“Why?” she snapped. “You didn’t have a problem fuckin’ me without one. Why should Nico?”
His eyes darted to the nightstand as he started to say something, but he closed his mouth and shook his head.
“Tell me,” she bit out. “I deserve that much, don’t I? Or do you plan to run away again?”
His head snapped up, his eyes slamming into her. His flinty gaze narrowed as he took one step forward, then another.
“I’m not runnin’,” he growled.
“Coulda fooled me.” Stevie knew she should probably leave well enough alone, but she couldn’t help herself. This confrontation had been a long time coming, and though the trigger wasn’t what she expected, she knew it had to be done.
Nico sighed. “Stevie, we should—”
“He’s pissed,” she told Nico, cutting him off. “He’s pissed because we’re not usin’ a condom.”
“I’m not pissed.”
“Yeah, you are. Admit it. You wanted to be special. You wanted to be the only one, didn’t you?’
The muscle in his jaw bunched, but he didn’t argue.
“Well, tough shit, Stone. It’sourchoice. Not yours.” She snorted. “You fucked me without a condom when Nico wasn’t here. How’s that any different?”
“It’s not.”
“Damn right, it’s not. I love him,” she blurted. “And he loves me.”
“I know.” Stone swallowed. “And I know you don’t love me.”
Stevie’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected that. To maintain this anger, she needed him to be angry, too. But he wasn’t. He sounded … defeated.
Stone remained there, unmoving, which pissed her off more. So much so that she ignored the hurt that flashed in his eyes. She pretended not to see it because she didn’t care. It was the least of what he deserved. After all that he’d put her through, Stone should feel some of that ache she’d grown accustomed to for so long.
She talked to Nico while she stared at Stone. “He pretends he’s okay with this, but deep down, he’s selfish. He wants—”
“I’m jealous, all right!” Stone bellowed. “But it has nothin’ to do with—” He waved his hand toward her nightstand and took a deep breath, his tone cooler when he said, “The condom. I thought this was new for all of us. I was wrong.”
Stevie was confused. What the hell was he talking about?
She glanced at the nightstand when he looked over again.
And there it was. All her stuff, probably glaring right in his face.
“I moved in here,” she told him, tipping her chin up, daring him to give his opinion. She didn’t care. Plus, she was still riding the wave of retribution. The need to make him feel a fraction of what he’d made her feel when he left her all those years ago was too powerful to ignore.
“I see that.” He took another deep breath. “I was mistakenly under the impression this would be a conversation the three of us would have. Clearly, you two had it without me.”
A second ago, she’d wanted to blast him with hurtful words. Now, she was on the verge of tears. It wasn’t fair. She shouldn’t care.
His voice was low, tormented. “I get it, Stevie. I do. I’m the third wheel.”
“You’re the one who likes to share,” she managed. “This shouldn’t be a problem for you.”
Stone nodded. “I’m tryin’ to be okay with it.”
Nico sat up, and Stevie could feel his eyes on her.
Stevie gritted her teeth. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They were supposed to be having fun, right? That was all she wanted. So why was Stone making this so hard?
