Page 27 of No Sweet Goodbyes

The agony I feel burning through my veins reflects back through his eyes, and I see the torture he’s putting himself through by keeping me here. He isn’t lying or exaggerating about the intensity between us. He really believes that he can’t have me. And I don’t think it has anything to do with our boss ordering him not to touch me. Or my brother being his best friend. Or anything except whatever torment I see him struggling with.

“What is it, Dom?” The tenderness in my voice must catch him off guard because he stares at me, lost in his thoughts, for over a minute before either of says anything else. Of course I’m the one who breaks first. “What’s going on right now? What’s wrong?”

“It was a mistake.” His words cut deep. “I never should have kissed you. I never should have done any of this. I fucked up.” He swallows deeply, and even though I can see the lie on his face, I don’t say a word. If he wants to push me away, I can’t stop him.

I won’t beg for his attention.

I won’t push if he wants to run.

I’m worth so much more than this bullshit.

Instead, I grab his keys off the counter.

“I’m taking your truck. You can call Linc for a ride in the morning and get it at the cemetery.”

Before I make a fool of myself and start to cry, I walk right out the front door.

I can’t make him see me, but that doesn’t mean that my eyes aren’t wide-open.

It’s time to let go.

10

DOM

I’m screwed, and there’s not a single thing I can do about it. I did this to myself, and now I have to suffer the consequences.

Linc hands me a cup of coffee when he opens my door without knocking at six in the morning.

“Do you want to tell me why I’m picking you up for work? Where’s your truck? You know… the department-issued truck that you can lose your job for if it’s missing.”

I take the coffee and glare him into silence. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do a single thing to erase the suspicious way he’s staring at me. There’s no escaping the truth, and the truth is that I’m screwed.

“It’s at the cemetery,” I tell him when we are finally on the road a few minutes later. I get lucky that he doesn’t give me shit about it, and all I can think is that it has to do with the lack of coffee so early in the morning. “Just drop me off and I’ll be fine.”

Instead of the curt nod I expect, Linc pulls over onto the side of the road, practically throwing the cruiser into Park before he turns and watches me with badly disguised anger.

“Please tell me that you didn’t hurt my little sister.”

“What?” I stare at him, dumbfounded. “Why would that even be possible at this point?” I lie through my fuckin’ teeth and hope that he doesn’t realize it.

The truth is enough that it’ll destroy our friendship, and I haven’t done anything but kiss her.

“Because I’m not an idiot, and you look like you’ve been beating yourself up all night. Emma’s obsessed with dead things and horror things and the cemetery is where she goes when she needs to think.” His nostrils flare, and then he turns back to the road and starts driving again like our friendship isn’t hanging by a tense thread. “I really don’t want to have to murder you and feed Emma your liver as an offering for. I gave you my permission to sweep her off her feet. That doesn’t mean you can hurt her.”

“I’m not going to sweep your sister off her feet,” I mutter. All I want to do is just that. But every single time I get around her, I screw it all up. Hell, last night I did sweep her off her feet. I threw her over my shoulder. I had her in my space, where she belongs, but I had to open my mouth and ruin it.

Where Emma’s concerned, I can’t seem to do anything right.

“Shit’s wonky,” Linc says abruptly. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but you need to be careful with her. Any idiot can see how you feel about her. Or maybe it’s just the fact that I’ve placed my life in your hands enough times that I can read every single move or flicker of your stoic-ass eyes. I know you. I know you would kill for the people you love. That’s why I told you that you could sweep her off her feet. But if you hurt her… I will kill you.”

“You’d have to get in line.” Even though I say it under my breath, I know Linc hears me. “I’m pretty sure my mother and father are in love with her. And you know Kennedy would get to me before you could.”

Linc nods. “Yeah,” he says proudly. “She really would. I might have to buy her a new machete for the occasion, if it ever comes.”

“What is it with her and that machete?”

Linc doesn’t answer me, though, because we’re pulling into the parking lot of the cemetery where my truck is parked. Almost like last night stopped at the cemetery. Like I hadn’t fucked up.

---