Page 71 of Destroying Everleigh

“Damn,” Jameson commented, glancing over at Kash. “That was hot.”

I swallowed thickly, knowing exactly what was about to happen. I doubted they’d be as invested in the video then. When she moved to walk away, I grabbed her, pulling her into my lap. My lips crashed against hers and you could see her struggling to get away from me. I had to admit, it looked pretty fucked up on my end—almost like I was forcing myself on her. Finally, she slackened against me and kissed me back.

The video ended moments later.

I pocketed my phone again, trying to push out the warring emotions I’d felt when her lips were on mine.

“What kind of game are you playing at?” Kash snapped. “Did Everleigh even know you were dating Briley at that point?”

I ran a hand up the back of my neck. “No,” I admitted. “But it wasn’t like I expected to kiss her. It just happened. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“That’s going to cause all sorts of issues, dude,” Jameson cut in. “Her sister is going to be pissed. Lucas is probably going to start a fight with her, and if she hasn’t told Amber about it…” he trailed off, shaking his head.

“Good.” I shrugged. “I really don’t give a fuck.”

I was more concerned about Everleigh being stalked than about her being interrogated. That just meant they were doing part of the work for me, and I wouldn’t complain about small favors.

“Ashton.” Kash gave me a pointed look. “I thought we agreed to give her a break.”

“We did. I’m not the one who posted that video, and the kiss happened last night. Nothing I can really do about it now.”

He mulled that over for a second, but realized I was right. He blew out a breath, his jaw ticking with frustration. Was he…jealous? No. He never liked Everleigh like that. He’d agreed to fuck her because she was hot and had a nice body. That was where his attraction ended for her. They’d be as close as platonic friends could be without crossing any major lines. Her relationship with Jamie had bordered on something else entirely.

“You know what?” Jameson said thoughtfully. “Fuck it. We came here to make her life hell. Who cares if she’s a little heartbroken. That’s the fucking point. So, yeah. We’ll give her a break to mourn her mom and to adjust to Ashton’s new relationship. But this is the final break she gets.”

A grin stretched across my face at the sound of that and I nodded. Kash didn’t seem as eager, though.

“You’re right.” He sighed. “Maybe I was going a little soft. But I’m in.” He sounded more confident this time, so I had no reason to doubt him.

Their reassurance lit another fire deep inside me. One more potent this time. They just confirmed what I already knew. That they weren’t backing down regardless of how they felt about it. They might not always agree with my methods, but that was fine. They wouldn’t stop me, and they wouldn’t bow out, either.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Everleigh

BOHNES - Take It Out On Me

My grandparents lived out in the country, surrounded by acres and acres of greenery. I used to love coming out here as a kid, but when their relationship grew distant with our mother, those visits became less and less frequent. The grass was freshly mowed, stretching out from the two-story house that resided on it. Grandpa was always ambitious when it came to taking care of the yard. It was nice to see that it hadn’t changed. A small smile graced my lips at the knowledge. Even if everything else in my life had been altered, at least there was one thing that hadn’t.

I stepped out of my car and slowly made my way up the long, narrow walkway. The cement looked relatively new, meaning Grandpa had worked on that recently as well.

When I reached the door, I tapped my knuckles against it a few times, eager to see Tate and Emma after being away from them for the last three days.

Grandma opened the door, her eyes crinkling at the corners when her gaze settled on me. Even though she was short, she was still a few inches taller than me, and I couldn’t help but to curse my mother for passing those genes along to me. Briley got our father’s height, making me the shortest out of the three of us.

“If I had known you were stopping by, I would have baked a pie or something,” she said, opening the door wider.

Her graying hair was pulled into a bun on the top of her head. She was dressed in a long jean skirt with a pink blouse. She always looked well put together and I was a little envious about that fact. I was wearing a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, not having the energy to pick myself up off the floor today.

“That’s not necessary, Grams. I just want to see Tate and Emma.”

“Of course.” She smiled.

I stepped into the house, glancing around. The floors were carpeted and clean and the walls were painted white. It looked just how I remembered, except for new shelves adorning the walls.

The door clicked shut behind me, and she rested a gentle hand on my shoulder. “You know,” she began. “You’ve been under a lot of stress. Tate and Emma have been very well behaved. They’re welcome to stay here as long as you’d like. We have the extra space and the financial means.”

I knew she was offering out of the kindness of her heart, and because she wanted to make up for lost time with them. But it was difficult to just…hand them over. Wouldn’t that be abandoning them? My chest constricted at the thought. I knew my grandparents could provide for them better than I ever could. And Grams has made this offer before. It was just hard to lose even the slightest bit of control.

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