Between her not talking to me yesterday because she’d thought that Mira and I were actually together to walking in on my sister and my stepfather this morning, I didn’t feel fucking anything anymore.
Her gaze flickered down to my knuckles.“You’re bleeding.”
“I don’t care.”
Once she exhaled sharply, she stepped closer and brushed her fingers against my wrist.Her skin felt warm against mine, and I loathed the reaction my body had to her.I didn’t want to feel anything, especially not this and especially not now.
“You think beating up your stepfather is going to help Diya?”she said.
“Yes.”
“Damn it, Calix!”she snapped.“No, it’s not.You beating the shit out of him is not going to stop your sister from being pregnant.It’s not going to stop your sister’s feelings for him.And it’s certainly not going to stop them from being together.”
“My sister doesn’t have feelings for that fucker,” I growled, yanking myself away from her.“Besides, I don’t give a fuck if it helps.He deserves worse than a couple of fists to his face.I want to fucking kill him, Astrid.”
“If you lay another hand on him, Diya will hate you forever.”She furrowed her brow.“And what about you?!What happens if he presses charges?What happens if you do that and you get yourself thrown in prison?You’re going to throw your entire life away for this?!”
My breathing came out heavy, my chest rising and falling too fast.
“I don’t care,” I said through clenched teeth.
But I did care.
Not about him.Not about the consequences.
About the way Astrid was looking at me right now, as if … she was afraid of losing me.
She reached up and cupped my face in her hands, forcing me to look at her.“Don’t lie.”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.You think hurting him will make you feel better.But it won’t.”
I shook my head, my heart hammering inside my chest.“Then what the hell am I supposed to do, Astrid?Just stand by and let him walk free?Let him act like he didn’t ruin her life?He’s still married to my fucking mom.”
I didn’t know what the hell I was doing anymore.And Astrid was getting too close, her fingers now stroking my cheeks, making me feel shit I didn’t want to.When I looked at her, I felt something other than rage.Something that scared me just as much.
It always had, since the day I had met her when we were just kids.
Before I could stop myself, I leaned forward and kissed her.There were so many things that I wanted to say to her, but I couldn’t get them to come out.How could I tell her how I felt when she thought I was cheating on her with Mira?How could I ask her for help with this when she hated me so much that she didn’t give me a chance to explain what had happened?
She placed a hand on my chest and gently pushed it away a moment later.“Calix …”
I stared at her for a couple of moments, then turned away and wiped my lips.“Sorry, I?—”
She seized my face in her hands once more, climbed into my lap, and kissed me back.
CHAPTERSIXTY-TWO
ASTRID
I didn’t hesitate.I didn’t even think.
I climbed up onto Calix’s lap, straddled his waist, and kissed him hard on his pretty mouth.He sucked in a sharp breath, but moved his lips against mine, his fingers dancing alongside my hips, as if he had been aching for this.
After dragging my nails down his chest and abdomen, I curled my fingers around the hem of his shirt and began to tug it up, tracing his muscles.I didn’t know which one of us needed this more, and honestly, I didn’t care.
All I wanted to do was forget about him and Mira.I hated her, but I loved the fact that he had been begging formeto talk to him, formeto be with him, formeto behis.Not her.In this little game that Mira wanted to play, I was always winning.
