The Lies We Tell (The Four #1) - Becca Steele Page 0,25

if you want to make sure she’s gone. Unless you want her hanging around the house…”

I slammed my fork down and looked between them all, Cass and West staring at me expectantly and Zayde’s eyes flicking between us, amusement clear on his face.

“For fuck’s sake.” I left them to it and headed up to shower the juice off me, before I threw on clean jeans and a T-shirt and made my way to the guest room where Winter had been sleeping. Not bothering to knock, I walked in, and my eyes went straight to the bed where Winter was sitting against the headboard, her head in her arms.

What the fuck was I meant to do? I stopped just inside the doorway, jaw clenched. Why did she have to come here and fuck everything up? My brother and Cassius were already half on her side. As for Z? Who knew what the fuck he thought.

I cleared my throat, and her head shot up, her eyes flying to mine. “Get out of here,” she hissed.

“No can do, Snowflake. I’m here to tell you to get your ass showered and ready in the next five minutes, and you’re riding to uni in my car.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No!”

“Stop being so fucking stubborn. Look, I don’t want you in my car, but the boys insist, and I want you out of my house. If none of them are prepared to take you, I’m going to make sure you’re gone.”

Her mouth twisted miserably as she stared at me, and then her face brightened, as if something had occurred to her. “Your car. As in, the pretty R8?”

“For the last fucking time, my car is not pretty.” I gritted my teeth. “Get your ass in the shower, now, or I will put you in there myself. You’re not making me late for my classes.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Her eyes narrowed at me.

“Try me.” I took a threatening step towards her, and she squealed, jumping off the bed and rushing straight into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. I waited until I heard the shower go on, then made my way to my own room to get ready.

Sixteen minutes later we were finally outside the house, after Winter had taken her sweet time getting out of the front door. By the time she’d finished saying goodbye and stashing the piece-of-shit bike in Cassius’ SUV, my patience had run out. I stood by the open door of my car, my jaw clenched as I watched her fucking around wasting time.

“Winter, get in my fucking car, now. You’re going to make me late.”

“I’m saying goodbye,” she shouted back, then threw up her middle finger at me and wrapped her arms around Cassius. He smirked at me over her shoulder and put his arms around her waist, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

That. Was. It.

I pushed away from the car and strode over to her, ripping her away from Cassius and hauling her over my shoulder.

“Put me down, right now,” she screeched, her hands flailing ineffectually on my back. I heard Cassius’ howling laughter behind me. Asshole.

I opened the door with one hand and deposited her inside the car, slamming the door shut, then quickly got into my side and started the engine before she could do something stupid like try to get out.

“What the fuck are you playing at?” I stared at her, my teeth bared in a snarl.

She looked back at me, completely fucking unrepentant. “I told you. I was saying goodbye.” Our eyes remained locked, tension filling the space between us. “I don’t appreciate you throwing your weight around. I already told you that yesterday. Look at what you did to my face.”

My eyes scanned her head and her nose, that same uncomfortable feeling of guilt rising in me as I took in the red, scraped skin. Fuck.

“Sorry.”

We were both shocked by the words that fell from my lips.

She sighed heavily and collapsed back against the seat, and I put the car into gear, moving smoothly down the driveway and onto the road.

“I’m not sorry for what I did to your car. Or spilling orange juice on you, just so you know.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes at her words, not bothering to answer, instead turning on the stereo and setting the volume high enough to get it through her head that there was no more talking. The sooner she was away from me, the better. I broke every speed limit to get us to university and her