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Reluctance pulls heavy within me yet I find myself eager to please him. “There’s nothing going on. He’s my best friend and he broke my heart. That’s all there is to it.”
Colton scoffs. “It seems like a shitload more than just that.”
“It is, but that’s between me and Nic.”
“Got it,” he says, raising his hands in surrender. “None of my business.” I rub some antiseptic cream into his ribs and just like that, the topic of Nic is dropped. “So, what about the other two?”
“Elijah and Sebastian?” I ask. “They’re my world. The four of them are. Sebastian is a flirt, kind of like Charlie actually. He’s the go-to guy if you want to party, and the majority of the time he’s getting stoned. Elijah is the one with the big heart. He’ll never admit it though.”
“You guys sound tight.”
“We are.”
Colton reaches up and brushes his fingers over my shoulder and past my tattoo. “What would they say if they found out about this?”
I shuffle over, watching as his hand falls from my shoulder. “There’s nothing for them to find out,” I tell him. “Any of it. If they knew you snuck into my room and saw what you saw, they’d kill you without hesitation and if they knew that you’ve been doing everything in your power to make every day for me a living hell, they’d have you by the balls. There’s no winning for you in this situation. You’re fucked either way. It’s better to just keep your mouth shut.”
“If that’s the case, then why haven’t you said something? You say they’re so fucking protective and lethal, you could have squealed and all your problems would have disappeared.”
I look away and make sure to press a little harder against his rib which only manages to pull a wicked grin out of him. “You don’t want to get rid of me, do you?” he questions, reaching out for my waist and pulling me between his legs. “You love it. You crave the attention and the adrenaline.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He scoffs. “Don’t bullshit me, Jade. I see the way you’re always searching me out in a room. You’re drawn to me like a moth to a flame. Even after I tear you down, you keep coming back because you crave it. You want my touch just as badly as you want the fight.”
I shake my head. “You’re wrong.”
His hand brushes over my cheek. “I’m right and you know it, but it’s okay, Jade. I like your kind of fucked up.”
“You’re wrong,” I repeat. “I don’t like you. I don’t even like you a little. You’re a fucking arrogant prick, you treat the people around you like shit, and you wouldn’t know the first thing about enjoying life. I despise you, Colton. You and I will never be on the same page.”
Colton leans in, ignoring the way the movement is bound to tear through his ribs. His lips brush gently over mine. “I couldn’t agree more. You’re trash and you’ll never be on the same page as me let alone the same level.”
“If I’m trash, then why do you keep covering for me? Why do you keep coming back for more, and why the hell can’t you keep your hands off me?”
He shakes his head, his eyes flaming with desire. “I’ve got no fucking clue.”
He holds my eyes for a moment longer and when it gets too much, I step out of his hold and grab the bandage. “Put your arms up.”
He does as he’s told and I make quick work of wrapping his ribs, desperately wanting to get out of here. This whole thing is getting to be too much for me to handle. There are so many lines being crossed but in reality, I have no idea where those lines even lay.
I like things black and white and right now, there’s a whole lot of grey. Hell, there’s a whole fucking rainbow in there and I have no idea what any of it means. I’ve never been so confused in my life. I have this growing need to touch him while at the same time, I want to punch him in the junk and watch him cry.
God, he’s a fucking ass and with each word he says, I only want to hate him more. Only, then he has to go and hit me with moments like this afternoon when he sat with me as I cleaned the wall, and the day before when he opened up about his father’s abuse. It doesn’t make sense and I’m starting to get whiplash.
There’s something building between us, something big and it’s scaring the absolute shit out of me.
I finish off Colton’s bandages and give him a forced smile. “You’re all good,” I tell him, already retreating to the bathroom door.
