Micah
“All these years, you thought of me as the boy who would protect you, Daph. Someone who would do right by you. Give me a chance to prove that’s still me—that I’m who you always thought I was. I want us to be together.”
Her breath stutters past her lip. “I want that, too.”
Our gazes lock and hold. In this moment, I know I’m in deep. Daphne has wound herself around my heart, and I would do anything for her—including give her up, if I have to. If that’s what it takes to protect her.
Fuck, I hope this doesn’t come to that. It would be the end of me.
My fingers trail a path along the side of her neck, and I cup the nape with my palm, guiding her face to mine. The kiss starts off slow. A whisper of lips touching, a soft caress of tongues. I ache to show her what she means to me—that I’d do anything for her. My desperation makes me reckless, and the kiss is an anguished plundering of her mouth. She tastes like candy and rainbows and everything good in this world. I’m terrified that I’m going to be her ruin.
I tug her closer. She grips my shoulders, her fingers pressing hard into my skin through my T-shirt. When I break the kiss, my lips travel to her earlobe, nipping, then they graze her neck. I stop abruptly when my mouth encounters the salty wetness of her tears. “Baby, talk to me.”
They streak down her cheeks, slipping under the curve of her jaw. Even in the dark, I see she’s in pain.
Her breathing is ragged as she sweeps a few fingers under her eyes. “This is a lot for me to take in at once. And I want to believe every word coming out of your mouth. I want to trust you. I want to trust in us. Please tell me what you’re keeping from me.”
Fuck.My teeth clamp down on my lip, staring into her sad eyes. “I’m prepared to show you every fucking day how much I you mean to me—how much I want you. I don’t know how we get past this. How to get out from under all this bullshit without hurting you in the process.” I slick my tongue over my lip where I’d bitten down. “I hate to say it, but I think we shouldn’t be openly together until I can figure out how to fix this.”
Daphne blinks at me, looking so lost it kills me.
“Daph, there’s a video.” My voice sounds gritty to my ears.
Gripping the fabric of my shirt at my chest, as if something will happen if she lets go of me, she rasps out, “A video?”
“Alora texted it to me before the game on Friday.”
“Your stomach wasn’t really upset.” Her lip trembles.
A growl rumbles up from my chest. “It was, but not because I was sick. She pulled me aside during school to tell me she had it. I didn’t believe her, so she sent it to me so I’d know she wasn’t screwing around.”
Daphne blinks up at me through her tear-spiked lashes. “Do you still have it?” Her green eyes are glossy as she pleads with me.
I would do anything to stop them from falling … except lie to her. I can’t do it anymore. She deserves to know the truth, even if it throws her entire world into chaos. Even if it makes her cry. Even if she decides she can’t handle what being with me could cost her.
When I don’t answer right away, she clenches my shirt harder in her fists. “Please show me.”
I swallow, the lump in my throat growing by the second as I pull my phone out. Hoping like hell I’m doing the right thing, I hit play. Daphne watches the video in horrified in silence. It’s pretty obvious from the moaning what’s happening in the video, even if the footage is kind of dark.
When it comes to an end, her lips part. After a moment, she blurts out, “That night in your room—the door clicking shut. She was there.”
With a swift nod of my head, I stand up and pace. “I think you’re right.”
After a minute, I stop and we stare at each other, and I fucking hate the wild, scared look in her eyes. “Do you think it’s obvious that it’s me?”
“I mean, it is to me. It’s your voice, and you said my name. You can’t see your face, but it’s not hard for people to put two and two together. I’m deleting it right now.”
“Oh, God.” Her hands shake, as does the rest of her body as she sits there. It’s clear to me that she’s trying to sort through everything because she’s not looking at me anymore. It’s more like she’s gone off somewhere in her head to process what I’ve told her. Finally, her eyes snap to mine. “So, what you’re saying is she blackmailed you into attending the dance with her and kissing her. And if you didn’t go through with it, she’d … do what?”
“She wasn’t specific. But she implied she’d use that video somehow.” I clear my throat. “And the worst part is I don’t think she’s done. She’ll hold it over our heads for as long as it suits her.” I pull Daphne to her feet, wrapping my arms around her. “Do you believe me? I’m so fucking sorry.”