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I don’t understand how the most perfect night of my entire life has morphed into the worst morning, but that’s exactly what happened. And at the moment, there doesn’t seem to be a way to fix it.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Carson
Just as Elle crosses the threshold, she pauses, glancing over her shoulder until our gazes can collide. Fear and concern swirl through her dark eyes. Her skin is so pale from the confrontation that it looks ghostly. The urge to offer comfort thrums through me like that of a steady drumbeat. All I want to do is eat up the distance that separates us and drag her into my arms. I want to pull her head to my chest and reassure her that everything will be all right. Instead, I remain locked in place. Before I can lift my lips into a small semblance of a smile, she disappears from sight, leaving me alone with the guy I’ve always considered my best friend.
My gaze reluctantly returns to him. His knuckles are bone white as his hands clench at his sides. Fury churns through his dark eyes. We met in elementary school and have been tight ever since. I’ve witnessed him lose his shit and get into fistfights. Most of the time, I stood at his side, ready to get involved if it was necessary. I never expected that rage to be directed at me.
All right, maybe that’s a lie.
There was a reason I tried so damn hard to not only keep my distance from Elle but keep my feelings for the slim brunette under wraps. Deep down, I knew Brayden would have an issue with it.
And I wasn’t wrong.
As I meet his steely gaze, I’m not sure there’s anything I can say to wipe away the betrayal filling his expression.
He takes another step toward me before growling, “You’ve got some fucking nerve bringing her here to our family cabin.”
His tone rubs me the wrong way, and I jerk to my full height. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks and wanted time to talk things out. This seemed like a good place to do it.”
He glances around the room before his gaze zeros in on the rumpled covers and his eyes grow frigid. “Talking seems like the last thing you were doing.”
Anger crashes through me and I press my lips into a tight line. I don’t want to say anything that will make the situation worse, or that I’ll regret once we’ve both settled down. What I’m not going to do is discuss my physical relationship with Elle. I don’t give a rat’s ass if he’s her brother. What we do in private is none of his damn business.
His brows rise when I remain silent. “What? Nothing else to add to the conversation?”
I fold my arms across my chest. “I’ve already told you that I have feelings for her. That I’ve had them for a while. If this wasn’t serious, I would have never allowed it to happen.” I search his gaze for any hint of softening. There’s none. “Is there anything I can say at this point that will make a difference to you?”
The corners of his lips curl into an angry slash. “Nope.”
I drag a hand through my hair. “Look—”
“Ever since my father died, I’ve done my best to protect Elle.” He forces out a hollow laugh. “And here I thought you were someone I could trust to do the same. I was certainly wrong about that, now wasn’t I? All you’ve done is take advantage of her. And you lied to my face with some BS story about going home to visit your folks for the weekend.”
I wince. He’s not wrong about that.
“I’m sorry,” I mumble, feeling like the world’s biggest asshole. “I never meant for it to get this far without talking to you.”
He snorts. “You know what? If you were any kind of friend, you would have been upfront with me from the start. Instead, you hid your so-called,” he uses air quotes around the word, “relationship like a little bitch.”
His words are like a kick to the balls. We’ve been friends for more than a decade and I’ve always stood by his side. Is that what Brayden really thinks of me?
Some of my guilt recedes as anger sparks to life inside me.
Do I owe him an apology for sneaking around and not being upfront about the situation?
Hell, yeah.
But if there’s anyone who should know the kind of man I am, it’s him. I would never do anything to hurt his family.
I shift my stance as tension rushes to fill every muscle, making me feel like a tightly harnessed ball of fury. “You realize Elle isn’t a kid anymore, right? She’s more than old enough to date and make decisions for herself. You need to back off and stop trying to control her life.”
