Page 56 of Her Devils

I roll my eyes while struggling against his hold. “Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard it before. They are manwhores, all they do is party and fuck, and they are heartbreakers. Newsflash, Darrius. There’s nothing left to break, because you took care of breaking my heart and then stomped on the pieces. There aren’t enough roses in the world to apologize for that. Now let me go, please.”

Of course he doesn’t. I’m starting to understand that Darrius Penn never does anything he doesn’t want to do.

“You’re going to regret letting them touch you, Len. They don’t care about you. They don’t love you.”

I snort, stopping my struggle for a second. “At least they don’t pretend that they do.”

“Who the fuck is pretending, Lenley? I’ve always loved you. I just couldn’t—”

His lips crush mine, and I almost kiss him back.

Almost.

It lasts just for a second, and then I shove him away as soon as I feel his tongue trying to force its way into my mouth.

He lets me go, and I run to the other side of the kitchen table to put a barrier between us.

We stare at each other, our chests rising and falling with our labored breathing.

I take in his wild eyes, the way his hands grip the edge of the table so tight that his knuckles are white, and the bulge in his tight jeans.

“What the fuck did you do that for?” I demand.

He closes his eyes, inhaling and exhaling a couple of times in an obvious effort to calm down. “Why do you think I did it? I wanted to kiss you, I—”

I open my mouth to ask him why, but I never get the chance because Peyton storms into the kitchen like a fury from hell.

The Cove Devils’ captain is by my side in a heartbeat, and I welcome the comforting way he wraps his strong arms around my waist. I lean against his ripped chest as he growls at Darrius.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Penn? Touch Lenley one more time, and I swear to God it’ll be the last thing you do.”

“Stay out of our business, Cox, and what the fuck are you doing here?” I’ve never heard so much hatred in Darrius’s tone before.

Peyton ignores Darrius’s question and lowers his dark blue gaze to me. “Are you okay, Snow? Did he hurt you?”

I feel instantly calmer with him here. “I’m fine. Darrius was just leaving,” I reply, glaring at my former best friend across the table.

“The fuck I was!” he snaps, his venom directed at Peyton while he addresses me. “We aren’t done here, Lenley. This is between the two of us. The one who should go is your brother.”

“Stepbrother!” Peyton and I snap in unison.

Darrius chuckles, his tone more malicious than I ever believed he was capable of. “Potayto, potahto. Just get the fuck out of here, Cox. I’ll take care of your ass later. I was talking to Lenley before you rudely interrupted.”

Peyton doesn’t back off. “You’re the one who should fuck off, and you should thank your lucky stars that I came here to spend some time with Lenley. Go, before I beat the fuck out of you for being a creepy motherfucker and kissing Lenley when she clearly didn’t want you to.”

Darrius doesn’t move an inch. “You have no fucking idea what Lenley wants, asshole. You’ve known her for a whole five minutes while I’ve been her best friend her entire life, so don’t pretend you know her just because your parents got hitched.”

Peyton’s smirk is full of perverse satisfaction. “Oh, don’t worry, I know Lenley much better than you think, and I know from experience that if she wanted you to kiss her, then she wouldn’t have run to the other side of the table.”

The provocation hits its intended target, and Darrius pushes away from the table, advancing toward his rival. “So you admit it. You twoarefucking,” he seethes.

“Mind your own fucking business, Penn,” my stepbrother retorts. “My relationship with Len is between the two of us. Go back to your groupies, and next time, be careful not to get caught by your girlfriend.”

I’ve never seen Darrius so mad. I know I keep saying it, but every time I think it, his temper soars higher. “I’m going to make you pay for everything. From coming tomy townto compete on my turf, to trying to ruin my image by tipping off that blogger on Friday night, messing with my head, and ruining my performance, to interfering with Len and me.”

I’m tense and ready to step between the two men if this fight becomes physical, but Peyton surprises me by remaining calm. “Yeah, you do that. Now why don’t you see yourself out? Lenley and I are going to celebrate my victory last weekend, and our plans don’t include you.”

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