Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 167204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 557(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 167204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 557(@300wpm)
“No. I like this one.”
“This one’s sad. Can we get a little angry? Just a tad. Like, what’s the song where she’s like ‘I wish you weren’t such a piece of shit so I could have kept loving you, but here we are’?”
“Better Man.”
“Yeah! Let’s do that one. It’s perfect for him.”
“That is a good pull, but no. I like this one, and I need to be sad for a little while longer. I was mad earlier, but I’m back to sad.”
“Breakups are hard,” she says.
“When I went downstairs to get food, I heard Sloane talking about him.”
“Uh-oh.”
“And I heard her saying what a good kisser he is.”
Addison grimaces.
“Yeah. So… I didn’t love that.”
“You know who’s a good kisser? Lots of guys, probably. Why don’t we go out and find one? I know it’s a school night, but we don’t have to stay out late. Put on something cute and we’ll go into the city and find you a new guy to kiss.”
“I don’t want to kiss guys anymore. Guys are stupid.”
“I hear ya, sister. We can find you a pretty girl to kiss instead,” she suggests. “Maybe while we’re at it, we’ll find me one, too.”
I crack a smile. “I’m not ready to meet anyone else. I’d be miserable company. I need to finish mourning first, then I’ll get my shit together.”
“That’s fair,” she says, patting my thigh through the blanket. “I’ll let you get back to it. But you’re absolutely sure we can’t just mix in one more song?”
I sigh, but I reach over and type Better Man into the search bar. A moment later, it begins playing.
“Thank you,” she says.
“Yep.”
“You’re gonna go right back to Last Kiss when this ends, aren’t you?”
“Yep.”
She nods. “Got it. Then I’ll savor the break.”
“I really don’t mind putting headphones on. If you need to study, just tell me. This is your room. I’m a guest here.”
“Nope. I’ve been there. It’s fine. I get it. I just hate seeing you sad over that asshole.”
“Sometimes he’s not an asshole,” I say sadly.
“Sometimes they’re all not assholes, that’s how they get you.”
“Ryan Gosling would never do this to us.”
“Right?” She sighs. “Why can’t all men just learn from his example?”
I crack a smile, but it doesn’t last long.
Addison goes back to her side of the room, and I go back to my mourning, and I hope that maybe, by some miracle, when I wake up tomorrow, I won’t care who Killian is kissing.
Chapter Forty-one
Killian
“Before we get to the first order of business, does anyone have anything they want to bring to the table?”
“Yeah,” I say.
Hex looks at me. “Go ahead.”
“I have a personal matter I’m gonna be dealing with.”
“What kind of personal matter?”
“A nobody. Some scumbag. I’ll be careful, and I don’t expect I’ll need any help, but I figured I’d mention it.”
“Is he local?”
“Not really,” I say, reluctant to give more information than I have to.
“Who is he?” Hex asks, his gaze fixed on me.
I sigh with mild annoyance, but I meet his gaze unflinchingly. “Someone from Brynn’s past. Like I said, there’s no reason it would ever come back on us, I have no connection to the guy myself, but he’s gotta die, so…”
“Does Sloane know about this?”
“No,” I clip, shooting him a look. “It’s none of her fucking business.”
“I have a hunch she would disagree about that,” he says wryly.
“Well, she’s entitled to her opinion.”
Hex leans forward, steepling his hands on the table. “What’s going on with you, Kill?”
“Nothing is going on with me.”
“Really? Because you have the Hope diamond of human beings for a future wife and a fortune bigger than all of ours coming to you, and you’re acting like it’s a fucking albatross.”
I shake my head because I’ve thought about bringing it up, but it’s the kind of thing you can’t take back. Once it’s out there, they know where I’m at in all this, and if there’s no way to dissolve it…
“Have you taken your eye off the prize, Kill?”
“No.”
“Then why are you set on avenging Brynn?”
“It’s nothing,” I tell him. “A promise I made to her before that I still want to make good on.”
“You sure? Because I’ve gotta say, Kill, I’ve never known you to strap on a suit of armor before this girl, but you’re still looking pretty fucking shiny to me. What’s your end game here?”
“Same as it’s always been,” I state, but the words feel like a lie on my tongue.
“So Brynn doesn’t mean anything to you? You’ve cut her loose and this is just a farewell gesture before you marry Sloane?”
“That’s right.”
He nods, watching me. “Good. Then you won’t mind if I go after her.”
My blood runs cold.
I’m hyperaware of all of them watching me for a reaction, and it feels less like sitting at a table with my friends than being at the center of a pit of vipers, all poised to strike if a threat makes itself known.