Page 78 of Truth or Dare

My throat went dry. I’d hoped that part of my life would stay buried, and I couldn’t understand how she’d found out. “How… how do you know about that?”

She swallowed hard, tears pooling in her eyes again. “So, it’s true?”

I clenched my jaw and nodded slowly. “Yeah. It was a long time ago. I was protecting a neighbor. She was just a kid—twelve, maybe younger-looking even—and two boys wouldn’t leave her alone.”

“What happened?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

I looked away, memories resurfacing of the threats I’d overheard, the girl’s terrified cries. “They’d been picking on her for weeks. I tried to ignore it, thought she’d handle it. But one day I heard them through my door. They were threatening to… to cut her.” I shook my head. “I couldn’t stand by anymore.”

Presley’s face softened, the sharpness fading as understanding settled in. “You stood up for her?”

“Yeah.” I let out a bitter chuckle. “And I beat the crap out of those two until she begged me to stop.” I took a shaky breath.“But when the cops came, they found a knife in my pocket—one of theirs. They didn’t believe me. I got probation, and they sealed my record. I was supposed to keep my head down for three years, stay out of trouble, or I’d end up behind bars.”

She touched my face, her hand soft but trembling. “Hudson… that was a good thing, even if it went wrong.”

“Maybe. But it’s over now.” I squeezed her hand, feeling her warmth. “Why are we talking about this? What’s going on?”

A tear slipped down her cheek, and she pressed her lips together, her face twisting with anguish.

“Evan knows everything,” she said, her voice breaking. “He knows we were at his house. He knows… about your record.”

My heart felt like it stopped, then thundered to life again, pounding in my chest. “How does he know?”

“He has a video,” she said, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “He’s using it against me, Hudson. He’s giving me a choice.”

A chill ran through me. “What choice?” I growled.

She looked away, her shoulders slumping as if she’d been defeated. “He wants me back.”

I sucked in a breath, struggling to control the rage building inside me. Presley was mine. She’d always been mine. This was a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

“No,” I said, my voice dangerously low. “You can’t be serious.”

Her cheeks were streaked with mascara, black trails marking her tears. She took a shuddering breath. “I had to do it, Hudson. He’ll ruin everything if I don’t.”

The floor fell out from beneath me. “And where does that leave us?”

She blinked, more tears spilling down her cheeks. “Apart.”

Her words hit me like a sledgehammer, and I fought the urge to break something. I’d do anything for her, anything to protecther—even if it meant losing her to that bastard. “Did you tell him… did you tell him about his mother?”

She shook her head, her face twisted with pain. “I’d never do that, Hudson. I know it’d destroy him.”

A surge of frustration built inside me. How could she still care about Evan’s feelings after everything he’d done? “I don’t care,” I hissed. “Let him go to the cops.”

“No!” She reached out, grabbing my arm. In one swift move, I pulled her over the console, my mouth crashing onto hers. Her fingers tangled in my hair, clutching so hard it hurt. My hand slipped under her sweater, finding her warm skin, and she moaned against my lips.

“You can’t do this,” I whispered against her mouth, desperate.

Her eyes met mine, full of sadness. “I have to, Hudson. I’m doing this to protect you.”

Her words shattered me, and I pulled her closer, feeling her tears wetting my face. “And what about us?”

She rested her forehead against mine, her breaths shallow. “Until I figure this out… there is no us.”

She straddled me, pressing her body against mine, and I felt the depth of her struggle as she moved, her hips meeting mine, her warmth consuming me. I closed my eyes, fighting the realization that this might be all we had left—a stolen moment, a last goodbye.

“Pres,” I groaned, unable to stop myself.

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