Page 111 of Restrictions

Fuck! Part of me wants to die. I don’t think she’s fucking with me. I think his hands have been all over her.

“What does it say about a guy who doesn’t mind you fucking his best friend? Huh, Viv? You think he actually cares about you?” I edge closer, picking up on her minty breath. “You’re a thrill.”

“What exactly is thrilling about me, Asher?” She drops her hands and leans in, accepting my challenge.

Every fucking thing. “You’re a single mom. You turned him down. You aren’t normally into guys like him. You were fucking me. Every single thing about you screams challenge, Viv. Don’t be so fucking blind.”

I hate the angry tears in her eyes. “He’s not like that.”

“Bullshit. I’ve known him a hell of a lot longer than you. He wants a thrill. You’re just another conquest for him.”

“You’re wrong. When you and I...” She’s flustered and can’t even say it as she uses her hand to sweep that thought away. “He had no claim to me, and I had no claim to him. We’re taking things slow, and he’s not a possessive asshole.”

“So, you’re just going to fuck us both then?”

Her eyes are cold. “You were a mistake.”

“One you would gladly make over and over again. You couldn’t spread your legs for me fast enough.”

Her hands ball into fists at her sides, and I think she just might hit me. Her voice is shaky. “Why do you care?” Her finger presses against my chest, leaving an achy, hot feeling in the spot she touches me, right over my heart. “You’re not in love with me. You don’t want a real relationship, so why the hell do you care who I'm with? Why does it matter, Asher?”

“I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Her eyes are watery with rage and frustration as she talks through clenched teeth. “No. You just don’t want to see me with him, or maybe anyone else. But you had your chance. We could have at least tried, but you’re a coward.”

“I’m not a fucking coward.” My body crowds hers as her ass presses against her dresser. I'm so angry I can’t even appreciate just how fucking good she looks in that dress.

“Yes, you are, Asher. You’re afraid to try. To fail.”

I scoff, and it’s cold and hateful. “I think you have me confused with you. Little Ms. Perfect, holding back, trying to be perfect and please everyone else until you explode and fuck up in huge ways that mess up everyone else’s lives.”

I swear I hear the smack of her hand against my face before I feel the sting it brings. She’s panting with fury, a tear streaking her cheek. “Don’t you ever call Baz a mistake.”

I need to shut up. Back down. I’m in the wrong, and I know it, but I keep going. “I love that kid more than anything, but the way he came crashing into this world...” My face aches with the slap from her hand, and I'm sure her hand is in pain after the hard hit. But I refuse to show the pain, and so does she. I glare at her. “It started a destructive path that none of us will ever come back from.”

“That’s all I am to you. Your brother’s mistake.” I swallow the disgusting feeling, and I want to scream that it’s not true, but I don’t. I stand there, unmoving as she fights back tears. “That’s why you moved in with me, isn’t it?”

“What?”

She looks numb as another tear falls. “Colt died and left behind a huge mess. At first, you did everything you could to be there for your mother, and then when she was happy, you moved on to me.”

“No.”

I try to take her hand, but she jerks it away. “It’s true, isn’t it? Baz and me? We’re just his mess. He’s gone, so you took on his responsibility.”

“Vivienne . . .”

I reach for her again, but she moves further away. “I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone.”

A surge of anger kicks up, and I laugh at her. “Right. That’s why you went right to fucking Sawyer.”

She moves back toward me, her chin lifted high through her tears. “Sawyer is twice the man you are. He has the balls you lack, and at least he’s trying.”

“He’s trying to get into your pants.”

“He’s already been there.” I feel the tension soar through my body, and I feel a strange mixture of wanting to murder him and wanting to puke. Now it’s her turn to be cold as she leans in, her tongue flicking with fury. “Over and over. And he keeps coming back for more.”

I swallow hard. “You know I was Colt’s replacement all these fucking years...” I lean in, my jaw tight with fury. “But Sawyer is mine.”

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