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Colton pulls away, but I wait until the tension around the room eases before I return to my seat, knocking back another drink to stem the rage simmering at the surface. The alcohol burns through my veins as hot as my temper. I’m just as livid about what Ian and my dad did just as Caleb and Jordin are. Never mind the fact that the girl I’m in love with stood there and watched it all.
Colton and Caleb are supposed to be my best friends.Can’t they see that?
Then again, neither knows the true extent of my feelings for Lexy. Neither of them knows I haven’t touched another girl since the day we first kissed.
I hid it well, even from Lexy.
I let her believe I was still fucking Georgina, but it was just porn that I played loud enough for her to hear through the wall. Even I can admit it was childish, but my feelings toward her were changing, growing stronger with every inhale of that fucking delicious peony scent. I didn’t know how to handle it and needed to give her reasons to keep pushing me away. But it was all in vain. My dick wouldn’t let me forget the feel of her body flush against mine or the glow on her skin when she came on my hand.
I wanted more, needed more. Like an addict, I succumbed to the insatiable need—a deep-rooted craving for another taste of my forbidden fruit. I was convinced that once would be enough to get her out of my system, but it was a lie. Lexy Winters is my favorite drug, and I’m fucking addicted. Now, she might never look at me the same way again.
Colton pulls the door open but stalls, keeping his back to us. “You two are all I have. If this doesn’t get put right, I’ll have no option but to walk away. I won’t watch my two best friends go to war with each other,” he says sadly, walking out of the room and then shutting the door behind him.
“He doesn’t mean that. He’s just tired and pissed off that the nurse wasn’t hot,” Caleb says in an attempt to lighten the heavy tension.
I scrub my hands down my face. “Yeah, he does.”
There was a long beat of silence between us before Caleb spoke again.
“You really are in love with her, aren’t you?”
He pins me with a stern glare when I don’t answer. “You can try to fool everyone else, Saint, but you can’t fool me. I’ve been there with Jordin, remember? I wear the mask every time I step outside the front goddamn door. The same way you do.” Sitting forward, he leans his forearms on his knees. “You think it was easy telling Jordin who I really am? About some of the things I have done. The things I’m capable of. It fucking wasn’t.” He pauses for a beat. “You can tell yourself it was to protect her against Christy and Georgina, but the truth is, it was about protecting her from you. The real you. The man who has taken the life of others in the name of his family.”
“Yeah. And look what happened.”
“Are you in love with her?”
I nod because he’s right. I can’t keep anything from my best friend. I never could. “Yeah, I am.”
“Then you need to stop pretending. If she loves you back, she needs to see the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you try to shield her from this life, you’ll end up putting her in more danger.”
“I don’t know, man. After the way she looked at me on that stage tonight…I don’t think forgiveness is something I’ll ever earn back.”
“I’m not going to sugar-coat it. What happened today was totally fucked up. The only reason you still have all your teeth is because I know that somehow you’re going to explain this shit to me after you speak with Eric tomorrow.”
I give him a half smile, sighing deeply. “Yeah.”
“Caleb?” Jordin’s voice calls out from the hall.
I jerk my chin, “Go. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
His fist bumps mine before he leaves.
I pull out my phone to find multiple missed calls and messages. I start with Chains first.
“Saint?” he answers with urgency. “Caleb told me what happened. How’s Lexy?”
“Julia’s with her now. She took a hit to the side. Initially, we thought it did more damage than it did, but it’s a flesh wound more than anything.”
He sighs heavily into the receiver. “Thank fuck.”
“And Owl?”
“He’s good now. He’s getting stitched up. Was Kelly alright after I dropped her off?”
“Yeah, man, she’s good. She’s worried about Lexy is all.”
“I bet. Still, I’m sorry I had to dump her and run. When Owl rang to say he was hurt, I had to go to make sure he was okay.”
