Page 95 of Destroying Everleigh

“Ashton…” she trailed off. “What are you doing?”

I sucked in a sharp breath, trying to reel in some of the anger. I needed to find someone to fuck who wasn’t Everleigh, take a shower, and maybe get into a fight. Or maybe I’d skip out on sex since I wasn’t that horny anymore. I just needed a fucking outlet.

“Get the fuck out,” I growled. She could walk home from here. I was tired of seeing her conniving face.

Her eyes widened comically, and I might have laughed at her if I wasn’t so pissed off. “What? No!” She shook her head profusely, like she had any say in the matter.

“Get out before Ithrowyou out.”

Everleigh’s lower lip trembled, fear sparking in her brown eyes. “Y-you c-can’t make me walk, Ashton,” she stuttered. “I-I live on thenorthside. You don’t understand.”

Fuck.

She was right. If she was anyone else, I still wouldn’t give a shit. She wouldn’t be my problem. It just pissed me off more knowing that I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if she was jumped, killed, or raped. Jameson used to live on the north side. It wasn’t a good place, especially for a young female walking alone at night.

My hand shook as I reached out and wrapped it around her delicate little throat. She whimpered as I pressed her against the window, my gaze searching hers for a moment. She cheated on me, she broke my heart, she lied to me. She was nothing but a conniving snake, so why couldn’t I do this one simple thing? I reveled in how she trembled beneath my grasp. She didn’t know me anymore, and the look on her face told me she was realizing that.

I could make her walk. Trail behind her to make sure she got home safe without her ever knowing. But that seemed like more trouble than it was worth when I could just drive her there myself. It would be a lot quicker, too.

I leaned across the center console, my grip tightening around her throat. Her breath was fast, her eyes wide.

“Kiss me,” I demanded.

She reeled back in surprise, her head thumping against the glass. “W-what?” she stammered. “Why?”

Fuck if I knew. I just wanted to feel her lips against mine one more time. “Kiss me and I’ll take you home.”

Her throat constricted beneath my fingertips as she swallowed. Reluctantly, she shifted forward and brushed her lips against mine. I deepened the kiss instantly, sliding my tongue against her cherry lip gloss that I used to love so much. My heart was hammering in my chest with a mixture of rage and desire.

“What’s that for?” Jameson asked wearily, peering down at the black box on my desk.

I couldn’t hide my excitement even if I tried. Kash was seated on the edge of my bed, his eyebrows raised.

I picked up the small box that fit perfectly in the palm of my hand and cracked the lid open for him to peer inside. It was a beautiful square diamond cut ring with a smaller princess band beneath it. On the inside of the ring were our initials, much like the matching tattoos we’d gotten. A+E forever.

“I’m going to ask her to marry me.” I grinned. “After graduation of course.”

Jameson’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he glanced over at Kash, who didn’t seem nearly as surprised. “A-are you sure, man?” he asked. “Why the rush?”

I scoffed, knowing he was so horrified by it because he had a crush on my girlfriend and not because he thought it was too soon. “Because I know she’s the one I want to be with forever,” I said simply.

A pained whimper sliced through my thoughts, jerking me back to reality. It was then that I realized my hand was still around Everleigh’s throat, but I was squeezing much harder than intended. I broke the kiss and pulled away abruptly.

Everleigh placed a hand to her throat, her eyes glazed with unshed tears. Blowing out a breath, I put the car in drive, trying to clear my head of all these thoughts and memories. I wanted to apologize for choking her out like that, but I didn’t even knowhow to. It was better if she just thought I was a piece of shit who didn’t care anyways.

The drive to her house was silent, and she didn’t even hesitate to climb out. She was pissed at me, but she’d get over it. If she thought today was bad, then she was in for a rude awakening.

What I had planned was much, much worse.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Everleigh

Echos - Guest Room

Briley has made it her mission to avoid me. I’m pretty sure that she even scheduled her shifts for my days off just so she doesn’t have to see me nearly as much. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me. My head was all screwed to hell with emotions and thoughts I couldn’t decipher. I never expected guys to be a problem when it came to the two of us. I never thought she’d go after my ex-boyfriend, or that it would bother me so intensely that she had.

But it was time to face reality now. If she didn’t want to see me, that was fine. She’d have to get over it eventually.

---