Page 9 of Dirty Little Mistake

Showing emotion wasn't something I did very often. Well, anything other than happiness. I wasn't someone who wore my emotions loud and proud. My dad taught me that showing emotions was a sign of weakness. It gave your opponent an unfair advantage, and that was what I'd given Trystan. He knew I liked him, and he used that against me.

Pushing through the crowd, I made my way through the house and toward the front door. If I left now, I could still make it to the Cages before the last fight. Throwing open the front door, I stepped out onto the front porch and stopped.

This was all Jax.

Jax must have told Trystan that Kaia and I were going to the Cages, and he knew I would gladly give up the Cages for a night with Trystan.

I should have seen this coming, but Trystan was my blind spot, and Jax knew that, or at least he guessed that. They'd both played me.

I shouldn't have been surprised. Jax was crazy about Kaia, but he had serious commitment issues. Whereas Trystan just wasn't into commitment at all. He was a free spirit, and I knew that, but a girl could dream, right?

Storming toward my car, I realized Trystan wasn't following me. I wasn’t sure why I thought he would. He was probably just making sure Kaia didn't leave with me.

Kaia didn't realize how lucky she was to have the family she did. I'd lost my mom when I was two in a car accident. My father was active military, so I moved here to live with mychildless aunt and uncle while he was overseas. When I was ten, my father was killed overseas, and my temporary living arrangements became permanent. I had no brothers or sisters. I had no cousins. I was alone. That's why I loved Kaia's family so much; they always made me feel like I was part of the family, and that was all I wanted—to be a part of something.

I didn't blame Jax for wanting to protect Kaia, even though I really didn't believe the Cages were as bad as everyone made them out to be. I was just jealous that I didn't have anyone who cared that much about me.

My aunt and uncle gave me everything a young adult could ask for except the love of a family. They were rarely home, and when they were, I wasn't their priority. I knew I could always call them if I needed anything monetary, but they weren't it if I needed someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on.

"Cam."

His voice hit me like ice water. I froze, key hovering near the lock. Behind me, gravel crunched under approaching footsteps—slow at first, then faster. My heart hammered against my ribs.

Don't turn around. Don't.

"Cam." Closer now. Close enough that his breath stirred the hair at my neck. "Look at me."

I pressed my forehead against the cool metal of my car door, counting heartbeats. One. Two. Three.

"Please."

That word—so soft, almost broken—was what finally made me turn. Trystan stood too close, chest rising and falling rapidly.

My stomach twisted. "I should have never come," I whispered, fumbling behind me for the door handle.

Strong fingers curled around my wrist, stopping me. My gaze shifted to his tatted hand still holding me. "You should go back and finish what you started."

"Cam, it's not what you think." His expression and tone were so serious, he had my attention.

"Well," I didn't bother to hide my sarcasm as I shifted back to him, pulling my wrist out of his grasp, "what I think is you invited me to hang out with you, and you only did it to keep Kaia from going to the Cages with me." I paused, waiting for him to tell me I was wrong. He didn't. "So, what you forgot? Or you just decided to get a blow job first? Or did you never have any intentions of hanging out with me?"

His throat flexed on a hard swallow. Why did he have to be so gorgeous? He pursed his full lips like he was contemplating what to say, but I couldn't do this. I shifted to leave.

"Yes," he said, and my eyes flicked up to meet his. "I did invite you because I didn't want Kaia to go to the Cages." My chest ached, and my cheeks heated as I averted my gaze. "But I also did it for you." My head snapped up, and my eyes narrowed. "I didn't want you going either." He paused, licking his lips, and my eyes followed the unintentionally provocative gesture. "I really did want to hang out with you."

My fingers traced the car's cold metal. "Then why?—"

"I didn't." He raked a hand through his hair. "I told her no."

"Trystan." I wrapped my arms around myself, shoulders hunching. My tone came out more as a warning. "Please don't play with me. It's fine either way. I won't go to the Cages, and I won't take Kaia, but please don't lie to me."

His lips curved into a grin. "You want the truth?" I nodded. "The whole truth?"

I nodded again, sucking in a deep breath bracing for the impact of his words, remembering what my father used to tell me. Never show emotion. Never give them that power.

"Okay. The truth is I like you, and I want to be around you, but relationships aren't exactly my thing. You're not the kind of girl that you fuck and walk away from." My breath released ina whoosh as his hands curled around my hips. "You're the kind of girl that you play for keeps. I invited you because I wanted to hang out with you tonight. I've been wanting to hang out with you. The threat of the Cages only forced me to do it sooner." His hand slid around my back as his fingertips sank into the hem of my skirt. "I know it didn't look like it, but I did tell her no. She just really didn't want to take no for an answer."

"You want me to help her understand no means no?"

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