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Chapter 18
Tyson
IwatchJordango,my hand tight around the banister. Only moments ago she was lying in my arms. Seeing Cole’s face demolishes that fragile happiness as rage wells up inside me.
“Dude, what the fuck?” Cole snaps. He turns to gesture at the door where Jordan just vanished into the snowy night.
I know she can take care of herself, but it’s killing me to think of her waiting out there for a car. I pull out my phone and send her a text, ignoring Cole for the moment.
Me:Get a car yet? I don’t want you waiting out there. It’s practically a blizzard.
To my surprise, she responds quickly.
Jordan:Already in one, don’t worry.
Now I can focus on Cole. His anger is simmering. His clenched fists and the way he’s staring me down are like a dog sizing up the opponent before a fight. I move down the stairs, one at a time, in no rush for a physical confrontation.
“What about it?” I say. By now, I know she’s not his girl. They’re friends and nothing more. He made sure I knew that much. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, he takes a step toward me and I wish he would just punch me. At least then we’d know exactly where we stand.
“Jordan? Seriously? What did you do to her?” He doesn’t punch me, but he moves into my space until we’re only a heated breath apart.
“Do to her?” I sneer. “Fuck, you’d just love to know the details, wouldn’t you? Since you’ve never had the balls to do it yourself.”
Cole’s face turns red. “She’s a virgin, you asshole.”
“Not anymore.” I cross my arms over my chest as I watch the words sink in. His eyes widen, then narrow as he looks me up and down.
“You’re not serious.” It’s not a question, but a deadpan accusation.
FaerieBeast comes running in and dances circles around us, whining and leaping up on her hind legs. She’s looking up at Cole, then at me, like she’s watching a tennis match and doesn’t approve of the score.
“Dead serious. But it’s none of your business anyway, she’s a grown woman, Cole, and she can do whatever she wants. With her body, or whatever.” And I’m damn lucky she chose me to do it with.
“You’re right, she can, but I know you must have tricked her somehow, because Jordan is way too smart to get caught up in your bullshit.” He shoves his finger in my face. It takes everything in me not to push him backward.
A trick? Who does he think I am? “Right, I tricked her into liking me. That’s exactly what happened.”
“Stay away from her, Ty. I mean it.” He is practically yelling now and FaerieBeast barks at him. “Not now, Beastie.”
“Stay away?” I pretend to consider it, looking up at the ceiling and stroking my chin. “No, I don’t think I will. As I said, she’s not yours to guard.”
“You’re only doing this to hurt me. If she wasn’t my best friend, you wouldn’t have even been interested in her. Jesus, you wouldn’t even have known her. How can you live with yourself?”
I’m surprised by how much the words sting. Whatever it started as, I do care about Jordan, and she’s more than a pawn in some game. But I’d never let Cole know that.
“Maybe. What are you going to do about it?” I taunt. There’s nothing he can do and we both know it. Jordan already knows how Cole feels about me, and she chose me anyway.
I want to send her another message, to make sure she got home okay. I’m sure the roads are icy by now. We should still be in my bed, maybe starting another round, but instead, I’m stuck here arguing with my brother who thinks I’m only a monster.
“I’m going to kick you out of my house, for starters.” Cole takes another step forward and I take one back, bumping into the banister.
Momentarily feeling trapped, I almost lash out at him, but I stir up some of the composure I’ve built in the boardroom and hold my ground. If he keeps pushing, I don’t know what I’ll do.
“You pretty much begged me to stay here. It’s not like I need your crappy house. And I’m only staying here because Mom wants me to. You wouldn’t do that to her, and you know it.” I roll my eyes. “You’d never risk losing your status as the golden child.”
“You’re right, I wouldn’t do that to her,” he says, dropping his hands to his side. “But not for the reason you think. I wouldn’t do that to her because I don’t want to hurt her. Can you imagine that? Thinking about someone else’s feelings before your own?”
“Don’t preach to me. I’ve always taken care of Mom.” I slip out from between Cole and the railing and start putting my boots on. I don’t care about the weather, I just need to get out of here, I rush into the kitchen, looking for my jacket.
