Page 45 of Crave

I was about to smash him for talking to her like that but Landon pulled in a breath and faced them all down.

“I’m in love with Adam. It’s not a fling, or revenge screw. I just…love him.”

I wanted to sink to my knees in relief and worship at her feet, but once again, chaos erupted.

Landon walked toward her friends; her hands raised in supplication. “Please, talk to me. Give me a chance. I’m so sorry.”

I watched as Gabby looked at her with sympathy, and Elle remained cold, clutching Daisy’s arm. They just stared back, refusing to speak, and my heart shriveled at Landon’s obvious pain.

“I’m going inside. Who’s with me?” Noah asked.

Slowly, the girls broke away from the circle and joined Noah along with Coop and Max.

Max put his hand out to Landon. “Come with us,” he urged, eyes intent on her face. “We can all talk inside. Don’t make the wrong choice again, Landon. Trust us.”

Landon stared at his outstretched hand. Tears filled her beautiful eyes. “I can’t.”

She leaned into me and my arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close.

Max’s eyes hardened. His voice was a whiplash. “Good luck. I never want to see either of you again.”

Then he left, along with the rest of our friends.

We stood on the street alone and watched them disappear.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Landon

Listen to Give Me a Kiss

by Crash Adams

They’d left me.

I stared at the empty space where all of my friends had gathered—the people I chose as my family. Pain stabbed sharply in my gut, making me want to bend over and vomit. Elle believed I’d betrayed her. Gabby was filming us. Daisy was crying and looked so hurt, I only wanted to hug her and explain.

But no one had given me time. They’d shut us out, led under Max’s charge, and for the first time I realized I’d been kidding myself, believing a truthful discussion could save all of us from the fallout. Now, I knew the truth. By choosing Adam and not telling them ahead of time, I’d lost their trust.

“I don’t understand,” I murmured, swaying on my feet. “They wouldn’t listen to us.”

“Sweetheart, look at me.” I blinked and tried to focus on Adam’s face. His dark eyes gripped mine with an assurance I desperately needed. “You gotta give them time. Elle will apologize and understand. So will Daisy. And Gabby’s playing follow the leader now, she’ll also back you up.”

I chewed my lip and thought over his words. “Max is never going to let anyone forget.”

“No, he won’t. But it won’t matter. Your girls will support you—they just need a moment to sort it out. Landon?”

“Yeah?”

He tipped my chin up and studied my face. “Breathe.”

The breath suddenly whooshed from my lungs and I realized I’d been holding it in, ready to pass out. Adam’s strong arms held me tight, and inch by inch, I relaxed into him. We’d made our stand and it had blown up. But he was right. I couldn’t lose my shit and assume no one would ever talk to me again. Like any fight or explosion in our group, we needed to hold on to the drama for a while, but eventually we always came back together. Through cheating scandals, lies, and broken hearts, we seemed to seek each other out in the end no matter what happened. Usually, the dynamics were tweaked, and we found a new normal.

I needed to believe it would happen again.

“Let’s go home.”

I nodded at Adam’s words and we returned to his apartment. He poured me a shot of whisky and I drank it, feeling the warmth explode in my belly and loosen my muscles. I sat on the edge of his bed. “I never told Gabby about the kiss. Why would Elle get so upset? She was the only one who knew about us.”

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