Page 54 of Brutal Little Secrets

She looks so confused. I reach up and tuck her hair behind her ear. Her gaze drops to mine. Cam’s right. She’s gorgeous in a non-plastic way that’s attracting more attention. It makes me want to claim her so they’ll all back off, because she’s mine.

“We don’t have to say anything.” I want to protect her because she’s right. The girls will try to be her friend to get closer to me. “We don’t have to change anything at school.”

She draws in a breath and rests her head on my chest. “We’re going to blow up his party? How do we do that?”

I rub my hand down her back. Maybe we shouldn’t push with her and just stick to our other plans. What if Chase figures out Evan is part of my plan? What if he hurts her? For the first time, I hesitate to use Evan for my revenge. Maybe it was the way Chase put on an act for Evan and his parents. Making it seem like he’s in love with her, and the adults fell for that shit.

Evan didn’t.

I don’t trust him with her. I never have. He needs to keep his hands off her. But she’s right. This won’t end well when everything comes out. If I want to hurt him, he has to know about us. If I tell him she’s mine, it will put a target on her back.The girls will be jealous, catty bitches. The guys will want to see what the big deal is.

I’m not about to let her go through that. Not if sex is all that’s between us. I don’t know if I believe that anymore. There may have never been a way to have Evan without something changing.

“The normal ways a party spreads.” Cam touches her hip. “Word of mouth. Eventually everyone hears about parties.”

“Won’t he be able to shut it down if he hears about it?” Evan yawns and her hand spreads over my ribs. Her touch is easy, comfortable. Most girls leave after sex. Most of the time I do the leaving. I thought Evan in my bed would makeherwant more.

My heart thumps a little harder as I realize it might have backfired.

“Not the way parties work, Annie.” Hawk glances toward her, but she’s tucked on my chest and I can feel her breathing evening out.

She works as hard on her play as I do on hockey. I respect that about her, which is unusual because I can count the women I respect on one finger. My mother had my respect and no other.

But Evan is earning my reluctant respect. She’s doing what she can and adjusting to the things thrown in her path. Like me. I came at her like a fucking hurricane, but she just wrapped herself around me and slipped easily into being what I look forward to in my day. Those times I can see what she’s doing or when I finally get the chance to be with her make my fucking day.

Holding her while she sleeps…

“She asleep?” Cam asks after she doesn’t talk for a few minutes.

“Yeah,” Hawk says and runs his hand through his hair. “What are we going to do? Chase has some power at school. Not as much as we do, but more than Annie.”

“He wants her.” Cam touches her hair. “Did you find out why?”

“His parents seem to think he’s spending all his time with Evan.” I picked up on that. But she has to be more than just his fucking alibi. “They seem really happy that he’s with her. Like if you told your dad you got into Yale.”

“Fuck.” Cam shakes his head.

“Yeah, how will we get Annie untangled from him? Without fucking over her play?” Hawk turns on his side to look at her.

“First thing, the party. Let’s take away his freedom.” I glare up at the ceiling. Getting revenge and protecting Evan might not be something I can accomplish at the same time. Her breath skates across my chest. Right now, I’m not sure I’d choose revenge.

I wake up with Evan sprawled over me, my hand draped possessively over her hip. When I turn, her face is next to mine on the pillow, soft in sleep. Has anyone ever protected her?

It chased through my mind all night.

Has she ever had anyone she could turn to? When Chase abandoned her, she called Hawk. She didn’t call me because I’d been an ass with Olivia. But she didn’t call her mother or anyone else either.

How checked out of Evan’s life is her mom? The counselor my dad sent me to after Mom died talked a little about how people reacted to grief differently.

Evan is the most capable, put-together person I know. My dad holds on to me tighter, but did her mom just give up? Because Evan is so capable of taking care of herself?

Fuck.

Cam kisses her hair as he and Hawk get ready to leave. “I’ll start spreading the party rumor.”

I nod, and Hawk kisses Evan’s temple.

“You’ve got her?” Hawk’s green eyes meet mine.