Page 133 of PS: I Hate You

When Dom looks at me, I see the betrayal on his normally unreadable face.

“You’re keeping in touch with my brothers.”

Guilt twists in my gut, but then consternation fueled by anger unwinds it. “No. Actually, they took my radio silence as an invitation to show up. Which you did, too, it would seem. Can’t a girl properly ghost people these days? Next time I’ll buy a van and go off-grid.”

Ah, discomfort covered by sarcasm. My old friend.

Dom’s lips tighten, then relax. “We need to talk.”

“I have guests over.” A protective barrier of friends that are currently keeping me from tearing into Dominic Perry.

Or kissing his face off.

Or climbing out my window and down my fire escape.

I don’t know what I want to do more, but it’s probably not healthy that I have such an equally strong urge for all three.

“Hey, guys!” Jeremy jumps up from his cross-legged seat on theground and captures the attention of the room. “You want to see a condo with the exact same layout as this one but is three floors closer to the ground?”

“You know I do!” Adam responds with equal enthusiasm, and I wonder if the reason I gravitated toward Jeremy in the first place was that he reminded me of a certain Perry.

“You know, I think I forget what your place even looks like,” Tula says to Carlisle.

“Yes. And I left the stove on,” Carlisle adds. “Silly of me. Must go turn that off. Immediately.”

Carter merely shrugs. “Sure. Let’s go.”

I gape as my buffer network promptly abandons me. And I’m on my own.

With Dominic Perry.

The man steps forward, and I suddenly feel like prey in my own home. Stalked by him and his intense stare and impeccably dressed body. I tear my eyes from his and point at the couch.

“Sit. You’re looming. I don’t abide looming in my home. It’s strictly against the rules.”

He doesn’t follow my command. Instead, Dom strides until he’s standing directly in front of me.

Looming dialed up to a thousand.

He’s so close I can smell his cedar scent and see the twitching vein in his forehead.

“You know what Idon’t abide? Is you letting me have a taste of life with you, then disappearing the moment things don’t go exactly as you planned,” he growls.

I gape at the man. Guess we’re not playacting niceties.

Fury burns through me, fueling my next scathing words.

“So what? You’re saying I should get used to you abandoning me? If you shut me out, I should shut my mouth and deal with it?”

“No—”

“Youdidn’t show.Yourefused to read Josh’s letter to me.” I jab him in the chest with a finger, emphasizing my hissed accusations. “I’mnot the reason we’re over.Youare.”

“Over?” Dom rasps the question.

I guess this is the problem with ghosting. You never properly clarify that things have ended.

“We never should’ve started in the first place.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I hope I look intimidating rather than like I’m protecting my vital organs. “It was a mistake we made because of grief. Or loneliness. Or whatever.”