“Please don’t do this,” I whisper. “You’ve made your point.”

“No. I don’t think I have.”

“You did. Everyone wants you. I get it.”

Something passes in his hazy eyes. “That’s not the point I was trying to make.” He slaps his leg again. “Which means, it’s on to round two.” He gestures to me. “How many guys here want my Sawyer?”

I literally want to crawl in a hole and die when you can hear a pin drop.

“Come on,” Cole yells. “What the fuck is the matter with you bastards?” He cups a hand over his mouth. “How many guys here want Sawyer?”

No one says a word.

“Goddamn sheep,” he seethes. “None of you will ever be good eno—”

“I do.”

Before I can blink, Oakley cups my face.

Right before he kisses me.

Chapter 48

Sawyer

I’m so shocked my brain temporarily checks out.

It isn’t until I feel his tongue enter my mouth that I come to my senses and push him away.

“What is wrong with you? Why did you—”

“I’m gonna kill you, motherfucker,” Cole roars, winding his fist back.

“Come on.” Oakley points to his jaw. “Right here.”

“No!” Bianca screams.

But it’s too late, Lucky Seven is already in motion. “Backstabbing—”

Oakley side-steps him mid-swing.

He’s so drunk, he loses his balance and falls on the floor with a heavy thud.

“That,” Oakley says as he points to a now passed out Cole. “Is why I kissed you.” He bends down. “You and Bianca each grab one of his legs, and I’ll get the rest. It’s time to blow this popsicle stand.”

“I think he’s bleeding,” I say as we begin hauling him to the door and I see a small trail of blood.

“He’s a big boy, he’ll be fine,” Oakley says. “But if he’s not…he kind of deserved it. Now didn’t he?”

Cole starts yelling incoherent things at him.

“Love you too, man,” Oakley says back.

A few minutes later we place him in the back seat and drive off.

“Are you guys gonna be okay bringing him into the house?”

Since I left my car at school, Oakley has to drop me off first.

He waves a hand. “We’ve got this.”

Bianca nods. “We’re pretty much pros.”

Oh. “Well, in that case. Have a good night.”

I start to walk to my car, but Bianca halts me.

“The things Cole said before—”

I stop her right there. “I know you want to defend your brother because you love him, but you can’t bail him out of this. He hurt me and it’s not something I’m gonna forget.”

Not now…not ever.

“I know it sounds crazy, but those things weren’t about you, Sawyer. I mean, some stuff was. But not the long tangent he went on about no one liking you and being so much better than you.”

I’m so confused. He was definitely looking at me when he said all those mean things.

“If he didn’t say that stuff about me, who—”

“Liam. All those things he said were directed at Liam.” She frowns. “What you witnessed tonight wasn’t Cole. It was the evil twin.”

“Oh.”

I honestly have no idea how to respond to that.

I know Cole didn’t always get along with Liam and they weren’t particularly close…but that’s a lot of animosity to be harboring toward your brother.

“I have no right to ask you this, but please don’t give up on him just yet. You’re good for him, Sawyer.”

That may be true, but after tonight, it’s clear he’s not good for me.

Chapter 49

Cole

The pounding in my head feels like a hammer.

If the hammer was an icepick.

I look at my surroundings in confusion.

Why am I sleeping on Oakley’s couch?

I glance down at the floor. Bianca’s huddled up with a blanket and pillow.

I have no idea what time it is, and for the life of me, I can’t string together the pieces of how I ended up here.

“Have a good nap?” Oakley questions.

I turn my head toward the kitchen. “What time is it?”

Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, he says, “Just after three a.m.” He walks over and hands it to me. “Here.”

“Thanks.” I crack the top open and take a long swig. My throat feels like sandpaper. “What happened tonight?”

He plops down on the chair across from me. “You know the K-T event that wiped out all the dinosaurs?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, what happened tonight was like that…only worse.”

Well, shit. “That bad, huh?”

Oakley doesn’t look amused. “Yeah.”

I sit up. “All right, Oak. The suspense is killing me. Hit me with it.”

His expression turns hard. “Oak? Or lame pothead who likes to fuck MILFs?”

I have no idea what he’s talking about. Well, I mean I kind of do because he is a pothead and he did screw his stepmom…but…

I wince as a flashback of me shouting those very words in Christian’s living room zips through my head.

“Fuck. I’m sorry, man. I didn’t—”

“It’s fine. I’ll get over it.” He gives me a pointed look. “I can’t say the same for Sawyer, though.”

He has a point. “Yeah, I figured she’d be pissed I beat up her boss.”

But once I tell her Bianca lied—and because she lied too, I thought the worst and went postal on him, I’m sure she’ll forgive me.

Eventually.

Oak laughs, but there’s not an ounce of humor. “Brother, you punching Mr. Gonzales is the least of the shitstorm you caused.”

My stomach rolls. “What do you mean?”

Standing up, he blows out a breath. “Let’s see…where should I start?” He scratches his chin. “How about Sawyer walking into Christian’s back yard and finding you and Casey in the hot tub? Granted you were passed out, so you probably had no idea what was going on and that snake took advantage of the situation—but it still didn’t stop you from inviting Sawyer to join you two in there.”

I can practically feel my world crumbling piece by piece. No matter how mad I am at Sawyer for lying or how fucked up I was over the shit Stone said about Liam, I’d never touch Casey.

Not willingly anyway.

“I wouldn’t…” I scrub a hand down my face. I’m having a hard time believing I’d ever hurt Sawyer like that…again. “I wouldn’t do that to Sawyer. I care about her too much.”

Dread fills my chest.

Which is how I know he’s telling the truth.

I hurt the people I care about the most.

Always have. Always will.

Christ. I fucked this shit up so bad.