Cheater (Curious Liaisons #1)(83)

I hated the memory of that night.

The mistakes.

“I meant to sneak into Avery’s room to talk about it, to apologize. Stupidly, I didn’t think I would get caught, but I was loud, drunk—and of course Brooke being Brooke just encouraged me, and by the time I realized she wasn’t Avery, it was too late.”

Kayla and I sat in silence for a while. The breeze gently picked up the scent of rain in the air.

“And now you’re pushing her away again,” she finally said.

“The hell?” I blinked. “I’m sorry, did you miss the part of the story where I basically emotionally cheated on my fiancée for over a year? If I cheated on you—”

“You didn’t love me.” Kayla chewed her bottom lip. “Not like that. I can’t remember a time you ever looked at me the way you look at Avery, with this raw devotion that makes the rest of the world fade away.”

My heart felt heavy.

“You need to go after her.”

“I figure she needs time before I start banging down her door.”

Kayla rolled her eyes. “Men are so stupid.”

“Says the girl dressed like a prostitute.”

Kayla glared at me and then burst out laughing. “Lucas, she doesn’t need time—she needs you to chase her, she needs you to be the man she fell for, the confident Lucas Thorn. Don’t shy away from a girl who’s half your size. Grow a pair and chase her. Isn’t that what guys like anyway, the chasing?”

“I think I prefer the catching,” I admitted.

Kayla stood and held out her hand. “Friends?”

I pressed my palm to hers. “Friends.”

We shook, and something clicked into place. All my football games she’d cheered at, all the moments we’d shared—we had been together because we were friends, because it was always like that. I had loved Kayla, but as a friend.

I loved Avery . . .

The way a man is supposed to love a woman, with such blind madness that nothing made sense when she wasn’t in my world.

“Tell my parents—”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kayla waved me off. “I think they’re still trying to make sure Austin doesn’t come back and kill Brooke. But if the drama lessens, I’ll be sure to tell them you went after your girl.”

“Thanks, Kayla.”

Tears filled her eyes as she nodded. “Go get her.”





Chapter Forty-Four


AVERY

I was too sad to be angry.

I really wished I were angry so I could go all Carrie Underwood on his ass, but his stupid car was still at his parents’, and I was pretty sure if I slit his tires the hollow ache in my chest wouldn’t ease. If anything, with my luck, I’d mess that up and somehow get arrested, only to be bailed out by the devil himself.

Austin was a mess. “Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, completely aware of my own heartbeat as I tried to steer the conversation toward her and not me.

“He was supposed to be different!” she wailed, slamming her hands against the steering wheel, then swerving into the other lane before righting the car. “He promised!”

I didn’t know what to say. Or how to make her heartache better.

Because we were in the same boat, just on different sides. I was struggling with wanting to trust Lucas with my heart. And Austin was trying not to think of all the ways she could poison Thatch for being unable to keep his wandering eye on lockdown.

“Here.” She tossed me her phone. “I can’t take it anymore. Can you just turn it off?”

“Are you sure?” I studied her closely, seeking assurance that she was serious.

“Positive.” Her lower lip quivered. “You know what sucks?”

With the slide of my finger, I turned the phone off. “What?”

“He asked me to be exclusive. He asked me! I told him I wasn’t ready to get into anything serious because I still had school, and then he goes and buys me roses and takes me out to dinner and asks if we can take the next step. I have a key to his apartment! And now? Now he’s kissing complete strangers? Putting his dick wherever he pleases? Is it some sort of sick game with these two or what?”

“I wish I knew,” I whispered. “Believe me, I do.”

That was the end of our meaningful conversation.

Both of us were too upset to say anything more until the car was about a mile from my apartment, and even then we basically took turns crying and cursing men to hell the entire last mile of the ride. When she dropped me off, we hugged, then did what best friends do: told each other never to date again and promised to eat ice cream the next day until we got sick.

She didn’t have any of her things with her, and she had a huge test to study for—which left me alone with my peeping Tom neighbor and the same sly spider who still hadn’t found the will to die.

Ah, a pet.

That’s nice.

“Hi, spider.” I opened up my laptop and breezed through a few TV shows. My fridge was empty. I had no ice cream. No wine. Water. I had water. I would get paid soon, but it would be my only paycheck since I’d just quit.

Stupid Avery.

I needed money!

And I quit over a man.

Not just any man.

I sniffled, then shouted, “DAMN YOU, LUCAS THORN! Curses on your perfect hair, and that stupid cleft in your chin. I hope it turns into a giant wart and grows a single tough hair that refuses to be plucked!”