Page 95 of A Little Secret
“I won’t.”
Setting the bar back onto the hooks, he pulls himself to a seated position and stares up at me. “But you could.”
“But I won’t.”
He pushes to his feet and meets me chest to chest. Eye to eye. We’ve always been pretty matched for height and weight, but after the last thirty minutes Everett’s spent imagining all the ways he could kill me while channeling all the pent-up energy into weight lifting, the guy’s muscles are fucking swollen. It makes him look at least fifteen pounds of pure, lean muscle heavier. And right now, he also looks like he wants to rip off my head.
“But youcouldhurt her,” he repeats vehemently.
I stay quiet, letting his words hit their mark. He’s right. I could hurt her. I won’t, but I could. And that’s the problem. I get it. I get his need to protect her. To keep her safe. To look out for Fin and everyone else around him. It’s who he is. He can’t just…turn it off. Even with friends and family. Especially with friends and family. And here I am, putting him at odds because we’re best friends, but his sister is hissister.And I could hurt her.
“You know me better than that, Ev,” I murmur. “I wouldn’t have pursued Fin if I thought there was even a chance she’d be hurt in the process.”
“And what if she breaks you?” he demands. “You’re my best friend, and Finley’s…Finley.”
I cock my head. “Afraid she’ll get bored?”
“Afraid she’ll be impulsive and do something she shouldn’t.”
“Like sleep with your best friend?” I offer.
“More like dump your ass.”
I chuckle. “Give me a little more credit.”
“Fin’s young. She has her whole life ahead of her.”
“Yeah, and by some miracle, she wants me in it for the time being. You really blame me for shooting my shot?” His attention shifts from one of my eyes to the other, bouncing around my face until his head dips in a sharp nod, his molars still grinding. “Why now?” he questions. “I know she was with Drew before, but you’re leaving…”
“I couldn’t fight it anymore.”
Another nod. Not like he accepts my reasoning, only my sincerity, but I’ll take it anyway.
“And what happens if you can’t fightforher?” he pushes.
“I’ll always fight for her,” I promise. “Always. No matter what. No matter the cost.”
“You sure?”
“If anything, this conversation with you should prove it firsthand,” I argue. “You’re my best friend, and I knew this would hurt you, but I still went after her. I saw the opening, and I took it. And you can be pissed at me all you want, but you know me. You know I’d do anything for her.Anything.”
His attention darts over my features again as he searches for whether or not I’m telling the truth. When I realize how much he looks like Fin when he does it, my mouth twitches, and I promise, “Not gonna hurt her, Ev. You have my word.”
“Fine.” He backs away and sits on the bench. “You gonna spot me again or what?”
CHAPTER THIRTY
GRIFFIN
The girls’ side of the duplex smells like fresh paint. I make a mental note to open some windows and air out the place as I stride into the kitchen with another of Finley’s boxes. I thought the smell would have faded some by now since the construction company finally finished the renovation while Finley and I were on our road trip. It felt like every time we turned around, they threw us yet another curveball. But as soon as the city announced this side of the duplex was livable, Finley pulled the trigger on moving back over here early, despite the lack of furniture. In spite of the strong smell tainting the air, she’s anxious to gain some space from the two fuck bunnies across the hall.
Her words, not mine.
I’m not complaining, though. Now that everyone knows about us, we could use the space without Everett breathing down our necks. Don’t get me wrong. Ever since our talk at the gym, he’s been…supportive. Or at least, Ev’s version of supportive.
But being respectful when I’m finally able to touchFinley the way I’ve always wanted to is harder than I expected, and my blue balls can attest to it. Hell, this is the first time we’ve been together since the party without feeling like we have to walk on eggshells, and the moment’s never been sweeter.
“Is it weird that I kind of love how empty the place is?” Finley asks. With her arms open wide, she spins around the empty family room. Thanks to the smoke from the fire and water damage from the sprinklers, the furniture had to be replaced, though the new stuff won’t be delivered for another two weeks.