Chapter 49

49

STERLING

D aphne was livid, practically shaking with rage, but I wasn't convinced it was directed entirely at me. "What the hell are you doing? What gave you the right to intervene like that? I was finally standing up to him, Sterling. I was finally getting to have my say."

"I'm pretty sure he was about to hit you again," I ground out, purposely turning off before their house.

I would take her home, but I planned on taking my time doing it. She scoffed, apparently too angry to even realize we were going the wrong way all of a sudden. "What business is that of yours? I saw it coming. I would've dodged it."

"That's really not the point, Daph. I wasn't going to stand by and watch him trying to hurt you. Besides, it seemed to me like you'd had your say."

" It seemed to you, " she grumbled. "That doesn't make it true. Where did you even come from?"

"I saw him following you when you left. I figured it was prudent to keep an eye on him."

That was putting it mildly.

As soon as Eric had arrived at the festival, I'd felt the trouble brewing. Fiona had been trying to distract me with all sorts of dirty promises of what she was going to do to me later, but I'd hardly even heard her.

I'd seen Daphne get into it with her brother. Then I'd watched as she'd stormed out. Unfortunately, she'd blown right past Peter's table and he'd noticed her, leaning in to talk to his friends before he'd taken off after her.

At that point, my heart had been thudding and my muscles had tensed, every fiber of my being bracing itself for another fight if that was what it had come to. I'd left Fiona behind without saying a single word and then I'd heard the thunder, so I'd opted for the truck instead of going after them on foot.

Since I knew Daphne well enough to know she'd be trying to go straight home, it hadn't been hard to find them. I'd returned Eric's truck a couple days ago, leaving it at his shop and borrowing this old scrapheap from my dad instead.

Thankfully, the thing had started tonight without giving me much trouble and I'd kept the lights off, sticking close in case Daphne needed me but not wanting to interrupt if she didn't. With my window rolled down, I'd heard some of their fight, and when it started sounding like it was reaching its peak, I'd decided to park and get closer just in case.

All the while, I'd had bloody murder coursing through my veins. I fucking hated having to hang back, and while I knew she hadn't necessarily needed me, I just hadn't been able to stay out of it completely.

Daphne blew out a harsh breath. "You thought it was prudent to keep an eye on him? Why? Do you really think this is going to get you back in my brother's good books? Unite with him against Peter as a common enemy?"

"Eric had nothing to do with this," I said. "Think about it. If he knew I'd come after you, he would've been right behind us, ready to knock Peter's dick in the dirt, too, if he tried something while you were vulnerable."

"I'm not vulnerable," she snapped. "I'm frustrated and angry, but I'm not vulnerable and I'm also not some innocent, naive little flower who needs to have her life controlled by men. Where are we going, anyway?"

"To your place," I said vaguely. "Eventually."

She spun in her seat to face me, and though I was focused on getting us around safe in the sleeting rain, I felt her narrowing her eyes and spitting daggers at me from them. "This isn't the way to my house."

"Yeah, I know."

"So where are we going? I'm sure Fiona is waiting for you somewhere. Just take me home and then you can go back to her."

Fiona again? I sighed. "Seriously? What is it with you and her? There's nothing going on between her and I anymore and there hasn't been for a decade, but you keep throwing her name at me like it's a weapon."

She snorted. "Nothing going on between you? Right." Folding her arms, she slammed back against her seat and averted her gaze to the window instead. "Just take me home, Sterling. Please. You made me get in this truck with you and I very much don't want to be here anymore."

Driving out of town, I headed toward the farm. "No can do. I will take you home, but not until this is settled. Just talk to me. Tell me what's going on."

"What's going on is that you've basically kidnapped me," she said, exasperation lacing every word. "I don't want to settle whatever you think we need to settle. I'm very clear on where we're at at the moment, Sterling. Couldn't be clearer."

"Okay. Enlighten me, then. Where are we at?"

"Do you really need a recap?" She shook her head. "Why did you even come after me? You and I aren't anything anymore."

"That's weird. I thought we were friends." I nearly vomited at having to say it, but technically, that was what she'd said we were.

Truth be told, I'd rather have hot wax poured on my ass crack than to be just friends with this girl, but that was where I'd thought we were at. As it turned out, she didn't believe it either, scoffing as soon as the word left my lips.

"I was trying to be nice . We've never been friends and we never will be, so just tell me why you followed us and take me home. Thank you."

I heaved out a long breath, my heart thudding against my ribs. "You wanted us to be friends, Daph."

"Oh, that's what I wanted?" she snapped. "Last I checked, you were the one who broke things off. I was just trying to come up with something to say."

"So you don't want be friends?" I'm so fucking confused. "What do you want, then?"

"I want to go home," she spat just as I turned onto the road that led up to our farm. "Please just take me home, Sterling. I can't do this. I'm done with the drama, and the uncertainty, and having my life dictated by my brother, and I just can't. I definitely don't want to be the other woman."

"Okay, what are you talking about? How are you the other woman?"

"Fiona."

She said the name like it was akin to Voldemort . I kind of got it, but what I didn't understand was why my ex kept coming up.

"What about her?" I asked, my irritation about our conversations always coming back around to this creeping into my tone. "I dated her in high school, Daphne. For fuck's sake, let it go already. Or at least tell me why you keep using her against me."

"Let it go? Gee, thanks. I would've let it go, except that I know you're having drinks with her. I know she's thinking of taking a job in New York to be with you. I know you're excited about it, and I also know she was whispering sweet nothings to you less than an hour ago, so I'm sorry if it's just a little bit difficult not to be thinking that you guys are probably getting back together."

"What?" My head spun as I tried to figure out just where the hell she was getting all this bullshit from. "I'm not having drinks with her. She told me she had a job offer in New York, but I have nothing to do with that. I'm definitely not excited, and sure, she came to talk to me back at the festival, but she wasn't whispering sweet nothings. Why would you even think any of that?"

"You're not having drinks with her?" she asked, but it didn't sound like she believed me at all.

"Hell no," I said emphatically, driving to one of the barns once we were on Northfield Farms.

I didn't want to keep driving in this weather, but my dad was at the house and the new hires had been using this particular barn recently, so I knew it had some blankets in it we could use to dry off. Plus, Dad had taken a heater in there for them to use when they were on break.

"Are you going to see her when you get back to New York?"

"Not if I can help it," I said, slowing to a stop as close as I could to the half-open barn doors. I turned to face her and reached for her hands. "Why do you think there's still something going on between Fiona and me, Daph?"

Tears shimmered in her eyes as she shook her head at me, looking so miserable that it broke my heart all over again. "She's perfect for you. She always has been and now she's even going to New York. Where you'll be."

I shook my head. "Daphne, there are about four million women in New York, and I would date all of them first before letting Fiona back into my life. And even then, no thank you."

"But she?—"

"There's only one woman who's perfect for me, and that's you." Wrapping my fingers around hers, I tugged her closer, leaning in to slant my lips over hers.

I hadn't been planning on doing it, but I hadn't tried to stop it when I felt the urge either. My heart was going wild in my chest, ecstatic about finally being in the driver's seat again, and my brain went on the fritz as soon as her soft lips met my own.

Right then, I didn't give a fuck about Eric or Fiona. I didn't care that I was leaving in just a few days or about the wedge I'd been so worried about driving between her and her brother. All the work I'd done to get my career on track faded into irrelevance and my nerve endings ignited. My cock immediately strained against my zipper. It hadn't even moved when Fiona had come sniffing around again.

Somewhere in the back of my glitchy brain, I knew I shouldn't be doing this, but I ignored all the warnings blaring at me that this would only make it worse. Daphne was like a drug to me, and I was completely addicted.

As her lips finally parted underneath mine and my tongue swept into her mouth, I groaned, lowered my hands to her hips, and pulled her closer. Whatever else happened after this, I didn't want to leave a single doubt in her mind that she was who I belonged to.

Maybe we weren't destined to be together. I could accept the uncertainty of the future. Sort of, but I couldn't accept her thinking that it was about another woman. To my mind, there was and only ever would be one woman for me, and it was Daphne.

My ex best friend's little sister. I was wholeheartedly prepared to accept the consequences for it, but I refused to pretend for even one minute longer that I would ever be able to move on from her.