Cruel Fortune (Cruel #2)(42)

“I know. I’m sorry. But I don’t know how you expected me to react.”

“More of the punch him in the face and less of the ha-ha, I got your girl,” I spit out.

He chuckled softly. “I will keep that in mind if I see him again.”

I covered my face with my hands. “Tonight has been a disaster.”

“This wasn’t what I wanted it to be like.”

“I forgot how much I hated this part of this world.”

“Look, it’s not always like this. I had no idea Penn would be here. Or that I’d find you two alone in an empty bedroom together.”

“Ugh! It was so stupid. Being in there made everything worse.”

“What happened?”

I shook my head and looked away. I didn’t want to tell him, but I had to. “He kissed me.”

“Of course he did.” Lewis’s lips fell into a line.

“I pushed him away though,” I said quickly. “And then we yelled at each other. I swear, all we do is try to hurt each other. It’s exhausting.”

“Well, I’d hate that the last kiss you got was one that you didn’t want,” he said as he slipped an arm around my waist and brought his lips down on mine.

I didn’t correct him. I hadn’t wanted that kiss. It had just happened. But…it was Penn. So, it was infinitely more complicated than that.

Not that Lewis seemed to care. As he kissed my lips in front of the entire party. Laying claim on me for all to see. It was a short, hot, and possessive kiss that spoke volumes.

And when he pulled back, I could see Penn stop mid-stride from the hallway. His jaw was set as he stared at the pair of us. A moment passed between us. As he came to understand that I wasn’t going to change my mind. That, if anything, this had only made it worse.

I didn’t trust him.

Not after last year.

And not with how he was trying to manipulate me all over again.

I understood his frustration. I had said that I wasn’t interested in living this life, but that hadn’t changed. Only my feelings for Lewis had. And while I probably should have chosen someone other than his best friend, I couldn’t change that.

Lark came to Penn’s side with concern on her face, as if understanding precisely how wrong everything had gone. He ignored her, his eyes still locked on mine. But I’d already made my choice.

I broke Penn’s gaze and took Lewis’s hand, and together, we left the party.





Penn





18





I stood there, frozen, watching Natalie’s retreating back as she disappeared from view with Lewis.

“Penn,” Lark said. She shook my arm, trying to bring me back to reality.

But I was already in reality, and it was a cesspool, a nightmare.

“What the fuck happened?” Lark asked.

“I kissed her.”

“Wait, what?” she demanded. “That wasn’t part of the plan. I thought you were going to be sincere and tell her how much you missed her.”

I shook my head. “That was the plan, but then we just started arguing. We run so hot together. Every horrible thing that we’d both thought in the last year spilled from our lips. Then, fucking Lewis walked in and carted her out with a sick smile on his lips.”

“Oh, Penn.”

How had it gone so far afield? Kissing her, yelling at her…that hadn’t been my intention at all. But then her lush body had collided with mine. Her fiery eyes had looked up into my own. Those perfect lips had stared up at me. And suddenly, it was a year ago. She was in my arms. I wanted her back. She was mine.

My brain had ceased functioning. All there was, was the moment between getting her alone and pressing her into the door and, god, her lips. She’d said my name like a prayer, and there wasn’t a goddamn thing in this world that could have stopped me from kissing her.

Then, those words. Fuck, where had they even come from? No wonder she’d pushed me away.

And now, she was walking out of the party with Lewis.

He’d kissed her. Put his hands on her. Staked his claim in front of the whole fucking party.

There was no fucking way I was going to let that stand.

“Penn, talk to me.”

“I’m going after them.”

I strode toward the exit with Lark on my heels.

“Is that a good idea?”

I was halfway out the door when Lark’s hand landed on my arm.

“Penn…”

“What?” I snapped. “I have to go stop them. If she goes home with him tonight, we both know what’s going to happen.”

“Penn, you can’t,” she whispered. Lark sounded heartbroken. Her words were raw. Her eyes sad and sympathetic.

“Lark, I have to.”

“You think she’ll accept you like this? After what just happened between you two?” Lark asked. “She chose. You might not like the answer, but tonight, she chose Lewis.”

I cursed violently at the thought. There was no goddamn way I was going to let this happen. “We can fix this,” I pleaded with Lark. “I know we can.”

“Not tonight,” Lark said. “Give her some space. You hurt her, and whether or not you want to see it, Lewis is giving her what she thinks she wants. She’ll figure it out.”