Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 131330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Our kiss is brief and lasts only a moment, but God, it’s everything. He pulls back just an inch before dropping his forehead against mine. “Do you have any fucking idea what you’re doing to me?”
A smile pulls at my lips, and just as I go to melt back into him, a knock sounds at my door. My brows furrow, and I hold Izaac’s stare. “You expecting anyone?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No. It’s probably just Becs coming to check on me after everything that went down last night.”
He nods and pushes away from me before striding to the door, not bothering to look through the peephole before grabbing the handle and pulling it open.
“Oh great. You’re here,” Austin’s voice rings through my small apartment.
Unease pounds through my veins as I keep my distance. I know Austin was at Vixen last night, but I was in too much shock to even remember if he said anything or not. All I know is that the last time I spoke to him, he left me sobbing on the floor of his living room with my heart in pieces, and I’m not going to lie, I’m not exactly looking for a repeat performance.
Izaac moves out of the way as Austin strides into my home, his cautious gaze coming to mine. “What are you doing here?” I ask, barely able to hold his stare as Izaac closes the door behind him and lingers in my living room.
“I came to talk,” he mutters, looking just as uncomfortable as I feel.
I bite the inside of my cheek, already feeling myself beginning to break. I don’t know if I can do this right now. The nasty words he said are still too fresh in my mind. Every part of me hurts every time I think about how our relationship has fallen apart over the past few weeks. I don’t know if I can take any more of it.
Austin slowly creeps toward me, and I shake my head. “I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“I know,” he says, nodding his head. “After the way I’ve treated you, I didn’t expect you to say anything, but there’s a lot I need to say to you.”
I hold his stare, waiting for him to get on with it when he awkwardly shifts his gaze to Izaac and arches a brow. “You mind?” he asks, very unsubtly requesting he get lost.
Izaac just grins and flops down on my couch, his arms spread out as though he’s as comfortable as ever. “Not at all,” he says, nodding toward me. “Go right ahead.”
Austin shoots a glare at his best friend. “Really? You’re gonna be like that?”
“Someone’s gotta make sure you keep your bullshit to yourself,” Izaac throws back at him.
Austin rolls his eyes and lets out a heavy sigh, knowing Izaac well enough to know there’s no point arguing this. If he says he’s staying, then he’s staying. End of story.
I keep my arms crossed over my chest, terrified of how this is going to go down, and when Austin moves right into me and pulls me into a tight hug, it’s the last thing I expect. I pause for a moment, needing a second to process what’s happening before I shove him off me, only he’s holding too tight and clearly doesn’t plan to let go any time soon. “You know I love you, right?” he murmurs, the words like a knife right through my chest.
“You don’t treat the people you love like that, Austin.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” he says. “I really fucked up.”
“Ya think?” I grunt, blatantly refusing to hug him back.
Letting out a sigh, he finally releases me and takes a hesitant step back, his green eyes locked on mine, and the sincerity within them has me wanting to crumble. “You’re my little sister, and all I’ve ever wanted was to look out for you and make sure you had the best of everything. The best schools, the best friends, the best opportunities, but when it came to Izaac . . . I was selfish. I wasn’t thinking about what you wanted, and I couldn’t see anything past my own hurt. I fucked up, Aspen. I said things to you that I’ll never be able to make up for, and the way I acted . . . I should have been there for you and given you a chance to explain what was going on. Instead, I was blinded by rage.”
I clench my jaw, feeling the tears begin to well in my eyes when I raise my chin and decide to give it to him straight. “Do you know why I was at Vixen last night?”
A hardness creeps into his face, but he remains silent, waiting for me to continue. “Because you lied and told me that Izaac didn’t fight for me. I was there trying to prove something to myself, and don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say that you’re at fault for what happened in that dark room. I was the one who made the decision to go there and behave the way I did. I walked into that room and put myself in a vulnerable position, and that will always be on me, but you’re the one who put it in my head. You planted the seeds that told me that I wasn’t enough, and because of that, I needed to see what he would do.”