Page 36 of Unmask
“Yeah,” I muttered, heading for the door. “Add it to the list.”
The night air hit like a slap, but it didn’t clear my head. Nothing would, not until I saw her again. Even if she hated me, even if she slammed the door in my face, I just needed to explain. One more chance to see her eyes before she looked through me like I didn’t matter because she still fucking did to me, and I didn’t know how to stop giving a shit about her.
Raine hadthat annoying charm about him that made people soften before they even realized it. Gender didn’t matter. Age didn’t matter. He walked into a room, and people instinctively leaned in, drawn to whatever calm confidence he bled without even trying.
It made getting through the gated community too damn easy. The same rent-a-cop from last time sat at the booth. His eyes flicked to Raine, then me, and he grinned like we were old buddies. “I’m good with faces,” he said, lifting the gate.
Thank fucking God.
I wasn’t in the mood for obstacles today.
Clearly.
“Apparently not good with judgment,” I muttered under my breath as Raine rolled his car past the gatehouse.
My older brother smirked. “Be grateful. You’ve got all the charm of a mugshot right now. You wouldn’t have made it inside without me.”
I didn’t answer. My pulse had started to spike the moment we turned onto her street. “Fuck” breezed through my lips at the sight of a familiar BMW as Raine pulled into the driveway.
He followed my gaze. “A friend of yours?” he asked, nodding to the car.
I shoved the passenger door open, barely waiting for the engine to cut. “Hardly. That asshole’s climbing the charts on my enemies list.”
“Ah. The best friend,” Raine concluded, dragging the words out like a sigh as he leaned on the steering wheel. “Try not to kill him. These are new shoes, and blood doesn’t wash out of suede.”
But I wasn’t listening anymore. Not really.
The minute my boots hit the pavement, the buzz that had clung to me like a second skin started to evaporate. What was left was fire—hot, reckless, coiling under my skin as I spotted Carson.
The douche was already halfway down the steps, tension pouring off him in waves, shoulders locked, fists flexing at his sides, and jaw tense enough to snap. His eyes met mine, fury radiating in them with no attempt to mask it, no veil of civility. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he bit out, a scornful breath of disdain slipping from his throat. “You just can’t take no for an answer, can you?”
I stepped forward, my shadow swallowing the sidewalk between us. “Would you?” My voice dropped, rough around the edges. “If you had a shot with her, are you telling me you wouldn’t burn down the whole goddamn world to get her back?”
Carson stopped at the end of the porch, his expression dark. “You never had her.”
I smiled, but it was all teeth and bad intentions. “I’ve had more of her than you have.”
His hands curled into fists at his sides. “She deserves better. You’ll never be good enough for her.”
My breath burned in my chest. “The only thing we can agree on. But I’m a selfish bastard, and I want her. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you look at her. She might not be aware that you’ve been harboring a hard-on for her, but you couldn’t be more obvious where I stand.”
Carson took a slow step toward me, his voice a low warning. “If you hurt her again…”
Behind us, Raine let out a long sigh and muttered something about testosterone and therapy.
I cocked my head. “You’ll what?” I baited, and neither Carson nor I looked away because this wasn’t just about a girl. This was a declaration of claim, and I had no plans of losing. Not this time.
An arrogance I hadn’t anticipated descended into his pretty-boy preppy features. “You’re not the only one with resources available to them.”
The corner of my mouth twitched. “Stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours. We don’t need to be friends. Hell, we don’t even need to like each other.”
He scowled, but he stepped aside, brushing past me and then Raine. I didn’t miss the way he hesitated, glancing back at the house as if he didn’t want to leave her alone with me.
Smart man.
The front door creaked open, and Kaylor stood framed in the threshold like a guardian angel with fire in her eyes. One hand was braced against the door frame, knuckles white with tension, and her brows were drawn together in a line of barely containedfury. Her gaze volleyed between Carson and me. “What the hell was that?” The words cracked through the air as she stepped out onto the porch, her bare feet silent against the tile. She crossed her arms over her chest, creating a barrier between us and the vulnerability flickering beneath her anger. The afternoon light caught the silver highlights in her hair, haloing her in flame.
I forced a breath through my nose, slow and measured, trying to keep the jagged edge out of my voice before it could betray just how much seeing her again was unraveling me. “Nothing. Just clearing the air.”
