Page 70 of Heart Break Her

“I’m gonna go rein in Rome and Noah,” Eloise says. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck.”

But I don’t break my stare from Cassie as Eloise makes her way out of the green room and shuts the door behind her.

Cassie might have been avoiding me all day, but now she’s right here, in this room with me, alone. And I’m not letting her go until I figure out if she’s actually trying to get over me or just as fucked up over us as I am.

“I should get going too. Adrian was looking for me,” Cassie says. But when she takes a step back, I move forward, planting a hand on the wall behind her, caging her in. “Sebastian…”

“Adrian can wait.” I pick up one of the strands of red and purple and twist it around my finger. “You ditched the pink.”

“I wanted a change.” It’s so quiet, it’s almost a whisper.

Looking in her eyes, I wonder what she means by a change. Because she isn’t innocent or sweet anymore? To me, she’s still both of those things.

Purity.

Virtue.

Destiny.

“I like it.”

My eyes dip to where the tips brush over her cleavage, and now I’m no longer half hard. I’m full mast, picturing her naked with her hair spilled out around her.

“What are you doing?” Cassie asks, and I can’t help but notice how her breath is racing.

“I don’t know,” I say honestly. “Eloise seems to think I’m using you as some sort of replacement for my friendship with your brother.”

“Are you?”

“No.” I drop the strand and trail my fingers up her arm and over her throat before wrapping them in the hair at the base of her neck. She looks me in the eyes, and it makes everything fuzzy. “This. You and me. It isn’t grief.”

Her chin tips up as I take a step closer, and she’s looking up at me with those bright eyes that could drag me straight to hell.

“Then what is it?”

Was that a dare?

A challenge?

“Selfish.” I tug at her hair to tip her head back so I can bring my mouth to her ear. “You and me, we can’t put each other back together, babe.”

“Why not?” Her words are desperate, and I think maybe she really does need the answer as much as I want to give it to her.

“Because,” I trail my lips down her neck, brushing her skin ever so slightly, “you’re my undoing.”

Lifting up, I plant both hands on the wall behind her, releasing her. Because if I keep touching her, I don’t know how this will end.

Cassie stands there between my hands, and I know she could slip away at any moment, but she doesn’t. Instead, she stares up at me with such focus, I wonder what she sees.

Is it the monster underneath? The man without a heart to give? The devil who destroyed her life before even meeting her?

If Cassie is smart, she’ll see through the projection I show the world. She’ll know I can’t be trusted with her heart when I no longer have one of my own. If she’s smart, she’ll see the truth: I’m not worth anything more than my music, or my body, or my fame. She’ll know to stay away.

But as she stands in front of me, unblinking, I know whatever she sees goes much deeper than I should let it. What’s right and wrong starts blurring. Because I should stop this here, cut ties, and walk away. I should make this decision easier for both of us. But I can’t deny what’s blooming inside me every time I see her face.

I can’t deny I need her, and I no longer care about the consequences.

---