Page 100 of The Bad Brother

“You shouldn’t have done that,” I tell her on a definitive head shake. “Ethan is?—”

“Dangerous. I know.” Nodding her head, Sloane gives me a wobbly smile. “So, what are we going to do about it?”

I can hear it in her voice—she believes me.

Even though I was convicted of doing horrible things toLyla Strong and despite the fact that everything I just told her defies logic, Sloane believes me.

And even though I want more, I want her to stay—I wanther—I know better than to ask for it because laying it all out for her, from beginning to end, was a reminder of what my brother is capable of. What he does when he sees me happy. When I start to build a life. When I try to start over.

He destroys it.

Lifting her hand to my mouth, I kiss the inside of her wrist. “Now you leave, Peach,” I tell her quietly. Lowering her hand, fingers still laced together, I offer her a half smile of my own. “And I let you.”

AFEW HOURS AGO, ALL I WANTEDwas to leave Barrett behind and forget the last three years of my life never happened.

Forget about Ethan and everything he put me through.

Forget about Jensen and everything he made me feel.

Start over some place where no one knew me.

Alone.

Now, looking at Jensen, the thought terrifies me.

“You want me to leave?” I jerk my hand out of his grip and stare at him like he just slapped me across the face. “After all that, you just?—”

“No.” Jensen shakes his head, his expression still and grave. “I don’t want you to leave, Peach, but you can’t stay here. Not with me. Notforme. Not with Ethan running loose.”

I hear what he’s saying.

What he’s tellingme.

That it isn’t safe. That his brother is dangerous. That far away from here and him is the only way he can know for sure that I’m not going to get hurt. Used by Ethan to hurthim.

I hear him.

I do.

I just don’t care.

“I’d feel better if you flew,” he tells me quietly. “I can take you to the airport. Arrange for your car to be shipped to you and?—”

“You can come with me.” Forty-five minutes ago, he suggested the same thing and I told him no. Rejected him. Now it’s his turn.

“No, I can’t.” The corner of his mouth quirks in a smile that looks almost painful while he shakes his head. “You were right, Peach—it was a dumb idea. Ethan is my mess. I can’t leave him to clean up for someone else.” Jensen leans across the corner of the table to press a soft kiss against the curve of my cheek before he stands. “It’s late.” Turning away from me, he starts to walk toward the door. “You need to get some sleep. I’ll see if I can find a flight for this?—”

Leaving.

Jensen’s leaving.

Standing up, I follow him. Rush forward to wedge myself between him and the door before he can open it. “No.” Staring up at him, I shake my head. “You can’t justleave. I won’t let you.”

“Peach...” Jensen sighs. Lifts his hands, to fit them around my biceps so he can guide me away fromthe door as gently as he can. “Please don’t make this any harder than?—”

“I love you too.” It tumbles out on a hitching, desperate breath that tightens the hold he has on my arms while he looks at me like I just stabbed him in the chest. I don’t care. If I have to hurt, so does he. “I love you, Jensen. I love?—”

The hands wrapped around my upper arms tighten to the point of pain, their fingers digging into my muscle to grind against bone for a split second before they’re pushing me back until my ass hits the door behind me and Jensen is looming over me, head bent. Face inches from mine, his beautiful, mismatched gaze skewered through mine.

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