Page 83 of Rival for Rent

“I don’t think you’re hearing me. I’m saying I—”

“Oh, I heard you,” he said. “Loud and clear. But I’m not having it. You’re not doing this to me. Not today.”

“Doing what?”

“Breaking up with me. I don’t accept.”

“I don’t…think it’s the kind of thing you get a choice in?” I said, totally thrown. I’d braced for anger, maybe heartbreak. Not defiance.

“I sure as shit do,” he said, arms crossed. “I have had the world’s worst fucking day today. And I get it. You said this was just physical—”

“Actually, I thinkyousaid that.”

“—and you’ve used your military spidey-senses to figure out that it stopped being just physical for me a long time ago—”

“Spidey senses?”

“—so I get it. I changed the rules on you. Made you uncomfortable with my gay little feelings. And that’s fine. I can accept that you don’t feel the same. But you are not going to do this to me on one of the literal worst days of my life. No fucking way. You have to wait.”

“Will you fucking let me talk?” I said, standing up so my face was inches from his. Being this close was dangerous, but I didn’t care. I was too annoyed. “I’m not breaking up with you because I don’t have feelings for you. I’m breaking up with you because Ido.”

18

KAI

Istared at Mason, sure I’d misheard. Because what I thought he’d said was…

“You’re breaking up with me because you like me?”

“Yes. Because all I’m going to do is fuck up your life. I don’t want to hurt you, Kai, but if we don’t stop this—whatever it is—between us, I’ll only hurt you worse in the long run.”

I glared at him. He was way too close for it to have the proper effect. I was so damn aware of his body, taking up my space. For a guy who was supposedly ending things, he sure wasn’t putting much distance between us.

I was mad, though. If he’d said he didn’t feel the same way, I could’ve accepted it. It would’ve hurt—devastated me, honestly—but I would’ve made peace with it eventually. But this?

“That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s not. It’s just the truth. You don’t want me, Kai.”

Anger surged in my chest. Anger about the video, about someone hurting Mason, about the stalker trying to tear my life apart. But I couldn’t do anything about that right now. Mason, however, was right in front of me, and I could damn well do something about him.

“You don’t get to say that. You don’t get to tell me who or what I want.”

“Fine. Then it’s what I want.”

“But it’s not. You just said it’s not. Why are you so determined to ruin the one good part of my life right now?”

“I don’t know. Why are you so determined to be an idiot? When are you going to get it through your head that I’m a bad person?”

I stared at him, incredulous. “Never. I’m never going to do that, because it’s not true. You might be incredibly, infuriatingly dense sometimes, but you’re not bad. All that stuff from high school? Let it go. I have. Who you were then doesn’t define who you are now. And as today has shown, all of us have done stuff we regret when we were younger.”

“There’s a big difference between making a sex tape and having people’s blood on your hands.”

“You. Are. Not. Responsible. For. That.” I bit off each word, snapping on the final T. “You didn’t kill those kids.”

He took a step back and shook his head. “I might as well have. And if you can’t see that, you’re not as smart as I think.”

I stepped forward, closing the distance he’d just opened. A minute ago, I’d thought he was too close, but now, even a foot between us felt like too much.

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