Thorns and Forgiveness (Twisted Legacy Duet #2) - CoraLee June Page 0,3

you don’t love that girl?” Jess asked before crossing her arms over her chest. I frowned at her.

“Fuck you, Jess,” I said before dropping my boxers and spinning around to get in the shower.

“You can’t run from this!” my best friend sang on an exhale as I turned on the shower and got inside. Hot water poured over my skin, warming me from the inside out. Though the water felt good, my pulsing veins still ached. I needed coffee. And pain killers. “Stop ignoring me, Hamilton.”

After quickly washing my hair, I grabbed my shower gel and ran it over my abs just as Jess yanked open the shower curtain and glared at me. “If you wanted a show, you just had to ask,” I replied in such a sleazy way that I internally cringed at my words.

“Shut the fuck up and call me after you’ve shaved your asscrack, motherfucker,” Jess answered before pressing her lips into a fine line and staring at me. I waited. And waited. We had a silent, naked standoff.

It was me who eventually caved.

“What? Can we please just move on? I’m done having this conversation,” I growled before rinsing off.

“I just think you’re making a huge mistake—an even bigger mistake than using her to get back at your brother. Hell, I thought this whole Saint thing was fucked up from the beginning.” That pissed me off. I shut off the water and grabbed a nearby towel. “You weren’t saying that when you suggested we stage everything at Infinity’s show so her band could get some free PR,” I snapped back before drying off.

“Yeah, well, that was before I got to know Vera. I thought we were screwing over the Beauregards, not ruining some innocent chick’s life. You should have been honest with her before it snowballed this far.”

I slammed my palm on the wall and yelled. “You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t know that I used her in the worst possible way and that I didn’t just lie once, but I lied every fucking time we were together—every time we fucked—every time I got closer and closer? Figure out what you want, Jess, because one second, you’re telling me to show up at her doorstep with some flowers and a goddamn smolder so I can collect her forgiveness like it’s Halloween candy, and then the next minute you’re telling me that I’m complete shit for lying to her. You’re proving my point.”

“And what is your point exactly?” Jess asked.

“I don’t want Vera’s forgiveness. I hurt her, Jess. I fucking hurt her. I don’t deserve Vera,” I said, my tone defeated.

Jess finally let me pass, and I marched over to my bedroom, where my sheets were still messed up from the last time Vera spent the night. Where the smell of her clung to every inch of the space. Where her clothes lay crumbled in a pile on the floor. Where her handwritten notes for class sat on my dresser.

We’d only known each other for a little while, but she’d already taken over my life. I was always so guarded, never letting people come to my house, pushing them away before I could even slide off my condom. I usually fled and forgot people.

But not Vera. I wanted her under my skin. I needed her in my life completely, staining my existence. I grabbed a pair of black sweats and put them on before finding a shirt. “I just want you to be happy, Hamilton.” Jess sniffled. Yeah, I wanted that too. “You know what Joseph is capable of. I really want you to consider that maybe you could protect Vera. Maybe you’d be really, really good for her.”

Fuck yeah, I knew what Joseph was capable of. Jess knew about my broken arm.

And the broken nose.

The chipped tooth.

The kick to the balls.

The pillow over my face.

The bleach on my skin.

The burn marks on my thigh.

Joseph needed an outlet for his insanity, and I was his own personal punching bag. My mother couldn’t protect me, and my father didn’t care.

I chewed on my battle scars. Broken homes started wars if you weren’t careful.

Jess continued, “And I don’t want this to make you spiral. I’ve seen how you cope, and I don’t know how you’re going to react to a full-blown broken heart.”

I fought the urge to scowl. I knew Jess was coming from a good place, but how I coped wasn’t as big of a deal as she made it out to be. I