Donovan
“GET OUT.”
“Make me.”
My heart is beating so fast I’m scared it’ll explode in my chest. We stand there glaring at each other, Grey’s jaw tensed and my eyes narrowed. He’s here for a fight, and after watching him leave with Laura, I’m ready for war.
Grey swings the door closed, but Victor is standing behind him and stops it, clearing his throat.
“Miss, I apologize. I realize it’s late. May I escort your guest out?”
Grey’s dark eyes challenge me. There’s nothing he’d like more than for me to try. I hold up my hand, reassuring Victor, and shake my head.
“Thanks for the backup, Vic, but I can handle the likes of Grey.”
An empty laugh leaves Grey as he takes a few more steps inside my room.
“Very well. I’ll be just downstairs.”
I nod and walk past Grey, shooting daggers at him, to close the door as Victor leaves. My eyes stay trained on the smooth wooden door as I close it gently, the click serving as the bell in a prizefight.
“Why are you here, Grey?”
I try to keep my voice quiet and calm, but he’s so filled with anger that I can feel it emanating off him, even with the ten feet that separate us. It’s knocking into me like waves crashing onto a rocky wall.
“I want to know what the fuck you think you’re doing? And I want a goddamn answer, Donovan.”
He wants? He wants? Fuck what he wants.
I swallow before I turn around and look at Grey. He’s wild, untamed. A crazed version of the well-kept temperament he works so hard to display.
I should answer him, tell him everything that should stay a secret. Tell him that I hadn’t stopped thinking about our kiss even when Liam kissed me. That I wanted his rough hands on my body, so much so that I felt him through Liam’s touch. That I’m frightened to the bone, because I can already feel the devastation we’ll cause because I’m fairly certain I’m falling for the goddamn boy standing in front of me. Despite how hard I’m trying not to.
But I won’t say any of that. He lost his chance the moment he peeled out with that little redhead.
“What am I doing? I’m laying out my uniform for tomorrow.”
He picks up a chair and slams it back down, but only my eyes falter.
“Not the answer you were hoping for?”
I push off the door and storm back toward my closet.
“Cut the shit,” he barks, grabbing my arm.
I jerk it away, cutting my eyes at him. “What shit? What shit, Grey? Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be balls-deep in an easy little redhead?”
His head tips back as he runs both hands through his hair. “Yeah. I should be. I wanted to be—to fuck you right out of my system, but I’m here. And I’m happy to see it ruffled your feathers.”
“I don’t care what you do.”
God, the lie is so obvious as I say it that I have to turn away from him.
“Sure, you don’t…about as much as I don’t care that you let Liam kiss you.”
Dick. I hate that my jealousy is obvious, but what I hate more is that I’m happy he’s miserable too. Before I can stop myself, I blurt out something that should remain unseen and unexplored—my craving for his attention.
“We’re friends. Why would you want me to be jealous?”
Grey walks around to face me, arms crossed over his chest, smug and mean.
“Don’t play coy, Cherry. It’s not remotely believable on you. Tell me why you kissed him.”
“To settle a bet.”
Grey steps in, towering over me, but I don’t step away. He takes my face in his steady hand whispering, “Bullshit,” as his thumb swipes over and across my lips roughly, like he’s trying to erase Liam from them. “Behind the tree. Why’d you kiss him again?”
I push against his wrist, but he doesn’t let me go until I push again. “Let go.” I turn my back to him and walk toward the window, wrapping myself in my arms, the tingle of guilt crawling up my spine.
“Why does it matter?”
“You fucking know why.”
“You and I are friends. Liam and I are friends. That’s it. It was a stupid kiss. I got caught up in the moment. It meant nothing.”
I’m a dirty, dirty liar. I liked Liam’s kiss. I like Liam, but Grey is different. He’s like an affliction I can’t rid myself of. He’s everywhere—inside my head, and running through my body. He makes me feel unnerved and dangerous, and that scares me to death.
“Lie to yourself. Don’t lie to me. I saw your face. You liked the taste of him.”
His voice is cutting and deep. God, I hate him, and I don’t know if it’s because Grey so easily sees through me or that his voice is so loud in my head that I’m forced to see myself. I swing around angry, stupid, and childish, pointing a finger at him.
“This bullshit is why I said you didn’t have a chance the first day I saw you. We aren’t doing this.” My hand motions between us. “Everything now…my past…I’m more than complicated, Grey. I don’t need this.” I’m not the kind of girl you should fall in love with.
“I don’t care what the fuck you’ve done or what you’re scared of. I want you.”
He reaches for me, and everything inside of me wants to step in, but I do the opposite.
“You say that now. But when I get my claws in, you’ll regret every fucking minute as I tear you apart. Trust me.” A harsh breath leaves me as I run my hands through my hair. “I’ve fucked up so much that I couldn’t see my way through until I got back my friendship with you two. It’s the only damn thing I have that reminds me of the girl I am, or at least the one I want to be again. And I won’t ruin that, or lose it, not even for you.”
“I ruin your chance to be happy. Just me? Or Liam too?”
Just you. I don’t trust myself with Grey. He makes me feel as reckless and as wild as I’ve been over the last five years. I crave his attention. I’d do almost anything for it, and only the wrong boys do that.
“Enough. I won’t do this with you. It was a fucking peck. That’s all you and I shared. Nothing. Meaningless. Uneventful at best. Get over it so we can get back to being friends, Grey. I want to go back.”
“There is no going back!”
His words rumble from his chest, forcing me back a few more steps, eyes narrowed on him.
“Don’t say that. Stop it.”
He shakes his head at me, but I turn back around to stare at the lights shining out past my window to avoid his expression. I know we can’t uncross the lines; the wheels are in motion, heading straight for the damn cliff. Silence passes between us before his deep gravel fills the room again but calmer this time.
“I’m not your goddamn friend. You don’t want to cop to the kiss with Liam? Then tell me something else. Why kiss me, Donovan?”
I answer with a shrug, still refusing to look at him.
“Answer me, Donovan. Why’d you kiss me?”
“I don’t—”
My fingernails dig into the sides of my arms, willing me to keep my mouth shut as I squeeze my eyes shut, wanting this to just go away.