“I have to go.” I’m reluctant when I say it. I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here to make sure nothing about how perfect last night was gets ruined. Like I can’t help myself, I step forward, running my fingers across the places on Donovan’s chest, tracing over little half-moon bites where my nails dug into his skin. “I’ll be back later, though.”
“Class?”
My eyes flick to the man standing beside him. “No.” What Iwantis to find someone I can bleed out.
“Painting?” Donovan asks, and I blow out a frustrated breath, because I don’t want Oakley to know anything about me. I come up on tiptoe and press my mouth to Donovan’s instead.
“I’ll be back later. When you’re alone.” I don’t even try to hide the irritation in my voice, and Oakley gives me the most shit-eating grin I’ve ever seen.
“Maybe I’ll stay the night,Donny.” He leans in and actually smacks his stupidly perfect lips against Donovan’s freckled cheek. “We can cuddle like we used to.”
The streak of cold anger that rips through me is like a knife to my chest. It’s worse because I canseethe way the asshole is looking at me for a reaction. I inhale through my nose instead and then blow a slow breath out… because I can’t even say goodbye the way I’d like… all lips and teeth and tongue.
So instead, I cut Oakley a look that I’m pretty sure would make most people run for cover, then I press two fingers to the center of Donovan’s chest and force myself to speak even though I don’t want to say shit in front of the other man.
“Thanks for last night.”
Donovan’s eyes go soft, and I think for a second he’s going to lean down to kiss me… but then his friend wraps his arm around his shoulder and shoves him toward the living room.
“Bye, Shiloh.”
Fuck.
I can’t kill my boyfriend’s best friend.
I can’t kill my boyfriend’s best friend.
But when he glances over his shoulder and gives me a look that’s all threat and prickly mistrust, I wonder if I’m going to be able to keep up that little mantra.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
DONOVAN
As soon asthe door closes behind Shiloh, I turn to Oakley, anger simmering in my belly as I push him off me. “What the fuck is your problem? Why are you being such an asshole?”
Oakley snorts out a laugh as he takes a couple of steps back from me. “I was just joking around.”
“No, you were being an asshole.”
“Did you not sleep well last night? You’re grumpy this morning.”
“Yeah, because my best friend just met my boyfriend for the first time and decided to be the world’s biggest dickhead to him.”
Oakley rolls his eyes and heads for the kitchen to begin rooting through my cupboards like he lives here. He pulls out a chipped blue mug with a giant green “O” printed on the front and pours himself a cup of coffee while I wait for some kind of explanation as to why he was such an ass to Shiloh. I haven’t had many romantic partners in my lifetime, but he’s never behaved anywhere close to this with any of them before. Anyone else would mistake his behavior as jealousy, but I know Oakley, and there’s something far deeper to this.
There always is.
“Well?” I prompt after waiting long enough.
He looks up at me over the rim of his mug, clutching it in both of his hands like a toddler. “Upgraded to boyfriend, has he?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting. When did that happen?”
“Recently.”
Oakley cocks his head to the side, his lips pursed in a frown. “Where did you say you met him again?”
