Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 164705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Briar stormed down the corridor, not bothering to check if I’d followed. “Has anyone ever told you you’re gross?”
“On an hourly basis, actually.” I plucked a rose from a vase mid-step, tucking it above the shell of her ear. It somersaulted to the tiles when she swatted it away. “I mean, you did meet my friends. Tough love is an understatement.”
“Are you and Frankie having an affair?” she demanded.
“Answer my question first.” I tsked. “I understand we’re playing a game of who’s gonna break first – you, by the way, I’d take you straight to the altar if it were up to me – but I want to hear the reason behind your change of heart.”
That was the thing about greed. Just the slightest taste of what I wanted, and I could abandon every moral.
You see, something switched in me when Seb and I fought on the grass. That tiny flash of normalcy emboldened me. It told me that I could fix things with Briar. Or try to, at least. Seb wouldn’t kill me for reneging on my promise. Or maybe he would, and that would be normal. Us again. He’d call me a bastard, rough me up a bit, and we’d go back to being brothers.
So, yeah, if Briar gave me any indication that we had something left to salvage, that I could win her back, I wouldn’t waste the opportunity. I’d fucking ace it. I would never let her go.
“Three and half months until my next post. That’s how long I plan on staying.” She turned the corner, and it dawned on me that, with the exception of the south wing, she already knew every inch of this massive manor. “Now, are you having an affair with Frankie?”
“No.”
“Then, why did she have your credit card?”
I hitched a shoulder up. “I really like pissing my friends off. I knew Romeo would collapse into himself when he heard about it. And he did.”
“You look like a horndog, chasing a barely legal woman.”
I chuckled. “If the shoe fits …”
“You know, even though I absolutely detest you – and make no mistake, I truly do – I cannot picture you sleeping around.”
“No need to use your imagination, baby. I can give you a demonstration.”
Her eyes flicked down to my throw-covered dick. “I’m not impressed.”
“That’s because you haven’t seen it in battle mode.”
“I can honestly say I’ve never met anyone worse than you.”
“That is entirely unfair. You’ve met two. You call them your parents.”
“Not anymore.” She finally smiled. “Not since I was eighteen, in fact.”
I shot her a sidelong glance. “That long?” Guilt and sadness weaved together, tightening around my throat.
Her smile turned miserable. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”
“I’m sorry. It was a shitty thing for me to say.”
“Right on brand.” She stopped in front of one of my many guestrooms, pointing at the door. “Well, this is me.”
“And this is me.” I pointed to a painting of a sad clown in the hallway. “Seriously, I’m sorry I brought your parents up. I know it’s a sensitive subje—”
“No, you don’t.” She spun to face me. “A lot has changed in the last fifteen years. You don’t know me. You don’t know what my triggers are, what my likes and dislikes are, what makes me tick. We are strangers. I’m happy to take advantage of your mansion, and your pool, and your tennis court for a while, but don’t mistake this for a truce. I still hate you.”
She flung her door open and was about to shut it in my face, but I managed to slap a hand over the edge, stopping it with ease.
“Let me ask you something.” I licked my lips, my tone dropping low and sultry. “What makes you so sure I won’t kick you out of here after the way you’ve spoken to me?”
I was turned on. I was pissed off. I was a lot of things, and all of them made me feel alive.
Surprise colored her face. “You owe me.”
“I owe you shit. You are still the same person, and so am I. What I did to you was horrible. Inexcusable. But I had my reasons. You were my first love.” My only love. “And the truth is, deep down, you know I’m your safe place.”
“My safe place?” Her jaw dropped. “I’d be safer in a warzone.”
I just stared at her, letting her know I saw through her bullshit. She gave me the middle finger. I pretended to catch it and put it in my pocket, like it was a kiss, a smug grin hiking up my cheeks.
She slammed the door in my face.
“Love you, too,” I called out to her through the wood. “Goodnight, roomie.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Briar
You know I’m your safe place.
Obviously, in addition to getting shitfaced, Oliver had also gotten high.
How could he think I came back because I thought he could protect me from anything?