Page 77 of Destroying Everleigh

“Can I ask you something?” he asked.

“Sure.”

He snorted in response, his arms tightening around me, pulling my back flush against him. His dick was settled against my ass and despite being perfectly sated, I had to fight the urge to push back against him—to feel more of him.

“I won’t get mad,” he began. “Not right now, at least. I just need to know. Why did you do it?”

He didn’t need to specify. I knew what he was talking about. He wanted to know why I had sex with Dakota. My throat felt tight as I swallowed past the lump. That memory brought on so many unwanted feelings that I tried not to even think about it anymore, aside from asking myself that same question.Why?Dakota wasn’t a downright unattractive person, but I’d never looked at him as anything other than my boyfriend’s older brother. I couldn’t even remember thinking of having sex with him before it apparently happened. There were so many holes in my memory regarding that situation.

“Truthfully…” I trailed off, trying to think of where to even start. “I don’t remember it. One moment he was offering me a drink. It’s like I blinked, and then the next moment he was on top of me. I’d felt so disoriented and exhausted, so maybe I had more than the one drink, but I only remember taking the one.”

He tensed from behind me. “Could he have?—”

His words were cut short by the sound of shouting. Ashton’s voice ripped through our peaceful bubble, and I knew it was coming to an abrupt halt. “Where is she?” he growled from out in the hallway, slamming a door open—presumably to Kash’s room. Kash’s voice was muffled, so I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but it sounded like it was coming from the very next room over. Meaning that Kash had most likely heard everything. “Her car’s out front,” Ash continued.

“Shit.” I breathed.

Jameson laughed, not seeming to have a care in the world that we were about to be caught. He placed one last lingering kiss to my shoulder before his bedroom door flew open, slamming against the side of the wall. I was thankful as hell that Jamie was covering my breasts with his arm, hiding me from view.

Ashton took in the clothes that were strewn around the floor, his jaw ticking with anger as he directed his seething glare tothe two of us. But he wasn’t alone. Kash was behind him with a pair of headphones wrapped around his neck. If he had those in, there was a chance he didn’t even know what was happening in here. My skin heated with embarrassment from all the sudden attention, and I half expected Ashton to jerk me out of bed and force me to walk back naked. It was something he’d probably do just to prove a point.

Ashton stepped through the door, rage vibrating from him. “You conniving, little slut,” he growled. I hated how much his words affected me, and I couldn’t even muster the energy to fight the flinch.

“Fuck off, Ash,” Jameson shot back. “Did you really expect her to stay there after catching you and Briley in the act? Especially in her dead mom’s bedroom of all places.”

Kash looked over at Ashton like this was news to him. “What?”

Ashton ignored him. “I didn’t expect her to run to you and for you to fall into her pussy. What the fuck were you thinking?”

Jameson propped himself up but made sure to keep his arm wound tight around my chest. “I was thinking that she looked hot in that skimpy little robe. So, I fucked her.”

It shouldn’t have hurt. He was talking about me like I was just another notch on his belt despite everything we’d talked about before. Heat built behind my eyes, and I was trying my best not to let them see how much that hurt. Kash’s gaze roamed over me, his jaw feathering with anger or something close to it. Was he mad that I had sex with Jamie? We did have our own moment, but I didn’t think it meant anything.

Ashton hummed, drawing my attention back to him. He pulled out his phone and tapped on it for a few seconds before angling it at us. My breath hitched as dread coursed through my veins. I started shifting against Jameson, trying to latch onto the blankets to hide beneath them. But Jameson tightened his holdon me painfully, reminding me even more that this had meant nothing to him. It was all a fucking game.

“Please, don’t,” I whispered.

But he wasn’t listening. He snapped a few photos before returning his phone to his pocket.

I was an idiot for coming here. For thinking that even for one second, Jameson was the boy I’d fallen for all those years ago. He wasn’t that person anymore. He was just as demented as Ashton was. Ash shot me a sinister smirk before retreating into the hall, Kash casting one last look at us before the door closed.

I scrambled out of the bed with my heart in my throat. How could I have been so naïve? I snatched the gown from the floor, tugging it on over my head and started looking around for my damn robe.

“Everleigh,” Jameson started with hesitance in his tone, almost as if he actually felt bad. But screw that. I wasn’t falling for it again.

“Fuck you,” I snapped. I spotted my gown hanging off the edge of the bed and I latched onto it before tugging it around my body and securing it.

He sighed, dropping back against the mattress. His chest was toned and lean and it took everything in me not to glance over. There was a tattoo on his ribs, one I hadn’t paid much attention to before, and I wasn’t about to get caught looking now. I grabbed my shoes and tugged them on, my body vibrating with hurt and anger.

Once I was completely dressed, I finally looked at him again. “This isneverhappening again.” I didn’t wait for a response before stomping out of the room, my head spinning from the screwed-up day I had.

Every day was so fucked up lately. I couldn’t catch a damn break. Now, Ashton had evidence of me in bed with Jameson that he could use against me. And I had no doubt that he’d doit, too. Tears stung the back of my eyes, but I kept walking, even when that meant striding past Kash and Ashton. I kept my head held high, acting like none of this affected me, but on the inside, I was shattered.

They were all the same. And I wouldn’t let myself forget that. Not this time.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Jameson

---