Devil Incarnate (Boys of Preston Prep #4) - Angel Lawson Page 0,163

off nonchalance, but I try anyway. “I don’t see how it’s any of your business.”

“You just made it my business!” He slams his cup of coffee down too hard, sloshing it all over the plastic tablecloth. “You listen to me. I don’t care about her reputation. That girl has a chance of making it! The last thing she needs is another witless, dick-brained boy to come along and take advantage of it.” Pointedly, he adds, “Again.” Before I can even think to argue, the fury in his eyes stops me. “I know what you did to her. She might seem strong and tempting, but she’s too fragile to keep toying with!”

“Why the hell do you think I’m here?” I snap, giving up on seeming casual about this. “You think you know me, just because I sit in some stupid sharing circle once a week? Fuck you.”

His eyes bug out. “Aside from a few choice comments I’d rather scrub from my brain, the only thing you’ve said about her is that it’s not serious.”

“Of course it’s fucking serious!” I explode, feeling my face go hot. The truth spilling out of me before I have a chance to filter it. “Why else would I walk in here and make an ass out of myself? Because I’m trying to find out whether or not this can actually fucking work!”

Warren shakes his head. “And if leaving her alone is what’s best for her, would you do it?”

“It’s not.” It comes out as strong and certain as it feels. “She comes to you, doesn’t she? When shit gets hard and she needs someone to talk to—that person is you, isn’t it?” And fuck if that doesn’t make my hands want to ball into fists. “So tell me, when’s the last time she called you, Warren?”

“It’s been a while,” he starts, looking like he’s ramping up to a lecture.

I don’t let him. “That’s because of me. Because I’ve made her better. Because I can be good for her—I know I can. I just need someone to fucking tell me how!”

“For Pete’s sake,” he says, face screwing up. “You’re as bad as Reyn. You can’t get it up for girls you haven’t already put through the wringers? What is it with you kids and not leaving well enough alone?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Belligerent, I pretend to think. “Our absent fathers are megalomaniacs and sex addicts who never taught us the value of meaningful connections?”

The look he gives me tells me that was a low blow. “Blaming your upbringing will only get you so many second chances, Heston. You’re twenty-one now. At some point, you’re going to have to put in the work and become someone worth giving that second chance to.”

Raking my fingers through my hair, I look around the room, eyes landing on the circle of chairs. When I look back at Warren, I make sure there’s nothing flippant about my next words.

“So tell me how.”

I get back to campus late enough that even Buster is probably passed out somewhere. Since I’m coming from Underworld, I’m tired and annoyed with the universe, but not so much that I don’t feel a spark of anticipation at what awaits me.

The talk with Warren had gone on for longer than I’d admit to anyone who asked and was mostly just about how much I apparently fucking suck. Which is great. A real ass-pat to the ego. I’ve never cared if anyone thought I was an asshole before, and I’m not sure I like it now. I don’t want to be Hamilton Bates, going around building houses for the less fortunate, rebranding myself into the perfect Stepford man. Fuck that. I don’t care about being a good person.

I just want to be a good person for her.

When I get to the apartment, the soft light shining through the window makes my shoulders ease. I already know the first thing I’m going to do the moment I step through the door is get my clothes off and make a beeline for my bed.

What I find inside stops me short.

“What the fuck,” I breathe, bending down to pick up the overturned lamp. I go to place it on the table, but that’s been knocked over too. It takes me three tries to right it with one hand, finally setting the lamp down and turning to the room.

It looks like a fucking hurricane came through here.

There are papers on the floor, the coffee table turned upside down. From here, I can see the