the door behind him. “I don’t know what the hell came over me yesterday when I said those things to you. I was way out of line.”
She folded her arms. Damn right he was out of line. The slice in her heart where his words had cut throbbed. It wasn’t as though he’d only made one pointed comment about her. He’d repeatedly made reference to her being slutty, and it sure as shit wasn’t okay. She couldn’t meet his eyes, and wrapped her arms around herself in case he happened to throw anything else her way.
“I know I don’t deserve forgiveness, but I have the gall to ask for it. I really am sorry. I don’t think you’re a ho. I was mad… I’m not even sure what I was mad about, but I was mad, and I said shit I didn’t mean.”
She stayed silent. He’d been a mondo dick, she wasn’t letting him off with an ‘I’m sorry.’ Toeing at the floor she still didn’t look at him. How could she? Her big brother judged her very nature.
“I feel like this whole situation has become this huge thing, over something so small.” He chuckled. “You thought I’d go to prison for killing Finn if you went near him. Finn thought he’d lose our whole family if he went near you. I was trying to keep your heart safe from unworthy jackasses. It’s like some fucked up game of telephone.”
He plopped down onto the chair next to her vanity. “And the worst of it all is we all trust each other implicitly, so we have no real reason to be afraid.” He shook his head. “I’ve loved you since the day you were born.”
She snorted. “Lies. You hated me for our formative years.”
“Okay, fine, almost your entire life.”
She lowered herself to the edge of the bed, arms still folded, spine rigid. “You really fucking hurt me, William.”
He winced. When she finally met his eyes, her resolve wavered. Such sadness, such genuine pain. But he’d hurt her too.
“I really would do anything for you though. Anything. And I’m sorry it hasn’t seemed that way lately.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, meeting her eyes in the mirror. “I guess I’ve been kind of jealous.”
Her stomach dropped. Straight-A student, captain of the hockey team… what the hell could he be jealous of her for?
“I don’t have a lot of friends. Even the guys on the team don’t really know what to do with me. I’m geeky, awkward, I don’t watch what they watch, and I don’t read what they read… for the most part some of them tolerate me because I’m their captain.”
