Lead Me Home (Fight for Me #3)(96)

A warning before it’d been overhead.

I’d known it was coming.

I’d known.

Like a fool, I hadn’t realized what that’d meant.

It’s your fault.

I trusted you.

You were supposed to take care of her.

You promised, you’d take care of her.

It should have been me.

It should have been me.

I’d done this.

Agony sliced through the center of me.

Excruciating, blinding pain.

Gutting and destroying.

My body wept. Bleeding out.

I could feel her spirit whip through the room.

An earthquake.

It spurred a tidal wave that decimated the coastline.

I saw it.

Felt it.

I welcomed it when it crashed over me.

A gulf overhead.

Taking me under.

Suffocating.

Drowning.

Me.

It should have been me.





32





Ollie





Seventeen Years Old





Flames from the bonfire licked and lapped, jumping toward the canopy of night that covered overhead.

Embers popped and snapped before they broke away like golden ash that floated for the heavens.

A ton of their friends were out there tonight.

More than Ollie had planned. Half the town had caught wind of the lake party, and people had kept showing up.

Wouldn’t have been that big of a deal had a bunch of chicks from their class not climbed in the bed of Rex’s truck to share the case of beer Rex’s older cousin had scored.

Clearly, they thought they were gonna nab a piece of the star quarterback and defensive end as well.

What made it worse was Ollie’s sister was there, sitting on the tailgate of the truck with her legs swinging over the edge.

Tonight, she looked pissed and bored and annoyed, and Ollie tried not to be annoyed right back.

He’d given it his best to convince her not to come tonight. He and Nikki had even concocted a story that Nikki wasn’t feeling well so she was staying home.

He’d planned to pick her up on the way so Sydney wouldn’t know. Guys wouldn’t question it since Nikki was always with him, anyway.

Plan was solid.

No harm. No foul.

That was until Sydney had shoved a bunch of stuff into a tote bag and jumped into his car, saying he wasn’t leaving without her.

Nikki had magically started feeling better.

Now, Nikki sat all the way on the other side of the fire, sitting on the same whitewashed log they’d dragged up from the lake when they’d all first started camping out here in middle school.

Those sweet freckles glimmered like glitter on her face as she watched him through the flames.

Her eyes dropped closed for a second, lashes casting a shadow on her cheeks.

God.

She was pretty.

So damned pretty he was sure he was going to lose his mind.

His insides twisted in a need that was close to painful, and he swore that the condom he’d brought was burning a hole in his back pocket that was as hot as the sparks that flickered from the pit.

Giggles rolled from beside him, and Ollie had to stop himself from rolling his eyes when he glanced that way and saw Jessica straddling Rex’s lap.

Sydney’s mouth pursed in a prissy way.

God, what was her problem?

She’d gotten so weird lately. She had to be catching on about him and Nikki. It wasn’t like she was an idiot.

But he couldn’t worry about that tonight.

They were going to tell her soon. This weekend.

After they were together.

All they wanted was this night.

Something special.

Rex laughed, and he set his hands awkwardly on Jessica’s waist.

Dude was such a pansy, acting like he wasn’t interested in getting laid. Hell, Ollie could hardly remember the last time Rex had a girlfriend.

He looked Rex’s way, grinning wide and covertly blocking Kayla from climbing into a similar position on his lap. “Stop being a pussy, dude. It’s about time you saw some action. Get that dick wet before it shrivels up and falls off.”

Rex laughed. “The hell? I get plenty of action.”

“Yeah. Complements of your hand.”

Sydney hopped off the tail, spun around, and crossed her arms over her chest. “You guys are such assholes. Can you stop being pigs for five seconds?”

Anger pinged at his ribs. Sydney had always been right there. He’d never had a minute to himself. To figure out who he was outside of watching over her.

And she thought she could judge them? Call them assholes when he was the one to bring her out there?

The one who’d always taken her everywhere.

“Take me home.” She was looking directly at Rex.

Jessica giggled and snuggled closer against his chest.

“Think he’d rather be spending his time kissing Jessica than running you around. Wouldn’t you, Rex?”

Ollie lifted his chin at Rex and Jessica. Prodding him.

Rex laughed before he kissed Jessica, so damned clumsily you’d think he’d never kissed a girl before.

But, hell, Ollie wasn’t joking.

It was about time his best friend saw some action.