Page 123 of Starstruck
She nods, contemplating, and her eyes lock on mine as she asks, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shrug. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
I was always planning on singing it tonight—I just wasn’t planning on us not beinguswhen I did.
A laugh of indignation falls from her lips. “Not about thesong, Baxter. AboutLogan.” She pauses, looking angrier than ever. “Why the fuck didn’t you just tell me?”
I open my mouth and close it, unsure of how to answer her. You’d think these past few weeks would’ve given me enough time to come up with an answer for her. But while she spent the time apart stewing in her anger for me, I spent it pitying myself.
So I have nothing.
She takes a few steps closer. “Did you know before his first appearance?”
I shake my head, my eyes widening. “No.”
Her shoulders relax slightly. “But you knew when you approached me in the bar.”
All I can do is nod, my throat working as I swallow.
She nods in return before she continues. “I get why you didn’t tell me that first day. If you had just found out, I’m sure it was a shock for you. Plus, I didn’t exactly give you an easy opening, and you just wanted a quick fuck. It was only supposed to be one night, so it’s not like I blame you for keeping it to yourself then. We were never supposed to see each other again.”
Her words fill me with anger. I know she’s not wrong about any of it—that night Ididjust want to fuck, and weweresupposed to be just a one night thing. But it hasn’t been that for a long time, and her reminding me how we started makes it sound like she thinks that’sstillall I want.
It’s not.
She moves so she’s standing directly in front of me. “But we did. In Jeremy’s office then again in mine when this whole arrangement started. We’ve seen each other pretty consistently since then, but not once did you evenhintthat you had any relation to the man who fuckingkilledmy parents!” she shouts, her finger poking my chest.
My cheeks burn as my frustration, both with her and with myself, grows.
Because she’s right.
And I hate so goddamn much that she’s right.
“Who were your biggest fucking inspirations, might I add.”
Her brows furrow as she pulls her finger away, and she turns her back to me, walking back across the room and shaking her head.
“I really shouldn’t care. This was always going to end between us, right? We were just friends with benefits. Though fuck buddies might have been a better label, because I don’t know if we could be consideredfriends. I knew better than to open myself up to you, yet I did it anyway. It’s my fault for believing your pretty words. That’s on me.”
She spins to face me again. “But keeping this secret is onyou.And now it’s eatingmeup knowing that all these months, while I was letting you in, you were keeping this from me. You had so many fucking chances to tell me. You held my hand at Logan’s hearing, for fuck’s sake, and you never once thought to share that he’s yourbrother?”
“I thought about it every fucking day,” I grit out. My control is wearing thin. She knows exactly what she’s doing, riling me up, and I’m sure she knows I’m going to break any minute.
Her head snaps back, shock filling her features. “Thenwhy?!” She runs a hand through her hair, a mix of pure anger and absolute devastation crossing her face. “Why the hell didn’t you just tell me, Baxter?” Her voice cracks as she says my name, and so does my heart.
I can’t take this anymore.
This isn’t the place I wanted to tell her, and it’s definitely not the way, but it’s all I’ve got going for me right now.
I throw my arms down in exasperation and the words come pouring out of my mouth before I can stop them.
“Because I fell in love with you, Lennon!”
[56 ]
NUMBER ONE WITH A BULLET
BAXTER
