For a moment he didn’t think she was going to respond. Then she bit her lip. “You can’t tell your parents. It’d kill them.”
What the fuck had Colton done?“I won’t tell them anything.”
“Okay.” She dropped her gaze and focused on his mouth. “He never hit me, but he was emotionally abusive. Not that I realized that’s what he was doing at the time. Just that…nothing I did was ever quite good enough for him.”
Dull rage knotted his stomach. “You did the right thing getting away from him.”
She glanced up at him, almost as though his comment shocked her. “Everyone loved him. Said what a great couple we were. Sometimes I wondered if it wasme.”
“It wasn’t you.” It was pointless being mad with his brother for the way he’d treated Piper in the past, but he couldn’t help it. “Don’t ever think that.”
She stroked his finger with her thumb. Did she even know she was doing it?
“He hated the fact I wouldn’t sleep with him. It was like a constant battle towards the end.”
His head thumped, splitting his brain with every breath. He struggled to understand what she was talking about. “You didn’t…?” Nah, he’d got it wrong. He wasn’t going to embarrass himself by repeating it.
“No. He was always on at me to do it with him.”
She’d never slept with Colton?
“That’s what we rowed about again, that night. He said—it doesn’t matter what he said. Just that I finally snapped, and told him I never wanted to see him again.”
The words she didn’t say echoed between them.And I never did.He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. Guilt was a crazy, twisted bitch.
“You’re not to blame for what happened.” The words stuck in his throat, but he pushed through. He had to, if he wanted to put the shadow of his brother behind him. “Neither am I.”
She gave him an odd look. “Why would you ever think you were?”
He remembered their first night together. She hadn’t blamed him then, either. Was it possible she really didn’t think the accident was his fault?
“It was my bike. If I hadn’t given him the keys he’d still be here.”
Comprehension dawned on her face, along with what looked like horror. “You haven’t thought that all these years, have you? It was nothing to do with you. Colton made his own choices that night.”
“I know that. But—”
“No.” She gently pressed her finger against his lips. “We have to let it go. I see that now. Both of us.”
It was easy to say he wasn’t to blame. That he needed to put the guilt behind him. But he’d lived with it for five years, and it’d take time to finally accept the truth. Maybe he never would, not entirely, but he sure as hell would do anything to convince Piper she had no part in it.
He was drugged, every part of his body hurt, but a dark conviction that had haunted him for the last month thudded through his mind. They’d both spilled secrets tonight and he might never get another chance to ask her something that under normal circumstances he’d rather rip out his tongue than say.
“I’m not a crazy rebound brother thing, then?”
She cradled his jaw in a tender gesture that speared straight to his heart. “You were never the rebound brother.” Her voice was soft. “Haven’t you guessed yet? I fell for you that night we first met on Halloween.”
No way.He gave a pained laugh. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m afraid not.” Her smile looked oddly strained. “I spent five years trying to get over you but…” she shrugged and then sighed, as though she hadn’t just made his day. Week. Month. Fuckingyear.
“Wish I’d known that years ago.” It was so hard trying to keep his eyes open. Damn drugs. He tried to tighten his grip on her hand, but wasn’t sure he succeeded.
She ran her fingers over his head. Her touch was so light he could barely feel it, and yet it warmed him deep inside, and spread through his body like a comforting balm.
“So do you think,” she hesitated and then took a deep breath. “Do you think we might have a future together? You know, like exclusive dating kind of thing?”
Was she for real? “Baby, you’re the only one I want in my future. Don’t ever doubt it.”
