Page 49 of Creeping Lily
“Hey. Maybe it’s time to give it a rest with Lily. She’s made it pretty damn clear she’s not interested.”
His jaw clenches. He doesn’t look at me.
“Because she’s interested in you?” he fires back, his tone dripping accusation. “I know you have a thing for her.”
I shake my head slowly, refusing to take the bait. “It doesn’t matter who she has a thing for. What matters is—she’s not into you. Stop making it awkward. She doesn’t deserve this.”
His eyes spark like gasoline catching flame. “I’m not giving up on her just because you say so.”
His voice cuts over the fire, sharp enough to pull eyes our way. I’ve never seen him this wound up—never, in all the years I’ve known him.
Lily looks over, sensing the shift in the air. She says something to Amara, then gets up and walks over, her boots sinking into the sand.
“We came here to have fun,” she says, her gaze flicking between us. “What’s going on?”
Before I can answer, Trick grabs her wrist. Not hard. But it’s enough.
“Can we talk for a minute?” His voice is pleading, desperate.
Her brows pull tight. “Let go of me, Trick.”
He doesn’t. His eyes are full of all the wrong things—hope, want, entitlement.
“I just want to talk,” he murmurs, low enough that it’s almost lost under the waves.
“Trick. Enough.” My voice cuts sharper than I’ve ever used on him.
He turns on me, rage blazing. “I told you to stay the fuck out of it, Justin!”
It lands harder than I expect, but I don’t back down. “Respect her boundaries. That’s it. That’s all you need to do.”
The air between us is tight as wire, and I can feel the circle around the fire leaning in.
Lily takes a step back. “I think I should go.”
She turns, but Trick’s hand snaps out again, fingers locking around her arm. He leans in too close, his breath hitting her face.
“Come on, Lily. Just give me a chance. You haven’t even given us a chance.”
Her frustration flares into something sharp. “I said no. Let go of me!”
“You’re being ridiculous,” he insists, tugging her closer. “Just stay with me a bit.”
Her eyes flick to mine—pleading, asking without words for me to end this.
Something in me breaks. I move before I think, two strides and my hands on his chest, shoving him back hard enough to make him stumble.
“Get your hands off her!” My voice rips through the night, louder than the waves, louder than the fire.
Trick recovers fast, his snarl twisting his face. “What the fuck, bro?”
“Leave her alone. If she’s said it once, she’s said it a hundred times.”
He glances around, maybe hoping for backup. He gets nothing. No one here is on his side.
Bethany and Amara are already moving Lily back, away from him. Trick notices and tries to push past me, throwing a wild punch that I duck. I grab him by the collar, dragging him back.
“Touch her again,” I growl, “and see what happens.”
