Page 83 of Use Me

The knife went an inch deeper.

“Now I wish I wasn’t.”

My gaze snapped to Ashtyn. She seemed to get along with everyone. Plus, being in the public eye, you had to put on a smile even when you wanted to stab someone in the eye, especially now that everything can be live streamed. How did she know this jackass?

“Aw, don’t be like that.” Corey folded his cards, throwing them in the center of the table.

Ashtyn’s gaze turned to me, and I asked, “Are you okay?” I didn’t know what was going on other than I was starting to think we both hated this guy. But why did she?

“Remember the last time we were on this boat?” she asked me.

I nodded. “Yeah …”

“Now it’s my turn to run into my ex.”

The knife in my heart twisted and caused the most tormenting pain I’d ever felt as I realized the one person I hated the most used to date the one person I love the most in the world.

I needed to get away from the table.

I actually wanted to jump off the boat and swim to shore so I could be alone, but that wasn’t logical or plausible.

Corey Fucking Pritchett was her ex. He knew what it was like to hold her. Taste her. Hear her moans. He’d been inside of her, inside of what’s mine. My heart that was sliced in two was trying to leave my chest. Pressure tightened around the area, and I felt as though I was going to keel over and die. I wanted to die knowing someone so evil could be loved by someone so sweet. What did that say about her loving me?

I looked at the table and noticed my friends were still in. “One of you call me.”

“What?” Jett asked.

“I’m folding after the river.”

“What are you doing? You’re just going to tell us to bet it all and hope you fold?” Kenny asked.

“I’m trying to give you all my money.”

“What?” Jett and Kenny said in unison. I saw Clark beside Ashtyn and Abby eyeing me as though I had two heads. Maybe I did, and that was why Ashtyn loved me because she had once loved the devil.

“I need to get out of here.” My gaze moved to Ashtyn, and she furrowed her brow, probably wondering why I was having this sort of reaction toward her ex. Maybe she assumed I’d thrown the chance of winning five grand away so I could fuck her in the bathroom to make her forget Corey. That wasn’t the case. I needed to get as far away as possible given we were on a fucking boat.

The guys stared at each other as my leg bobbed up and down, waiting impatiently for them to decide what to do. In the end, Kenny called me, and Jett folded.

The dealer turned over a four of spades, and without hesitation, I folded, throwing my cards in the center of the table. Then I stood, needing to get fresh air. Ashtyn moved to me, but Corey spoke and stopped me from walking out the door.

“You two dating?”

I jerked my head toward him. “That’s none of your business.”

Corey smirked. “Only fitting you get my leftovers.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

He grinned. “Aww, I’m ruffling your feathers. You going to run home to Mommy?”

“Leave him alone, Corey,” Ashtyn hissed.

“Your girlfriend fighting your battles?”

“Is that what you think?” I laughed.

“Doesn’t matter. She was only a hole to stick my dick in.”