Page 82 of Boys Who Taint

“Youmurderedsomeone,” she hisses, her face contorting right in front of me. “Someone I loved.”

Of course she’d remind me of my darkest moment.

I release her from my grip. “This is different.”

“You come here accusing Grey of the very same thing you did without a shred of proof. At least I know for a fact you killed Mavis.”

There it is. The bullet that keeps lodging deeper into my flesh.

My jaw tightens. “Do you?”

Thunder suddenly strikes outside, and the lights flicker.

But she and I are still staring at each other without moving even an inch.

“You said it yourself, you killed her,” she says. “You’re a monster. And monsters don’t go around accusing other people of being monsters.”

“I saw what I saw,” I growl. “Grey isn’t good for you, Aspen.”

“Oh, and you are?” She scoffs, offended.

“I never said I was, Firefly,” I say, swallowing away the lump in my throat at the thought. “Or that I wanted to be.”

“Get out.”

Thunder ripples through the sky, and I can hear the rain pitter-pattering onto the roof tiles.

I can’t help but wonder if the rift between us had already opened up before the night Mavis died.

“Didn’t you hear me?” She shoves me. “Get. Out.”

I let her push me around.

I don’t want to leave, but when her hand connects with my rippling abs to push me away again, I can feel the hesitation in her fingers, the pain it inflicts to drive me away like I’ve driven her out.

But I’m already broken beyond repair, and I grab her hand mid-push, forcing it to stay. And she lets me.

Just a few more seconds.

Please.

Just a few more.

Her breathing comes out in short, delectable gasps, and all I wanna do is close the gap and suck them right out of her mouth.

Fuck.

“Stay away from him,” I say, looking down at her through my helmet. “Don’t let him touch you again …”

Her lips part, eyes flickering with confusion. “Or what?”

“I’ll destroy him.”

She jerks free of my grip, and by the time she’s grabbed an actual knife off the kitchen island, I’ve already rushed out the door.

Apollo

The next day

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