“Accusations,” he says it slow as if it were a loaded gun we were moving around the table.
“Accusations?”
“Don’t go there,” Jet groans as if reading my infuriated mind.
“Oh, I’m going there, and you can’t stop me.” My lips quiver a moment because there is so much I want to say to my brother. “There are things I want to tell you.” I glance around, my heart growing heavier by the second. As much as I want to spill everything about my sister,oursister, there’s just something about spitting her out in a bar that somehow cheapens how special she is. “We need to get together soon so we can talk. Somewhere private.” I glance to Daisy and feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment. I suppose if I can tell Lawson about Jade, I can tell Daisy. “You’re welcome to be there.”
Her entire face lights up with relief. Daisy and I finally crossed that bridge, and I’d like nothing else but to continue in a positive direction.
We wrap up our get-together fairly quickly, ending with an extended bone-crushing hug.
Lawson Kent is finally going to get what he’s been asking for this entire last week. A conversation with me—regarding certain accusations.
I’m brewing with anger already.
Beta house isalive with its mandatory chaos. Heart-stopping rap music pulsates from the speakers. Girls in short dresses decorate the room like ornaments. A Ping-Pong table has been lugged in from the back, and a crowd has amassed around it to watch the tiny ball get lobbed back and forth.
A familiar cologne envelops me, cloves and rosemary, and I spin to find Lawson wide-eyed and handsome as hell. Lawson Kent has a dangerous look about him. He’s not your typical underwear model of perfection. He holds a dark edge to him. That ultra sexy grin of his takes your panties off before he gets within feet of you. And that body. A small sigh escapes me. Lawson is built like a brick house, all power and muscle. The things I have dreamed about doing to that body. If only I was honest with him to begin with, things might have turned out differently for us.
“Lucky.” His brows knit high into his forehead, and he grips me by the arms as if to assess if I’m real—either that or in an attempt to keep me from bolting. “You’re safe. Thank God.” He pulls me in tight, and I don’t fight it. My body adheres to his, and I drink in the feel of his rock-hard chest beneath me. “I can’t tell you how worried I’ve been.” His warm breath heats over my ear as his lips caress over my cheek. Suddenly, the bodies in the room, the music, it all feels too intrusive.
I land my hands over his chest and pull back to look into those leaf green eyes. “Jet suggested that some things were said.”
His affect turns to stone, and that happy-to-see-me grin dissipates to nothing, sinking my heart right along with him. Rush and Grant come up behind him and stop just shy about five feet.
“Lucky, let’s go somewhere private.”
“No, I want to do this here.” The moment turns bitter on a dime, and now all I want are answers. “What kind of accusations did you make?”
Lawson glances over his shoulder at his friends then back to me. “This is a private conversation, Lucky. I don’t want to do this to you.”
“Sounds like you’ve already done it. If it was so private, I wouldn’t think you’d go to Jet first.”
The muscles in his jaw tense as he hardens his gaze over mine. His restless leg shakes his entire body.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?” he says it quiet enough, but a handful of girls nearby pause their conversation to look our way.
My heart explodes in one mighty thump. God Almighty, that was the last thing I expected to pop out of his mouth. Our eyes lock in a moment of horror, and my muscles freeze, incapacitating me from sprinting all the way back to Cutler. The rapid heat of embarrassment creeps from my chest, burning up my neck and spreading over my cheeks. Ava did this.No, I did it.
“Lucky.” Lawson closes his eyes a moment. “Why did you let me do that?”
A choking sound emits from my throat. Every last part of me demands to deny it.Lie. Tell him anything but the truth.
“What business is it of yours?”
“What business?” He ticks back. “This was a big fucking deal.”
“It wasn’t a big deal to me.” A release comes with the lie. With lies there is an element of control. The truth is a rogue creature, one that does you no favors, just cuts you with its jagged edge. I do a quick scan of the room, looking for Ava or Harper, but come up empty. “I don’t want to do this anymore.” I turn to go, but Lawson catches me by the arm.
His affect softens. His eyes plead with me on a whole new level. “Why would you make that stuff up about your sister?” His voice is close to a whisper now that a small crowd has amassed around us.
“What?” I pluck my arm free and take a full step back. “I wasn’t lying about my sister.”
“Jet says you were.”
The accusations—this was the pinnacle. My cheeks burn, freshly slapped with his words.
“You told Jet about her?” The room pulsates around me like a heartbeat. Girls with their curious gazes swoop in along with a group of guys from Beta.
