Page 36 of Twisted Needs

I rest my forehead against his and force myself to pull back before I lose whatever control I have left.

“I’m taking you home,” I tell him again, my voice rough. “You’re not going to that party.”

This time he doesn’t argue. He just nods, still holding onto me like he isn’t sure either of us can survive letting go.

And for the first time in my life, I understand exactly how a man ruins everything for someone he loves.

CHAPTER 10

CUT THE SHIT

PARKER

The second my phone starts ringing, my stomach drops.

I sit on the edge of my bed and stare at Luca’s name on the screen for a few seconds before accepting the call.

“Hey.”

“We need to talk.”

Luca doesn’t bother with small talk. I’m immediately met with disappointment, which, for some reason, makes it outright worse than plain anger.

“I’m gonna cut right to the chase,” Luca starts.

I close my eyes and rub a hand over my face. “I know.”

He huffs out a deep sigh, like this has been weighing heavily on him since we left Veronas. “You need to stop.”

The words land exactly where they’re supposed to. Luca has never been the type to dance around something when he’s already made up his mind.

“He’s not someone you can mess around with.”

“I know.” My jaw tightens. “I know he isn’t.” Never has that thought not crossed my mind, no matter how far things have gone. The issue isn’t that I don’t know how bad this is. It’s the fact that I want Anders in ways I shouldn’t and it’s getting too much to suppress. “Nothing has happened, Luca,” I tell him. The lie comes out easier than the truth ever could, leaving a nasty taste in my mouth. I mean, I can’t believe I’m even lying to him right now. I’m fucking lying to my best friend because I’m afraid of what will happen if he knows I’ve touched his brother.

A few months ago I might have believed it myself. He kissed me. I kissed him. We had this tumultuous back and forth that ended in us agreeing to be friends. It should’ve stopped there. That was supposed to be the solution. But how are you supposed to spend years building a habit around another person and expect it to disappear because you both decided it should? The problem isn’t that we couldn’t stop ourselves.

The problem is that Anders and I were never starting from zero. Neither of us made an effort to stick to our agreement. We went right back to what we always did.

The phone calls after games. Playing eye tag across the kitchen island. I moved him into my house and made him a part of my life in a way that can’t be ignored. It’s just not possible.

What hurts the most is knowing I wasn’t strong enough to keep things at bay. I convinced myself I could manage it and that I was being careful. I knew, without a doubt, where the line was.

And then I flirted with him at the fucking bar. And then I cornered him and I kissed him and now we’re here.

“And nothing is going to happen,” I continued lying. “I won’t overstep.”

“You better not.” Luca’s voice hardens. “I’m fucking serious, Park. You know this isn’t just some random person.”

“So am I.”

Silence settles between us. I already know what Luca is thinking. The problem is that I agree with him.

“He trusts you, Park.”

The words hit harder than anything else he’s said so far. I lean forward and rest my elbows on my knees. “I know.”

“No, I don’t think you do,” Luca argues. “He’s fucking attached to you or something.”