Page 53 of Loving Lies (Granton University 3)

“Never?” He glanced at her as if he truly hated her. “What about when you contacted my football coach today so he could come straight to my hospital room to kick me out of school? I’d say that’s a pretty decent revenge.”

Tess’s mouth fell open, momentarily too shocked by his accusation to defend herself.

He snorted. “Or what about…what about coming in here every day and making me think you cared? Pretending like you were the perfect, devoted girlfriend. Yeah. You found a way into my head to attack on a totally different battlefield.”

“No.” She shook her head. “You’re wrong. I do care. And I didn’t…I only went to Coach Whitely to tell him where you were so he’d visit you and you wouldn’t feel so alone.”

“Bull…shit.”

She groaned out a growl of irritation. “Why won’t you believe me?”

“My God. Why do you think? Because everything you’ve ever said to me has been a lie.”

“Not everything. Not when I opened up my soul and told you all my secrets, even the stuff I can’t tell Bailey.” Tears filled her lashes. “Not when I kissed you. Oh…God!” She gasped when an idea struck her. “All those times we…and you knew I wasn’t your—” She set her hand over her mouth while tears streamed down her cheeks. “You totally took advantage of me.”

He flinched and turned his face to the side. She watched him draw in a breath as if he was in physical pain.

But she was experiencing her own misery. “If you honestly thought I did all this just to wreak revenge on you, then why? Why would you kiss me like that? Touch me, flirt with me like you really thought we were—” Her voice choked out on her when she began to remember everything they’d done.

“Oh, God.” Poleaxed, she slid her hand down to cradle her stomach, which churned with dread. “Was that your way of paying me back for what you thought I was doing to you? Pay the awkward, shy redhead a little attention to make her think you really meant all that sweet bullshit you said, then crush her fragile ego by admitting it was all a hoax. Was that your way of exacting revenge before you thought I was going to?”

When he just closed his eyes and refused to answer, she gagged on her own horror. “You are an awful, awful person.”

Staring at him one last time, she realized how much of a coward he was because he couldn’t even open his eyes to let her see his guilt. Pathetic. With a sniff, she turned around and walked from the room.

Chapter Fourteen

TESS RETURNED TO CAMPUS, but she didn’t return to her room. The thought of facing Bailey right now revolted her stomach. Not only had her best friend been right about everything, but she’d been right about everything, even the idea of Jonah faking his amnesia.

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A dramatic I-told-you-so was more than she could take right now, so she wandered into the food district instead. Feeling wild and defiant, she marched through the center of the walkway, despite all the fear ambushing her, and even entered The Squeeze where Paige worked to order a drink. Thank God, her friend wasn’t on duty; she didn’t feel like talking. Still needing to face her fears over this place, she then found a bench at the edge of the district, sipped her latte, and thought about all the horrors that had happened within these few blocks.

Would Einstein have gone insane and started a killing spree if he hadn’t taken Jonah’s gun? Would he have even felt the need if Jonah hadn’t harassed him into it? It was impossible to say. He’d always been unhinged. Anything could have triggered it. But Jonah’s involvement was so deeply entangled with everything that had happened, she thought she should feel like blaming him. And yet she didn’t.

She should probably hate him right now, too, but she couldn’t do that either. She’d lied to him just as much as he’d lied to her. They’d both crossed the line. And besides, thinking about how all the motives behind the intimacies he’d shared with her had only been a lie still hurt too much for her to feel the full force of her anger quite yet. She just couldn’t believe he’d only been playing along to cast his own revenge for the revenge he mistakenly thought she wanted to get.

Some lies she could handle, but that wasn’t one of them. Knowing he’d faked his feelings crushed her.

“Tess?” a hesitant male voice called from a couple yards away, startling her.

Swiping her arm over her face one last time to hide all traces of her crying spree, she looked over to see Logan closing in, concern written on his face.

“Paige and Bailey have been looking everywhere for you. They’re pretty worried.”

She drew her knees up to her chest to hug them. Focusing her gaze on a stone sculpture of a lion, the Granton mascot, she said, “I’ll go back soon.”

Logan nodded, but he surprised her by joining her as he eased himself onto the opposite end of the bench. Silently, they sat that way, staring off at the lazy afternoon of the campus around them. Then he let out a breath.

“I did a little research on your friend at the hospital, hoping to help you find some of his acquaintances. But I’m guessing you already know what I found.”

She nodded slowly. “I know who his roommate was, and who he used to pick on.”

“Yeah,” Logan said softly. “I’m sorry. I know you had higher expectations from him.”

Wiping at her face and glad to find it dry, she nodded. “I am too. I mean, I didn’t even realize I did expect anything from him, but after today…” She shook her head, still keeping her legs tucked up against her chest. “He faked his amnesia.”

Logan winced. “Ouch.”

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