The Play Mate (Roommates, #2)

It felt inhumane to add the caveat-not yet, at least-but there was no question it hung in the air between us like a poisonous smog.

“You son of a bitch,” he snarled, his fist clenching open and closed.

His eyes were wild with anger and something like betrayal, but before I could apologize, he was stalking toward me. He stopped just a few inches from my face.

“If you were anyone else, I’d beat the living shit out of you right now. Instead, I’m going to take you at your word that you haven’t slept with her and give you a chance to try and undo this shit. Stop now and nothing has to change. We can work together, and once I get over the fact that you went behind my back and even considered this shit, we can probably go back to being friends. But that’s if and only if you agree to shut it down.” His nostrils flared as he glared at me. “Now.”

We were friends. The best. But Evie was a person. A woman in her own right with thoughts and feelings and free will of her own. The fact that Cullen was talking about her like she was some antiquated piece of the Reed family property made my blood hum with fury.

I hated that it had come to this, and there was no denying it was my bad, but my anger got the better of me and I shoved him hard in the chest.

“First of all, I wasn’t asking your permission,” I muttered. “I was trying to break some news to you in the right way. Granted, I should’ve told you sooner, but this macho asshole bullshit of yours doesn’t exactly make it easy, and your sister asked me not to.”

The heat of his outrage burned beneath the surface. “You got a lot of nerve telling m-”

“Second of all,” I cut in, jabbing a finger in his direction. “Evie is a twenty-two-year-old without any love life on the horizon, probably in part because of you. You were like her hulking shadow, and guys were afraid to even get near her in high school. You think that’s healthy?” I demanded, pissed off and on a roll now. “She needs space to grow and learn about life. Keeping her close so you can protect her is selfish, Cullen. How is she ever going to learn from her mistakes, or fall and pick herself back up if she’s never allowed to make any?”

Cullen snorted in disgust and crossed his arms over his chest. “And what? You want that first big mistake to be you?” He let out a low laugh. “I know you, man. You haven’t had a serious relationship since Karen, and even that wound up being a royal fuckup. What makes you think you’re good enough for my sister?”

It was a question I’d asked myself more than once in the past few weeks, and I didn’t have a good answer to it yet. But I knew one thing for sure. It wasn’t going to stop me from trying.

“Luckily, that’s not for either of us to decide. That’s Evie’s decision, isn’t it?” I said, cold fury settling over me. “If that seems out of line and you want to fire me or whatever, then go ahead.”

I could have told him that I’d changed. I could have told him that what I felt for Evie was different, but that wasn’t the point. Even if I hadn’t, she still had the right to decide her path in life without worrying about her brother’s approval.

Cullen’s face was stony as he stared me down in silence. “It’s like that, then?” he muttered finally, his legs moving once again and he started past me. “You know your way back. I don’t want to see your fucking face right now.”

I watched him until he was out of sight, half expecting him to turn around and come back. He didn’t, and I took off running the way we’d come, pushing myself to my limit in hopes of burning off some of this adrenaline.

That hadn’t gone well. I’d known it wouldn’t, but at some point during our familiar banter on the run, there had been a brief second-a tiny kernel of hope-that maybe it would turn out better than I’d imagined.

It wasn’t until I got back to my apartment bathed in sweat, my muscles shaking with fatigue, that I realized I hadn’t called Evie yet to tell her what I’d done.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Damn it, I should have warned her.

I sank down on the couch and said a silent prayer that I hadn’t lost both Reeds today.