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“You don’t seriously think we’ll need to shoot them?” Greg asks in shock.
“At this point, Greg, I’m not ruling anything out.”
Chapter Fifteen
Avery
I don’t know what I expected after our argument. Their anger, maybe. Or perhaps the cold shoulder. But they’ve thrown me completely by being very tactile instead. Small touches and brushes here and there that I had originally written off as accidental are now too frequent to be considered anything other than deliberate.
I keep moving away, but they keep following. The trouble is, there is nowhere for me to go. This place is so small that there is no reprieve, no place for me to escape to where I can just catch my freaking breath for a minute. Now, as the hours tick away and the night rolls in, I’m starting to feel like I’m going to crawl out of my skin.
Being around them is a mindfuck. I never knew what it was like to both love and hate someone until they entered my life and tore it apart. Even now, sitting here with the scattered remnants of my sanity, I crave the feel of their arms around me. I used to relish the strength they would lend me, not realizing at the time that it was just a pretty lure to pull me in. When I cut them out, they took all their strength with them, leaving me feeling hollow and weak. And that just makes me hate them even more.
“You can’t stay mad at us forever, Avery.” Hawk sighs, sitting down beside me on the sofa.
“Sure, I can. And let’s be honest, Hawk, you guys make it easy.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve made a lot of mistakes.”
“I’m the biggest one of all.”
He yanks me into his lap, making me yelp.
“You were never a mistake.”
I keep my emotions shut down so I don’t have to feel the lie leaving his lips. It’s something that took me years to perfect—something I became lax about when I was happy and in love. If I’d been masking back then, I would have never known the truth. We might still be together even if we were living a lie.
There is a reason some people give a dozen chances to people who don’t deserve forgiveness. Often, the lie is sweeter than reality. Part of me will always wish I’d heard nothing and continued to live my lie, blissfully unaware. That lie was wrapped so tightly around my happily ever after that when the truth broke free, it took with it my dreams for the future. I’m tempted to spill my guts and tell them everything, but I don’t trust them not to throw it all back in my face.
I move to crawl off him, but he holds me tight.
“Tell me you don’t want me anymore, Avery.”
“I don’t want you anymore.”
He grins. “Liar.” He yanks me closer and kisses me, holding me in place as he takes advantage of my shock and slips his tongue inside my mouth.
By the time I come to my senses, he’s pulling away, placing a peck on the tip of my nose before pressing his forehead against mine.
“We can work through it all. Like you pointed out, we’re not the same people we were before. This time, if you run, we’ll chase you.”
Hands on my shoulders make me jump as Creed leans over me.
“He’s right, you know. A lot has changed since you’ve been gone, including us. We know what we want now. We know what it’s like to live without you. Don’t ask us to do that again, baby. We’re just not that strong.” His head dips as he presses a kiss to where my neck meets my shoulder. I shiver as his lips skate over the sensitive skin.
Hawk’s hands tighten on my hips. With how I’m sitting, it’s impossible not to feel how hard he is beneath me. I could give in, and God knows I want to. The pleasure they offer is almost worth the inevitable pain that comes afterward when everything comes crashing back down. But not this time.
“No.” I shake my head and pull away. Even though it takes Hawk a second longer, he, too, releases me. The second he does, I scramble off his lap and climb off the sofa, knocking into Creed as I do.
“Easy, Avery. Nobody is going to push you into anything you don’t want.”
“Since when?” I look between the two of them, who don’t even have the decency to look ashamed.
“Since we decided to keep you.”
Have you ever experienced your temper going from zero to sixty in a second? Because that’s what just happened to me. If I were a cartoon character, I’d have steam coming out of my ears.
“Fuck you both,” I manage to spit out through gritted teeth.
