Page 86 of End Game

“And who did you see?”

“You know who.” He leans against the doorway, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “You sure you wanna go there?”

“Too late.” I’m grinning. “I went there. And it was pretty fucking great.”

Coop’s expression remains serious. “You better not break her heart.”

My smile fades. “I won’t.”

The now-skeptical look on my friend’s face tells me he doesn’t believe a word I’m saying.

“Seriously. I won’t,” I stress.

“Nico. Be real with yourself right now. You break every woman’s heart. You had a hysterical ex at this house in the middle of our party last night trying to bang your door down, she was so pissed at you. Especially because you were locked away in there with Everleigh and you said you were going to make her moan, just for Portia’s sake.” Coop shakes his head again. “That was kind of fucked up, you know.”

“What Portia did was majorly fucked up. I’d even call it harassment.”

“That’s a stretch.”

“Not really.”

A deep sigh leaves him. “You’ve egged her on before, Nico. You know this.”

Right. He’s right. But . . .

“Did you hear her, Coop? She was screaming at me.Threateningme.”

“You’re a big boy, Nico. You can handle her. After all, you’re the reason she lost her damn mind in the first place.”

“So this is my fault.” He’s ruining my mood with all this.

“No, but you didn’t help matters.” He shakes his head. “You’ve said so yourself that you can’t commit. You tried with Portia, and look where that got you.”

In hellis what I want to say, but I keep my mouth shut.

And maybe I do want to commit. It’s hard for me to admit out loud, but I want to pursue something more with Ever. Does she want the same?

I’m not sure.

“I like Everleigh. I like how she’s changed the vibe in this house. We don’t party as much. We don’t eat out as much. She’s got us doing yoga and getting all Zen and shit. I like it. I like her a lot.” He clamps his lips shut when he notices the look I’m giving him. “Oh, get over yourself, I don’t like her like that. She’s a friend. My roommate. And a really nice, sweet girl.”

Unease slips down my spine at the lecture I know is coming my way.

“If you’re not serious about her, end it now. I’m asking you to think about someone else for once in your life versus just yourself.”

“Are you saying I’m selfish?” I’m actually offended by his remark. “She’s a grown-ass woman who can make her own decisions.”

“Right, and was most likely a little drunk and horny, and all you had to do was flash that smile at her, and boom. Her panties flew off.”

“She wasn’t wearing any in the first place.”

He actually pales. “There’s a detail I didn’t need to hear.”

“Sorry about that.” I shrug. I am not sorry at all for saying that to him.

“She’s like a sister to me,” Coop adds.

“And she’s currently with your sister.” I don’t bother telling him what happened on the FaceTime call.

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