Her jaw clenches. She doesn’t believe me, and neither do I.
I saw the video. Saw the way her mouth moved against his, the way she leaned in. That fucking hickey on her neck, the proof that she let him close.
“Alex put that there.” I point.
She covers it without answering, but there’s no use. I’ve already memorized the shape of it. Before I realize it, I’m inching closer. Sam shuffles back, that tough girl facade waning just a little. And something about that makes me feel like I won.
“Did you like him kissing you?” I seethe, eyes fixed on her.
“Yes.”
“Did you fuck him?” My voice bounces off the close-set cinderblock, and Sam blanches.
The second it slips, I want to rip it back. But I can’t. And maybe I don’t really want to. It’s clawing at the inside of my chest, demanding an answer.
She stares at me in disbelief, probably wondering where I get the audacity. I’ve been nothing but rude to her since she showed, made her feel unwanted and unremembered, but have the balls to ask her something like that. For a second, I expect herto swing at me, a right hook to the chin to put me in my place. Instead, brown eyes bore into me.
The silence stretches, and something about her not responding makes it worse, gives too much room for my imagination to run wild. To replay that kiss in my head—her mouth on his, the way she melted into him like it meant something.
A laugh almost slips out, hollow and crooked. I’m unraveling and she sees it.
“Everest,” she says quietly, reaching out to touch me. “What’s going on with you?”
The sound of my name on her tongue snaps something in me. She doesn’t call me Kane, not the asshole she’s learned to hate, but Everest. A name that no longer belongs to me. I lunge forward, fast enough to make her flinch. My forehead presses against hers, my breath short, fist clenched at my sides to keep from grabbing her outright.
“I told you not to call me that.”
“Tell me something else.” She breathes. “Why do you hate me so much?”
“To protect you,” is all I offer.
She swallows. “From what?”
I pause. “Just stay away from Alex.”
“This isn’t really about Alex. Is it?” She pauses, and when I don’t respond, she continues. “This is about you not wanting anyone else to touch me.”
I shake my head.
“Because seeing me with Alex got under your skin. You wanted it to be you.”
I suck in a breath, my eyes darting across her features. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“I’m right.”
“No,” I bite.
“Kiss me.”
The air punches out of my lungs, and I stand frozen, trapped between the desire to do exactly what she’s asked of me and walking the hell out of here. If she were any other girl, the decision would be easy: fuck her and leave.
But, God, standing here with her feels easier. It’s anger and passion, raw beyond restraints, but still the simplest thing in my life. My eyes fall to her mouth, slightly parted with full lips, gloss covering every inch.
When I peer back at her eyes, I find them watching my mouth, and for the first time I notice that her breathing has changed, low and labored now.
“What’s it going to be?” she asks. “Kiss me.” Her chest rises with a deep inhale. “Or get the fuck out.”
It doesn’t come out sweet or shy. She throws it at me. Doesn’t ask but dares. Bracing myself, I walk forward until I back her against the edge of the bed. I can feel her chest lifting and easing against mine. Feel this moment turning into something else.
