Page 44 of Samhain

“Good night, Romeo,” Miri called.

“Good night, Romeo,” Lex mockingly echoed.

Then I went after my girl.

12

Carter

“Weeds,” I called after her. She wrapped a robe over her shoulders and walked down the hallway to another room at the far end. Her room, I realized, when I recognized her enormous bed and her fresh white furniture. I followed Ivy into the walk-in closet, my knees shaking and butterflies rolling through my stomach. She startled and turned to face me when I closed the door behind me, her wet hair in the beginnings of a braid down the side of her chest.

“Carter.” She gave me a small smile and went back to riffling through her drawer. “What are you doing?”

“Miss Washington,” I said, attempting to revive the game we used to play, the gentleman slut and his lady whore. I took a step closer, straightening my shoulders so my broad chest seemed even more imposing. She used to like it when I was fresh out of the shower. Proving my point, Ivy licked her lips and moved away.

Some things never change.

“You and I should talk.” I stepped closer, my hands linked together at the base of my spine.

She hummed and pretended like it had no effect on her. “About?”

“About the two years we spent thinking we didn’t want each other.” I danced my fingers over a lace panty set that caught my eye.

“Oh.” Her expression turned cross, eyebrows arching, stare eviscerating me where I stood. “What about the two years you spent fucking my best friend?”

And there it is. The reason she’d ignored me. The reason she’d rebuilt her barriers. The reason we couldn’t be who we were, not until we sorted this out.

“It wasn’t two years,” I said. “And don’t pretend like you didn’t do the same.”

“Lex and I—” she started.

“You and Lex have been in love with each other since you were kids,” I said. “Everyone on the planet can see it except for you.”

She didn’t say anything, just clenched her jaw and continued flinging stuff around.

“It still hurts,” she mumbled. “I’ll get over it. Just…give me a minute.”

“Get over it?” Another step toward her brought me close enough to feel the heat radiating off her tight body. “You think I don’t like that you’re jealous? That the thought of me with anyone else makes you run red hot?”

She bit the corner of her lip, her eyes searching mine for signs of trickery.

Oh, I knew my Weeds so well. She was waiting for me to pull the rug out from under her, to tell her this was all a big fat lie and I did love Miri more than her and perhaps I always would.

No, Weeds, I wanted to say. It’s you. It’s always you.

“’Cause the thought of you with Lex is making me want to choke the life out of my best friend,” I said. “Or fuck him. Or maybe both. It’s all very confusing.”

She giggled softly, and the sound was like a church bell calling me to kneel at her altar and beg her for redemption.

“Miri and I…” I shook my head and looked down between us. “It was to make it not hurt so much. I won’t say it meant nothing, because it didn’t. Miri means a lot to me. I love her.”

Ivy swallowed and nodded, her attention going back to the dresser.

“That doesn’t mean”—I softened my tone, slowly reaching out to cup her cheek and turn her face toward me—“that I don’t love you, Weeds.”

Bloodshot gray eyes met mine, tears trailing down her cheeks, and I wiped my thumbs across her skin so I could capture her pain and clear it away.

“I missed you so fucking much,” she said on a sob, clutching my wrists.

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