Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
His head turned slightly toward me, though he kept his eyes on the windshield. “Do you want me to be?”
“I don’t want Kyle to be blamed for something all three of us did.” I struggled to keep my voice from shaking.
“He’s poison, Tori,” he muttered through clenched teeth. “He ruins everything. I don’t want you near him.”
My mind spun, trying to figure out the right thing to say. I hated watching him hurt. Still, I couldn’t accept how he assigned blame.
“I don’t need you to protect me, Lucas.” My voice came out so softly I wasn’t sure he heard me.
He had. He turned his head a fraction more, tension in his jaw. “The hell you don’t! You were living with that psycho, then you slept in your car, and now you’re going on a date with him—because he blackmailed you into it! What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t try to stop those things from happening to you?”
Crap, how had he found out about how that Kyle had originally blackmailed me into going on a date with him? I could worry about that later. “Jayden’s my friend,” I said softly, “and he’s not trying to stop me.”
“Well, he should be,” Lucas spat. “But he doesn’t know Kyle the way I do. He doesn’t know all the things—”
“He knows him pretty well.” I sighed, wishing I’d had more experience talking about important topics with men. “I appreciate you wanting to look out for me, but that’s a parent’s job, and you’re not my parent. You’re my friend.”
He let out a long breath. Tension hung between us for a few seconds before he spoke again. “Just a friend?”
“Well… yes,” I said, voice unsteady. “For now. A very good friend.”
“But nothing more.” His words were quiet, but the pain in his voice cut deep.
“I don’t know.” God, this was hard. “I—I’d like to explore something more, but… hell, I don’t know how to explain it. I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I feel something for Jayden and Kyle, too. I never planned to feel this way about more than one man. But… I do.”
“It’s disgusting,” he said, bitterness laced through every syllable.
I jerked back as though he’d struck me.
His eyes flicked over, and for the first time, he shifted in his seat to actually face me. “I don’t mean you’re disgusting,” he said quickly. “But he is.”
“Which he?” I asked, frowning. “Because there were two of them there.”
“You know who I mean,” he replied, clenching his jaw.
“What if it hadn’t been Kyle?” I pressed. “What if you’d seen me kissing Jayden and Roger?”
Lucas opened his mouth, but nothing came out at first. After a long pause, he frowned. “Isn’t Roger gay?”
My shoulders slumped, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to laugh or cry. “You’re the smartest person I know, Lucas. Please try to be a little more logical about what I’m saying.”
“I can’t,” he muttered. “And you know why.”
Tears pricked at my eyes, and I let my head rest against the passenger window.
“I know you don’t see this,” he said, his anger barely contained, “but it’s him. It’s all on him. He takes everything good and turns it upside down. He makes people do things they’d never dream of doing. He’s a fucking vulture.”
His words hit me in the gut. But for the sake of our friendship—and my friendships with Jayden and Kyle—I tried one more time. “So… I guess you don’t think very much of me, then.”
“What?” Surprise filled his voice for the first time.
“If Kyle’s making me do things I don’t want to, that means you don’t think I’m intelligent enough to decide for myself,” I said. “That he’s corrupted me somehow.”
“Of course I think you’re intelligent.” His grip on the steering wheel tightened.
“But not enough to make my own decisions,” I countered.
“I didn’t say that.”
“Yes, you pretty much did,” I told him, my voice tight with frustration. “Because you’re acting like everything was done to me, that I had no choice.”
“You’re twisting my words.”
“Your hatred of Kyle is blinding you.” A tear slipped down my cheek. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s… hell, I’ll just say it. It’s exciting, okay? I enjoyed every part of that game, both with you and with them. Maybe that makes me terrible, but if it were only up to me, I’d let it play out. I’d see where things might go—if they go anywhere at all. The only thing holding me back is you. I hate the thought of hurting you.”
“Then don’t,” he snapped.
“So I shouldn’t get what I want so you can get what you want,” I said. That’s what it all seemed to boil down to.
“That’s his influence, Tori,” he growled. “Can’t you see that? You’d never do something so messed up on your own.”