Page 155 of Entangled

Lucky slides off the breakfast bar, his expression hardening in a way I’m not used to seeing from him, and it’s like watching someone put on some kind of... of illicit pornography. His muscles are so tightly defined, so beautifully carved, that they beg to be traced.

Ihavetraced them. He watched me giggle like a fool as I touched him.

My fingers curl into fists as loss steals the air from my lungs.

Only Jasper will know their patterns now. He’s Jasper’s to touch. Jasper’s to love. Jasper’s to giggle with.

Damn it. I’m going to cry again. I blink hard.

“You think I’m trying to... apologize?” he prompts, and I realize he’s angry.

Why shouldhebe angry? Lucky got what he wanted.

But his eyes flash like blue lightning. “Why the hell shouldIapologize?Youhanded me over to Jasper like I was a brood mare.Youapologize!”

And it’s as if that lightning zaps straight up my spine, with ferocious, electric fury. I stare down my nose at him, sizzling with incredulity.

“Why should you apologize? Youcannotbe serious. No, you are—I can see you are.Oh.” I laugh, and it’s an angry, disbelieving laugh that I have no hope of containing. Then my eyes snap to his. “Why should youapologize? How dare you. I’ve been trying to be the bigger person here.”

I stalk up to him and poke him in his beautiful, obnoxiously firm chest. “You lied to my face. You and Jasper don’tfeel that wayabout one another? Do you recall telling me that? Perhaps I should have asked for clarification. Because whenIheard that, I thought you meant that you weren’t in love with him.”

I laugh again, and this time it’s teary—and more than a little unhinged. “Ithought you meant you didn’t want to kiss him, and sleep with him, and let him touch you everywhere. I thought you meant you were free to love?—”

Me.

The word hangs in the air as I press a hand against my mouth. But it’s too late. The words have already escaped. Why can’t he let this be?

Am I not allowed to save any piece of dignity here?

Lucky’s eyes drip with angry hurt. An answering flush of heavy heat builds in my throat. I’m angry, and his pain fuels mine.

“Iwasloving you,” he tells me fiercely. “Jasper told me a thousand times, in a thousand ways that he didn’t want me. I was alone, Eden. When you came here—” It’s his turn to break off, sounding choked. “You were as lonely as me.”

“Oh.” I nod tearily, blinking up at the ceiling as that awful laugh escapes me again. “Wonderful. Please tell me more about how youpitiedme.”

“You were so sad. All I wanted to do was make you smile. It’s still all I want to do.” He swallows, and I hear his bitterness when he continues in a rush. “Yougave me away, just like that. You didn’t fight for me at all. The second Jayk walked out the door, you ran after him, but I’ve been right here, and you couldn’t wait to shove me into Jasper’s arms.”

Shove him? Hethrew himselfinto them. As if he wasn’t desperate for Jasper, wasn’t watching him every day, hanging on his every sentence. Every little glance in my memories has tortured me, mocked me for my sheer gullibility.

“You’re in love with him,” I shout, and my tears spill over.Again. I let out a high-pitched frustrated screech as I swat at them. “Why does this keep happening?”

“Because you’re fucking miserable,” he shouts back, and I turn and glare at him. His face is alive with his anger. “You’ve been back for less than a day, and I can already see it.”

I flinch a little at that, and my shoulders curl in. “I’m surprised you noticed with your tongue crammed down Jasper’s throat.”

I know it’s unfair. Petty. But ithurts. I saw us together, I really did. I saw food fights in the kitchen and fooling around in every room. I saw myself waking up to teasing kisses and learning how toplay.

Lucky lets out a short, angry growl. He grips my shirt and yanks me into him. It startles me, completely, to have Lucky grab me this way, and I can only stare through my glasses as he brings his face close to mine.

“You do not get to wrap me up like a present for him and then be mad when he opens it,” he grinds out.

“You think I wanted to? What was I meant to do, Lucky? How am I meant to win here? Because I can’t see a single way.” My words are hushed, haunted. Because I reallycan’t. “Youloveone another—you’re perfect. The two of you are both... so perfect. And I’m not.”

How am I meant to compete with Jasper? How am I meant to compete withLucky?

More tears spill over. “I’m just the sad little girl you wanted to cheer up.”

Lucky’s eyes run over my face, his anger filtering into sadness.

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