Page 15 of A Little Jaded

“He’s trying to prove you’re his.”

I open my mouth to argue but close it quickly. Seriously, what is wrong with my brain today?

“Not gonna deny it?” he challenges.

“My relationship with Drake is complicated.”

He scoffs. “He hits you.”

“Hit,” I argue. “Singular. It happenedonetime.”

Another angry scoff rumbles through his chest. “That’s how you justify it?”

Blinking back tears, I shake my head back and forth. “I’m not trying to justify?—”

“It’s exactly what you’re trying to do.”

“You don’t get it!” I snap.

“What’s there to get, Raine?” Everett prowls closer until my back hits the wall behind me with a quiet thud. He doesn’t stop until we’re chest to chest. Eye to…nipples. My heart thuds faster and faster, making me feel like the walls are closing in as I gulp thickly.

Sensing my spiral, Everett’s eyes narrow, and he growls, “What’s wrong?”

He’s taller than I realized. Hotter, too. Literally. I can feel his heat branding me as he pins me to the wall.

Breathe, I remind myself, forcing my gaze to meet his.

“Seriously, what’s wrong?” he asks.

“You’re scaring me,” I whisper.

He jerks back and lifts his hands in defense. “Fuck, I’m sorry.” He drops his hands and looks around the room. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

“Only corner me in a bathroom, right?”

“So nowI’mthe bad guy?” he volleys back. “Me? Not the guy you were grinding against in my family room?”

“I already told you my relationship with Drake is complicated.”

“It’s notthatcomplicated.” He inches forward again, but I realize it isn’t to try to intimidate me. He’s just…passionate. And confused. Honestly, he’s not the only one.

Why does he care, anyway?

“He hit you,” he pushes. “No one shouldeverhit you. And here you are, defending him.”

“I’m not?—”

His minty breath hits my cheeks as he bends closer. “You are.”

The same warmth from his body seeps through my top as he towers over me, but for some reason I can’t explain, I’m not really scared, even when I know I should be.

Why am I not scared?

Peeking up at him, I take in his icy blue eyes. They aren’t filled with anger. Frustration, sure. But not anger. Determination, maybe? Stubbornness, definitely. But they lack the unhinged, wild look I’ve grown accustomed to, and I hate how I notice the difference. How I compare him with Drake. How, when I told him I was scared, he immediately backed down, ashamed I would even consider the possibility of him touching me—hurting me. And even though I most definitely don’t know him well enough to make this assessment, something pulls at me. I don’t think he would hurt me. Not physically, anyway.

“Let. Me. Help. You,” Everett demands. Despite the fact it isn’t posed as a question, I can tell it is. Hell, it’s a plea—one I desperately want to accept. But at what cost? So far, all he’s done is make my life more difficult, so why do I want to trust him? Why do I want to ask for his help? Am I really this pathetic?

Sucking my lips between my teeth, I murmur, “I don’t want to drag you into this. I don’t want to drag anyone into this. I just want to pretend?—”

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