Page 93 of American Beauty

I should’ve seen it—the arrogance, the charm-covered lies, the way he played at every angle like he’d rehearsed it a thousand times. It was all a game to him, and I walked right into it.

God, I hate him.

My head throbs with the weight of too many emotions crammed into too little time. I sit there, numb, while the pieces of tonight grind against each other inside me.

A knock on the door snaps through the quiet.

My heart jolts. Alex… he came back.

I’m on my feet in an instant, rushing toward the door. I yank it open, and my stomach drops.

Ty’s expression is hard, blue eyes drilling into mine. “We need to talk.”

Fury coils inside me, tight and lethal, a snake ready to strike. “Are you out of your damn mind? Leave.”

He reaches out for me, and I step out of his grasp.

“Please, Magnolia. I have to explain.”

“You don’t have to do anything except go. Now.”

His jaw locks. “Mags, please?—”

“Don’t call me that. You lost that right when you lied and manipulated me. You don’t get to stand here like you deserve anything from me.”

“I don’t deserve anything, but I’m asking, begging, for five minutes.” Desperation flicks across his face.

I tighten my grip on the door, every muscle screaming for him to leave. “You can’t be here when Alex comes back.”

His mouth opens, but no sound comes out. For once, his quick wit abandons him.

“The answer is yes. Alex is in Charleston.” I fold my arms across my chest. “He’ll be back any minute, and he’s furious, Ty.If he sees you here” —I shake my head— “I’m afraid of what will happen.”

Ty scoffs, a weak smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I’m not scared of Sebring.”

I lean in, my voice dropping to a quiet warning. “Youshouldbe.”

Ty doesn’t understand. He didn’t see Alex’s face when he left, or the way his hands shook, or the raggedness in his breath, his control slipping thread by thread. He doesn’t understand the storm brewing inside him, the sheer force of a man who looks like he could lose it at any moment.

And if Alex walks through that door and finds Ty standing here? God help us all.

“I’m serious. Alex isn’t in a good place right now. It will not end well if he finds you here.”

“Did you tell him about us?”

“Some. It didn’t go over well.”

Ty’s grin is slow, smug. “I want him to know everything that’s happened between us.”

My body shakes with the effort it takes not to kick him in the dick. “Leave! Now.”

I push against the door, trying to close it, but Ty moves fast. One broad hand slaps flat against the wood, stopping it cold. The other braces against the frame, caging me in with nothing but his presence. He doesn’t shove, doesn’t force—just holds steady, unmoving, his strength a quiet warning.

“You can shut the door in my face if you want, but I’m not leaving. I’ll be right here waiting when he gets back.”

My breath catches. “Please don’t do that.”

“Then let me in. Give me five minutes.” His voice softens, almost pleading. “That’s all I’m asking for. Let me explain and I’ll go.”

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