The Moth and the Flame (When Rivals Play #2) - B.B. Reid Page 0,111
stare and, on its heels, a sense of recognition so fierce that, for a moment, I believed I was looking at someone else—someone I hadn’t seen in a long time. My gaze narrowed, but then whatever thought was lingering in the back of my mind faded away when he spoke.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I know the real reason you joined Exiled. You weren’t just looking for some thrill, were you?” He didn’t answer me, but his golden eyes grew darker by the second, eyes he’d gotten from Grace. Or should I say, Evelyn? I kicked myself for not seeing the resemblance before now. He looked just like her. “You were searching for your mother.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he lied, and it was clear he didn’t trust me with information so precious.
“Yes, you do,” I pressed. “You have Grace’s eyes…and the fact that you put yourself in harm’s way to free her tells me you have her courage.”
“My mother’s name was Evelyn,” he bit out, ignoring the respect I had just offered him, but then I found hope in the faraway look in his eyes. “Grace was her middle name.”
“Is,” I corrected, and he frowned at me. “She’s still alive, Ever.”
“Then where is she?” he demanded, his voice thick.
“In Fox’s bed,” I told him easily, and he looked ready to knock my teeth out for that comment. “So do you want her back or not?”
Rather than answer, he peered at me. “You expect me to believe that you’re risking your life to go against Fox all for some girl?”
“She’s not just some girl. She’s…she’s…” When I couldn’t find the words, I just stood there speechless like an idiot.
“You love her,” Ever told me as if the answer were obvious.
I scratched under my chin, feeling uncomfortable discussing what I felt for Lou with him. Or anyone. “Of course I do. She’s my best friend,” I bullshitted. Every day, the film we kept over our friendship became thinner, and I became hungrier. Lou was taunting me, pushing me, and the only part I hated was that it was working.
I wanted Lou, but I needed her more.
If I touched her again, I’d be letting my dick ruin our friendship, but with the way things had been going, it seemed as if the tension and frustration mounting between us would do the job instead.
Ever looked at me like I was crazy before pinching the bridge of his nose. “No, man. I mean you’re in love with her.”
Blowing out air, I felt my nostrils flare. “If I say yes, will you keep her safe?”
My tone was becoming more hostile by the second as my patience thinned. I got enough of this shit from Lou. I didn’t need this pompous prick giving her false hope.
“I don’t know, asshole. Do you want to say yes?” He lifted a brow, and when he smirked, it was all I could do not to start round two. The blood that dripped from his nose had already dried, but I wouldn’t mind giving him a lip to match. “You should tell her,” he said when the silence stretched too long.
“She knows she’s important to me. That’s enough.”
“Wiping your ass after you shit is important to you. If you face Fox alone, you’ll probably die. You don’t get any more chances after that.” He paused, waiting for me to give in and admit the feelings he and Lou were so sure I possessed, but I only stared back at him. “You’re really okay with her believing she was only important to you?”
“If I’m dead, what good will her knowing how I feel do her?”
“For starters, she won’t live the rest of her life in guilt thinking you gave your life for someone who’s just a friend.”
“So you wouldn’t die for your friends?”
“Yes,” he growled. “But only after they knew exactly how much they meant to me. I wouldn’t dare leave them thinking they meant anything less.”
“I didn’t come here for relationship advice, McNamara. Will you do this for me or not?”
He paused as he seemed to consider it, but I knew he’d already made up his mind. “I’ll do it on one condition,” he said. I waited, not letting him see my relief as I wondered what he could want more than his mother back safe and sound. “Before you leave, you tell her how you feel.”
Pushing air through my nose, I threw out my arms and shouted, “Why the hell do you even care?”