“There's nothing to discuss.” Cal tried to move past me. I blocked him. His eyes flashed. “Move, Dom.”
“Make me.”
“This is juvenile.”
I crowded closer. “What did you tell Adrian?”
“That's between me and him.”
“It involves my sister's case. That makes it my business.”
“Your sister's case involves a lot of things you don't know about yet.” Cal's voice went colder. “And maybe if you'd let me do my job instead of making everything about your feelings, we'd actually get somewhere.”
“My feelings.”
“Yes. Your need for explanations. Your need for me to check in. Your need to know every detail of my investigation becauseyou can't stand not being in control.” Cal stepped closer instead of backing down.
My hand moved before I could think. Fisted in his jacket. Slammed him back against the wall with enough force to rattle his teeth.
“Dom!” Noah warned.
I ignored him. Kept my focus on Cal.
“You think this is about control? You think I'm angry because you didn't check in?”
“I think you're angry because I didn't stay.” Cal's breathing had gone uneven. “Because I left before you could turn what happened into something it wasn't.”
“And what was it?”
“A mistake. A complication.”
I leaned closer. Close enough to feel his breath on my face. Close enough to see his pupils dilate despite everything coming out of his mouth.
“You're lying,” I said quietly. “To me and to yourself. .”
“You don't know anything about what I want.”
My grip on his jacket tightened. “I know that whatever you told Adrian in there, you came to him instead of me because admitting you need help from me specifically would mean admitting this is real.”
Cal's jaw clenched. His hands came up, gripped my wrists, but didn't push me away. Just held on like he needed the contact as much as he hated it.
“Let go, Dom.”
“Give me a reason.”
“Because if you don't step back right now, I'm going to do something we'll both regret.”
“Like what?”
His mouth crashed into mine.
It wasn't careful. Wasn't controlled. Was all teeth and anger and two days of frustration compressed into one brutal kiss that tasted like fury and desperation. My hands released his jacket, moved to his face, holding him in place as I kissed him back with everything I couldn't say out loud.
His hands fisted in my shirt. Pulled me closer even as he bit my lip hard enough to draw blood. We broke apart gasping, foreheads pressed together, both breathing too hard.
“I hate you,” Cal whispered.
“No, you don't.”
