to say to you.”
I shrugged. “Fine by me. You can listen.”
“What’s the point? Nothing you say is going to change anything.”
Already losing patience, I barreled into him, pushing him aside so I could pass the threshold. Despite his answering scowl, I knew he’d allowed it. Though I had more bulk, he was taller and just as strong. If he didn’t want me in his space, he could easily keep me out of it.
As soon as we were both standing in the tiny galley, I wanted to escape it. “How the hell do you live in this place?” There was barely room to breathe, much less move.
He gave me a hard look. “I’m accustomed to being confined to small spaces.”
I accepted the dig for what it was—a reminder that he’d been locked up because of me. Suffered because of me. But that acceptance didn’t keep my constant friends, guilt and shame, from rearing their heads.
Leaning against the single counter, I asked, “You’re never going to get over it, are you?” Deep down, I’d known, but I hadn’t wanted to believe it.
“Do you care?”
Usually, those kinds of flippant responses from him pissed me off. But, this time, all I felt was resignation. Nothing I said or did would change his mind about me. And I didn’t blame him. I’d fucked up too many times.
“Yeah, Tin. I care. But since I’m out of ideas of how to prove it to you, I’m going to stop trying.”
He smirked. “Is this the part where I’m supposed to thank you for helping Thea get me out of hot water?”
“No. I didn’t tell Violet the truth for your thanks. I did it because it was the right thing to do.”
His laugh was so rough, I probably could have cut glass on it. “Right. Because you’re suddenly so concerned with doing the right thing.”
Yeah, I deserved that too.
“Out of curiosity, what would it take to make things right between us?”
His darkly amused expression finally fell. “You’re asking me that, now? After more than two years?”
“Yes.” Maybe it made me a damn moron, but it had never occurred to me to come right and ask him how to fix this. Fix us.
“Fuck, Leo.” He began pacing in front of me, his spine straight. “Why won’t you let this go?”
“Because I’m not letting you go. You’ve been pushing me away for years now, and I let you, because I knew I deserved it. And, yeah, I get that I still deserve it. But I’m done allowing you to push me away without fighting back. I’m going to keep fighting until you let me in, so you better get used to it.”
He paused in his pacing. “That’s rich from someone who has barely spoken to me since I got out of juvie.”
I pushed my fingers through my hair as I searched for an excuse. But I didn’t have one. At first, I’d been scared. Scared to face him after all this time. Scared that he hated me as much as I assumed he did.
But a switch had flipped in me after Thea called me out for being a coward. I’d stopped being scared and started following my instincts instead. As it turned out, doing so had led me to confessing the truth to Violet...and making Thea mine.
Had I been avoiding Tristin because of what was happening between me and her? Abso-fucking-lutely. And I wouldn’t apologize for it. Because it wasn’t born from fear or any other selfish reasons. I just didn’t want Tristin to feel like shit because I’d gotten the girl.
“I know,” I finally admitted. There was nothing else to say.
He dropped onto the narrow couch. “Why are you here, Leo?”
I was tired of talking around the issue, so I said simply, “Thea.”
He scoffed. “So, what, she has you doing her dirty work now?”
“No, I’m here because you staying away is hurting her. You need to move back home.”
“Why would you even want that? With me gone, you have no competition for Thea.”
Not entirely true, but I saw his point. “Are you saying you want her?”
“Of course, I want her. I assume you’ve been inside that sweet pussy?” I didn’t confirm or deny it, but he must have taken my silence as confirmation. “That’s what I thought. You must know it’s the closest to heaven either of us will ever get.”
The only thing that kept my anger at bay was his tone. I could have sworn there was reverence in it. “Thea is more than a lay.”
“You think I don’t