Never His Girl (Kings of Cypress Prep #2) - Rachel Jonas Page 0,42
when he lowers his face into his hands, like his world just ended with this admission.
“Shit.”
That word leaves his mouth in a whisper and, afterward, we’re both silent.
Chapter 16
BLUE
All I can think about is the conversation Jules and I just had a few nights ago. The one where she voiced the possibility of Parker being to blame. But this was a theory I thought to be ridiculous even when she mentioned it.
“You’re lying.”
West doesn’t speak right away. Instead, he just sits there, still holding his face while I continue.
“If Parker’s to blame, no way you wouldn’t have turned her in. I know for a fact Dr. Pryor’s trying to take you down for the shit you pulled. If that happens, you can kiss whatever plans you have goodbye. Which is why I know you would’ve already shifted the blame to Parker if you could.”
Thinking about it, I’m even willing to bet the fallout from this will be so bad that not even his father could fix it for him.
“This is just another lie,” I accuse. “More of you being you.”
He doesn’t stand, but he may as well with how he commands the room the next instant. With one hard stare, a breath stills in my throat.
“Think what you want, but deep down you feel it,” he accuses right back, making it impossible to turn away. “I want you, in a way that has nothing to do with wanting to fuck you.”
The words are harsh, nowhere near soft or sweet, making him sound more like his usual self. They’re steeped in frustration and anger. I’m breathless now, panting while trapped in his gaze.
“There’s nothing you can tell yourself that’ll convince you this isn’t real,” he continues in that same hard, unapologetic tone. “You feel it. In your bones. Which is why you know I care nothing about Parker fucking Holiday,” he snaps.
“Then why protect her? Why not give her up already?” I hear my own voice wavering and there’s no way he doesn’t hear it, too.
“Because she knows things!” he practically growls. “Things that could ruin my life, someone else’s. And despite what you think, I’m not some selfish dick who can’t see past himself. Yes, I stand to lose a lot if Parker opens her damn trap, but it’s not just about me.”
I hate that I’m not immediately shutting down this conversation. Hate that I’m still willing to listen.
“What does she know?” I dare to ask, but his hardening expression tells me that’s a wall he’s not prepared to let come down just yet.
“Believe me, if it were just my secret to confess, I’d tell you in a heartbeat, Southside. But it’s not that simple.”
His eyes lock with mine and I’m so, so torn. Half of me wants to believe him, but the other half knows all too well what happened the last time I trusted the devil.
“I… I need time to think. Time to—”
“You can choose whether you believe what I’ve told you about the video,” he says, cutting into my thoughts. “You can even choose whether you believe what I said about Parker. But you don’t get to doubt that I feel something for you. Not even for a second.”
He speaks those words with such authority. There’s no refuting this blatant refusal to let me question that portion of his confession.
“West, we—”
“What do I have to do?”
His deep voice is calm and certain, penetrating the space between us before moving over my skin like lightning through the clouds after a passing storm. But calm and certain are the exact opposites of my current mood, because West has me feeling things I’m not allowed to feel for him.
Not before I know his story checks out.
Not until I know I had him all wrong just one week ago.
I’ve been so furious with him, so done with him. Then, here he comes, saying I’ve been mistaken.
He stands, and the first step he takes toward me makes it hard to breathe again.
“I’m an asshole. No one knows that better than you,” he admits, causing my gaze to flutter back toward his. “But like it or not, Southside, I’m not going anywhere.”
I’m silent, unsure what I’m supposed to say to that.
If I didn’t already know he was persistent as hell, I would be sure of it now. There’s this look in his eyes that says as much. It’s a look of instability, like he’s one second from snapping and losing his shit if I don’t believe him soon. A look that screams he’s