Page 49 of Free Fall

I have to agree.Holy shit.

Sasha looks around, noticing the crowd that’s gathered are now scowling at her. Even though there are tears in her eyes, she sticks her chin in the air. “You’re just weak. I only fucked him because you couldn’t get it up.”

“My fucking best friendjustdied!”

An uneasiness starts in my chest. I stare at Reid. I feel terrible for him. I knew Sasha didn’t give a fuck about me when it came to Brady’s death, but I thought for sure she was somewhat remorseful for Reid’s sake.

I move forward because Reid looks like he’s going to lose it. Cade and Lex flank me like we’re running a football play. I place my hand on his chest. “Hey.” His eyes burn into me, and his face softens.

I see Reid’s growing reaction before I feel or hear anything. “You bitch,” Sasha snarls. She grabs my hair and yanks my head back. Cade and Lex are right there, freeing me, but it doesn’t help Sasha from spewing her hate. “Are you fucking her? You have a lot of nerve, talking shit about me fucking someone when you’re fucking your best friend’s sister.”

I spin around after they free me, but Reid maneuvers between us, blocking me. “I’m not fucking her, but I want to be. You want power and prestige, and money and makeup, but you’re missing the point of life. You should want to help people and be brave and not use your fucking body or your family to get whatever the fuck you want.”

“You’re nothing,” she seethes. “She’sfucking nothing.” She shakes her head. The tears, which were probably fake anyway, are already dry on her face. Replaced there is a mask of fury that just makes her that much uglier. “You’ll see, Reid. I hope you know what you’re doing. Actually,” she laughs. “I don’t. I hope you go fucking down.” She leans around him to glare at me. “And I think you’ll find Briar isn’t the perfect person you think she is.”

He shifts to move in front of her again. “I know exactly what I’m doing. Leave us alone. If it wasn’t clear before, we’re done. Don’t call me anymore. I mean it this time. Don’t blow up my phone like you usually do after I try to break up with you.”

She lets out a scream of rage and lunges at him, but Cade and Lex have her under control. The guy who was at the door collecting five-dollar bills comes up behind them. “Okay, enough.” He throws Sasha over his shoulder and starts to carry her almost naked ass toward the front door. “Here’s my birthday present to you, Cap,” he says, calling out over his shoulder.

There’s a smattering of applause, but mostly people are still in shock that the king and queen of SHH just had a very public meltdown. This is going to be all over the place on Monday.

Reid storms outside. I try to follow him, but Lex and Cade hold me back. “Just give him a minute,” Lex explains. “He needs to blow off some steam.”

I look into his eyes. When he meets my stare, there’s a resignation there I haven’t seen before. My lips thin. Maybe he even knew it before I did. I don’t know.

21

The celebratory party starts back up quickly after the show is over. My partner wants to keep playing beer pong, but I escape as soon as Lex and Cade turn their back. I know they say to give Reid some time, but I feel like he needs someone right now even if he thinks he doesn’t.

Plus, I’m being a little selfish too. I feel like I was definitely a part of their breakup somehow, which means Reid owes me some answers finally.

I walk outside, past the firepit and immediately spot him at the end of the dock. He would be hard to miss anywhere, but with the sun setting behind him, he’s lit up like a halo of light with his hands in his pockets, staring out at the water.

He hears my footsteps as I approach. His back stiffens at the intrusion. Then, he says, “I’m not in the fucking mood.”

“I know,” I say.

He tenses even more then, twisting his head to look over his shoulder at me. I have to bite my lip because of how perfect he looks right now. Cut muscles, tailored waist, and angular face to die for. I must have been ultra-oblivious when Brady was alive. How could all three of my brother’s best friends be this hot and it just never occurred to me to crush on them? He glares at me. “It’s not a good idea for you to be out here right now. Around me.”

I step closer, disregarding his warning. A muscle ticks in his jaw. “Why’s that, Superstar?”

“I just told the whole party I want to fuck you, and you still have to ask me that question?”

A fierce longing strangles me. This is more than before. A lot more than what I felt with Lex, and the things that happened previously with Reid? This feeling makes those seem like a tease, a precursor to this overwhelming heat enveloping me right now. “I don’t have a lot of practice, but I think we have to start somewhere first before we just jump into fucking.”

His eyebrow cocks, questioning me like I’ve just laid down a challenge. “Not necessarily.”

“I lied to you once.” I’m side by side with him now. He tilts his head at me. “I haven’t actually had sex before.”

He smirks. “No shit, Briar. You weren’t fooling anyone with that.”

I narrow my eyes at him. I don’t know why I’m getting mad, I’m actually a really terrible liar. Plus, I’d forgotten that these guys pretty much know everything about me. They would know if I’d had sex, unless of course, I did it while I’d been a runaway. They have no idea what happened in those days of my life. They’re just for me. “I probably could’ve fooled someone,” I insist. “Peter Phillips maybe.”

He shakes his head. “No one who really knows you though.”

“I think I forgot about that fact,” I tell him. This is the moment for me to be completely honest about everything. I pushed these guys away. I pretty much ensured that they’d battle their way back into my life. “I forgot how well you guys knew me. I know now. In my head, I believed you were just Brady’s friends, but maybe…” I hesitate because if I’m wrong about this, it might break me. “Maybe you were my friends too?”

He turns toward me. He reaches his hand out, pulling me by the shoulder into an embrace that warms me from the inside. I feel the brush of his lips on the top of my head, and I shiver. “You werealwaysour friend too.” He pulls away, but he doesn’t get very far and not just because my hands are around his waist now. I don’t want to let him go. He slides his hands through the hair above my ear and cups the back of my head. “I have something to confess.” Pausing for a moment, he looks away, but when he faces me fully again, his green gaze is hard, confident and sexy as hell. “I wanted to be more than a friend, Briar.” He takes a deep breath, brushing his chest over my mine. My nipples harden at the contact. “It started late Freshman year. You just…grew up. I don’t know if it’s because you were all of a sudden in the same grade as us, but you weren’t the little sister anymore. You weren’t even one of us to me, you were more.”

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