Page 70 of Dirty Little Mistake

A surge of hot anger coursed through me, my vision narrowing until all I could see was Owen's smug face. The air around us seemed to thicken, charged with hostility. I took a deliberate step forward, invading Owen's space. Our chests collided, the impact jolting through me. I could feel the others' eyes on us, their breaths held. The line I was about to cross glowed red-hot in my mind, but I couldn't stop myself.

"Maybe," I growled, each word a match to gasoline, "you should stop acting like you're not in the friend zone." The challenge hung between us, daring him to react. In the periphery of my vision, Harlow's hand twitched, ready to intervene.

I wasn't the type of man who typically got worked up over a woman. I was usually the calm one, but when it came to Cam, everything went out the window.

"Okay...." Syn said, drawing the word out. "I don't know what is going on right now, but I think we should head downstairs and congratulate the happy couple."

"And not cause a scene to ruin their weekend," Harlow added.

"Yeah." Owen nodded, holding my gaze. "I should go find Cam." He broke eye contact, bumping my chest back before his shoulder collided with mine as he brushed past, the impact deliberate and hard enough to make me stumble.

Owen and I were never really friends, but he was Jax's best friend. We'd all grown up together, but the friendliness we'd always had toward each other was gone.

"Trystan," Syn scolded once Owen was gone. "I don't know what's going on between you and Cam, but you cannot start a fight with Owen this weekend."

"I didn't start it," I muttered, staring into the room where Owen disappeared. "But I will finish it."

"Trystan," Harlow snapped, jerking me by my arm. "Get a grip. Whatever you're thinking right now will not be what gets Camryn back."

My gaze dropped, meeting hers. Sucking in a deep breath, I nodded. "Okay." I threw up my hands. "No fighting."

They both visibly relaxed.

"Let's go have some fun." Syn face lit up.

"You guys go ahead.” I forced a smile. “I'll be down in a minute."

I leaned against the wall once they were gone, my breath coming in short gasps as the adrenaline from the confrontation with Owen began to slow. The logical part of my brain screamed that I had no right to stake any claim on Cam after what I'd done.

The thought of losing her forever, of never getting to explain or make things right, felt like a physical weight on my chest. Even if I could never have her again, I didn't want to lose her completely.

I closed my eyes, picturing her smile and the sound of her laugh. If there was even the slimmest chance of winning her back, I had to take it.

Chapter 33

Trystan

The smoke from the blunt curled around my face as I inhaled deeply, the pungent scent of marijuana mixing with the salty ocean air. I held my breath, letting the buzz settle into my bones before exhaling slowly. The wind carried the smoke away, along with Cam's laughter. It echoed across the moonlit beach, sharp and brittle, as she flashed a smile at a complete stranger. I groaned, the sound lost in the rhythmic crash of waves against the shore.

My gaze swept across the pool area, lit by the blue glow of underwater lights. To my left, Owen sprawled in a lawn chair, his slack face illuminated by the flickering tiki torches. On the opposite side, Harlow had collapsed onto the concrete of the pool deck, one arm dangling into the water.

Everyone was trashed, and almost everyone had made their way back to the house except for Cam and Syn, who invited a group of college guys to join the party.

"She's only doing this to make you jealous." Syn stumbled up beside me, her eyes unfocused. "She'll go home with all of them just to hurt you the way you hurt her."

When Camryn was hurt or angry, she was unpredictable. She always found a way to make stupid decisions that led to trouble.

"She's not going anywhere," I growled, my eyes locked on Cam like a hawk tracking its prey. "Not a chance in hell." My fingers dug into my palms, nails biting flesh as I watched Cam's hand brush the stranger's arm.

The flirting to make me jealous wasn't as obvious when Owen was still conscious, but now I was sure. It was working. I was insanely jealous.

Syn tilted her head, brows furrowed. "So what did you do, anyways? I've never seen Cam act like this before." She snickered. "Must have been bad."

I shrugged, averting my gaze. "It doesn't matter."

She sucked in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "It did to her."

"Yeah," I muttered, bringing the blunt to my lips.

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