Page 110 of Unraveled

“Annie…thank God…I caught you,” Jet panted as he reached me, ignoring the kiss Iknewhe must have seen. He rested his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath while I glared. “I have to explain.” He tried to take my hand, but I yanked it away, hating the way his face fell. I didn’t want his explanation. I’d seen the evidence and read the proof.

“It wasn’t…what it looked like.”

Anger pulsed through me with the cliche. “Like that isn’t the oldest line in the damn book.” I whipped around to leave, disgusted, and tossed over my shoulder, “Go back to your whore, Jet. I’m sure she’s missing the feel of your arms around her. Not to mention your tongue down her throat.” I shoved back the pain, letting the anger take over as I walked away. I wouldn’t let him see how he’d hurt me.

JET

Desperate as Annie almost walked away from me again, I lunged to reach her and spun her back around. Shock brushed her features with her irritation, and when Nic stepped towards us, I sent him a look from hell, daring him to interfere. “Sweetheart, I’m not lying to you. Just let me explain.”

Tears were falling from those gorgeous eyes that were so filled with hurt because ofme. My heart ached, knowing I’d caused her pain. I had to set it right. She had to know how I felt about her.How can she not know?

Annie shook her head, already trying to back away again. “I don’t see how you can explain it. I know you’ve been with her.”

My brow furrowed, trying to match that to the kiss. “What are you talking about?”

“I know you’ve slept with her!”

What the hell?“Absolutely fucking not. Where the hell did that come from?”

“Don’t fucking lie to me, Jet! I know it happened.”

“How can you know something happened when it didn’t?!” Fear curled slowly into my belly worse than before. I couldn’t reason with her if she wasn’t making sense.

“I found a letter she wrote to you in your bag.” She placed her hands on her hips, breathing I knew to controlher tears. “It was tucked in that fucking book she stuck in there.” She scowled at me, disgusted.

“Then what did it say, sweetheart, cuz I’m lost here.”

“It said everything!”

“Which is what?” I pressed, reaching out to hold her arms when she tried to turn away. “Stop trying to walk off so we can work this out.”

She threw her head back with a scoff. “Like there’s any working shit out aftercheating.”

“I wasn’tcheating, Annie. That kiss–”

“Fuck that damn kiss, Jet. It’s nothing compared to knowing yousleptwith her.”

“But Ididn’t. Sweetheart,please.”

Doubt flickered for a moment in her expression before she shook it away. “Lie all you want, but that letter said it all. How she’ll never forget the way you made her feel when you were together. How possessive you were. The way you demanded things from her body. That kiss was just the fucking proof.”

I shook my head. “That can’t be right. Where is it? Let me see.”

Nic held it out, and I snatched it from my fucking cousin’s grip and held the letter up, trying to catch the moonlight. But the words were barely discernible. I was about to curse when I remembered the light on my keys, and I pulled them out, shining the white LED over the paper. My eyes skimmed the letter, pissed that this piece of paper, this string oflieswas threatening everything important to me. A kiss I could have fought my way back from, but this? If Annie thought it wastrue? I’d justthoughtI was pissed at Ruby before.

I shoved the letter and my keys into Nic’s chest when I was through and pulled Annie closer, ignoring the way she stiffened to make her meet my eyes. Needing her to see every sworn truth I was now baring to her. “It’s not true. None of it’s true. She made up every single thing. I swear. I don’t want Ruby. I’veneverdoneanythingwith Ruby.”

I watched the pain twist in her expression. The way she wanted to believe me. “Liar! I saw you kissing her! You know I saw you!”

“Shekissedme!”

“Another line from the books.” Annie rolled her eyes, and all I wanted to do was kiss away every falling tear. To take away her pain and make her trust me again.

“She did, sweetheart. I had just told her that I didn’t want her. I put my foot down with her, telling her I wouldn’t let her disrespect you, and she shoved me back against Corey’s truck.”

“And you’re how much stronger than her?” Annie nodded. “Yep. Makes sense that you couldn’t just push her away.”

“Fuck. I smacked my head against the window, Annie. Stars were cracking across my eyes at first, and by the time they cleared, you had walked up. I pushed her away as soon as I could.”

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