Page 105 of Liars

She rolled her eyes, taking a long sip before setting her mug down with a sharp clink. “Fine. Say whatever it is you’re dying to say, Kreed.”

I studied her, trying to ignore the way my gut twisted at the coldness in her voice. “Last night was great, but it can’t happen again.” Even as the words left my mouth, I knew this wasn’t probably the best approach to get her to fall in love with me, not that I was actually considering my brothers’ ridiculous scheme. Regardless, I was bumbling this, but Kaylor wasn’t like other girls. Something told me the more I pushed her away, the more she would want me.

Her brows arched just a touch, something fleeting and opaque crossing her face before she scoffed. “Wow. You really think that’s what this is about?”

“I just don’t want you thinking?—”

She cut me off with a bitter laugh. “Thinking what, Kreed? That it meant something? That I’m going to start knocking on your door every time I have a bad dream?” She shook her head, a smirk twisting at her lips, but there was something sharp in her tone, something almost angry. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

I clenched my jaw, irritation sparking in my chest. “I’m just saying we live together. Things could get messy.”

“Messy?” She snorted, stepping closer. “You don’t have to worry about messy. It was nothing. You were there. That’s it. Could’ve been anyone.”

Something snapped inside me at her words.

Anyone.

I hated how easily she said it. Like it hadn’t meant anything. Like it hadn’t wrecked me in ways I hadn’t processed yet. Like I cared.

I’mthe one who shouldn’t care. This shit was flipped around.

I stepped forward, towering over her now, my pulse hammering against my ribs. “That so?”

Her chin lifted defiantly. “Yeah.”

We stood there, locked in a silent standoff, the air thick with everything we weren’t saying. I wanted to believe her. Wantedto walk away and let this be what it was—a mistake, a lapse in judgment, a moment we could forget, but the way she was looking at me, the way her breath hitched just slightly, told me otherwise. Raine would be so pleased with himself.

I could feel the heat still lingering between us, that same tension that had drawn us together in the first place. Instead of clearing the air, I’d made it worse.

I fucking hated how conflicted I felt.

“Am I interrupting something?”

The deep timbre of my father’s voice cut through the thick silence like a blade. Kaylor and I both stiffened, our heads snapping toward the doorway where he stood, arms crossed, eyes sharp and assessing.

I didn’t know how long he’d been standing there, but judging by the tightness of his lips and the knowing glint in his gaze, I’d bet too damn long.

My father was no fool. He saw things and read between the lines better than most, and right now, there were too many unspoken words hanging between me and Kaylor, too much tension crackling in the air.

“You two look like you're about to kill each other.” He said one thing but meant another.

I caught the undertone. They say there’s a fine line between love and hate. My father was trying to decipher which side of the line Kaylor and I had crossed. Straightening, I locked down whatever war was waging inside me. “We’re just getting ready for school.” My voice came out smooth and controlled, but my father’s stare didn’t waver.

His gaze flicked between me and Kaylor, taking in the space—or lack thereof—between us. Kaylor, to her credit, didn’t crumble under his scrutiny, the same fire in her eyes that had driven me to madness minutes ago. My father exhaled throughhis nose, looking unimpressed. “Right,” he drawled like he didn’t believe a word I’d just said.

Neither did I.

He stepped fully into the kitchen, walking to the coffee pot. The silence stretched, the weight of his presence pressing down on both of us.

Kaylor took the opportunity to grab her bag off the counter. “I’ll wait outside,” she muttered before slipping past him without another word.

The moment she was gone, my father turned to me, coffee mug in hand. “You’re screwing her?”

I clenched my jaw. “No.”

He took a slow sip, watching me over the rim of his mug. “Could’ve fooled me. I thought I made it clear. You weren’t supposed to get physically involved.”

I didn’t respond. There was nothing to say.

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