“Can’t argue with that. It’s not going to stop you though, is it?”
“It should.” I release him and take a step back, my fingers threading into my hair and pulling until it hurts.
“Maybe I should take her out on a date, show her how it’s meant to be done. Hell knows you wouldn’t know romance if it hit you in the face.”
“Don’t you fucking—” I march straight back over to him, pressing my brow against his.
“Why not? You don’t want to date her, and she’s too fine to be alone.” He pushes back. “Or you could wait until Hayden or another member of the team decided to make a play for her.”
My teeth grind, knowing that he’s right.
“I don’t date, Conner. You know this.”
“Yeah, you’ve also never had a girl like Hadley following you around like a lost puppy.”
“She’s not lost,” I argue, but the words taste bitter as I say them. We both know they’re not true.
“Okay, so how about this? You do the right thing by the end of the week, take her out, treat her right, or I’ll do it in your place, and I can’t guarantee how the night will end, because we both know that all the preppy girls want a taste of this.” He grabs his junk and smirks.
“You’re a fucking idiot,” I mutter, spinning away from him and pacing the room.
Take her out or lose her to my brother of all people. Fuck that.
“So, what’s it to be, little brother?”
“Don’t go anywhere fucking near her,” I grate out, keeping my back to him.
“Exactly as I thought. Now, if you need help planning the big night, just ask the expert.”
“Expert?” I laugh. “Remind me, how many girls have you dated exactly?” His face pales at the reminder and I mentally kick myself for bringing her up.
“More than you,” he spits before blowing through the door like a fucking whirlwind. “Oh,” he says, poking his head around the frame, “Ace wants to talk to you. Sounded important.” He disappears once again, but his voice rings out loud and clear before he slams his bedroom door. “That shirt looked better on her, you fucking pussy.”
I look down at the shirt Hadley wore to breakfast this morning and chastise myself for pulling it on the second she left.
Something weird happened last night. When I woke and found her beside me this morning, something changed, something huge. It felt like I’d given a part of myself over to her. It’s scary as fuck and threatens to make me forget everything. But I can’t. The risks are too huge.
I need to remember that she knows my secret. If she wanted to, she has the power to end me.
Ripping the shirt from my body, I throw it on top of the pile of dirty clothes now in a heap on the floor.
I can’t allow her to crawl her way into my head like Ace did Remi. I’ve watched how painful that can be, and I have no interest in dragging her into a life she doesn’t deserve.
As if to prove my point, my cell starts ringing on my nightstand. I don’t need to look to know who it is—the ringtone says it all.
The devil is calling.
Well, you’re shit out of luck today, boss.
With a sigh, I drag on a new shirt and go in search of Ace, who I’m sure is about to rip me a new one. We might have got out our frustrations via our fists last night, but it didn’t fix anything by far.
I’m still hiding the truth, and he’s still naively trying to protect me. I admire him for it, but I fear it might be a little too late. He brought Donny into our lives all those years ago when he couldn’t see any other way; he’s unlikely to leave anytime soon when we—I—have so much to offer.
I lift my cell to my ear as I walk through the empty house and listen to his voicemail.
“Have you forgotten about the consequences, boy?”
A shiver runs down my spine. As much as I might want to ignore him. I know I can’t. He’s not bluffing, and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants.