“It’s a freaking miracle. He speaks.”

“You think I’m confusing? God, Harper, that’s rich. This coming from the girl who repeatedly told me to stay away, but fell into my arms at the first sign of trouble with her boyfriend? Do you want me to back off, or don’t you?” I took a step toward her, and another when she stepped back. I leaned in close and whispered softly in her ear, the way I did when I wanted her to sway toward me; and I wasn’t disappointed this time either. “Why keep fighting the inevitable, baby? You want me. Even now, your body is shaking because you’re trying to keep yourself from touching me.” I brushed my fingers across her hand and watched her arms instantly get covered in goose bumps. “One touch from me, and you’re covered in goose bumps. Tell me now that you want me to go away.”

“You’re such an ass. I just don’t understand why we can’t be friends all the time. I don’t want to be your friend on Sunday and the girl you don’t acknowledge every other day of the week. I want the same thing every day. So you decide what that is and let me know.”

She tried to move past me, but I slammed my palm against the wall, blocking her from leaving the hallway. “I’ll tell you, if you tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“I feel like I’m just one in a group of Harper’s many guys, but I’m not getting the benefits. So tell me, if I act like your friend, will I get to fuck you, too?”

One second I was trying not to laugh from the thought of her actually getting a punch in, the next my back was slammed against the wall, and Brandon was directly in my face, his forearm pressed against my throat.

“What the hell did you just say to her?” His face was getting red, and he shoved into me harder. Once again, I couldn’t speak, so I spit in his face.

The pressure was gone from my throat, but before I could breathe deep enough, his fist went into my stomach; I swung my right arm, but the dumb-ass moved directly into the path of my left hook, like he always did.

“Oh my God, stop!” Harper’s worried voice was probably the only thing that could break through at a time like this, but the confrontation was long overdue.

Brandon’s leg came up, but before he could plant it in my stomach, I swiped his other leg out from under him. I only got in one more hit that wasn’t blocked before Brandon’s fist met my jaw, and my mouth filled with blood. I spit it onto his face and pulled my arm back, but was grabbed from behind before I could follow through with the crack to his temple. My arms were suddenly pinned behind my back, and I was pulled off Brandon at the same time Derek used his body weight to keep Brandon from getting up.

I struggled against Brad and Zach as they walked me to the other side of the living room. “Calm the fuck down, Chase. Seriously, I am so sick of this shit.” Brad huffed and pulled me back another few feet until the three of us were in the master bedroom. “You have got to cut this shit out! He didn’t do anything to you, and you’re ruining your friendship with him over a girl who doesn’t want you.”

“Like hell she doesn’t; you don’t see her when she’s with me.”

“Whoa, wait.” Zach blurted out, his eyes wide. “What?”

Brad pushed him out of the room before slamming the door shut. “I don’t care if this is your house, Chase, you’re done with this. Leave Harper and Brandon alone. They’re good together, and you know that.”

“No, I don’t fucking know that! She was a virgin, and not even a month and a half into their relationship, she’s not? He’s supposed to take care of her and he’s not!” I opened the door to leave, and he planted both hands on it and slammed it again.

“Like you wouldn’t do the same given a chance with her? I doubt you two would have even lasted this long, and you probably wouldn’t be half as decent about it! Brandon doesn’t let any of the guys talk about her like that, and he never talks about what they do. Whether they’re screwing or not is between them, and he’s keeping it that way. You should at least be thankful for that. He’s not making her out to be some whore; he’s protecting her still despite what they’re doing! You’re the king of talking about all your conquests. I can’t see you being tight-lipped about someone like Harper.”

I shoved him away from the door and pointed in his face. “You don’t know anything about her or what she is to me. You got that? I’m not giving up until she’s mine.”

“You’re ruining any chance with her by trying to fight her boyfriend almost every day!”

I heard Brandon, Derek, and Drew all yelling from the other side of the house and flung the door open, stomped down the hall, and pushed against Zach when he tried to stop me from getting out in the living room. Derek and Drew were doing the same with Brandon, and he looked pissed. Good.

“So, I heard you know now!” I called over to Brandon. “She feels real good underneath you, doesn’t she, brother.”

Zach and Brad started yelling at me to shut up while Brandon was saying he was going to kill me, and Derek and Drew were yelling at him to calm down. He tried to charge again, and the guys took that as their opportunity to force him back down the hall and to his room.

“Go!” Brad shoved me toward the front door. “Get out of here until you calm down!”

Leave, or sit here and listen to them screw each other? Yeah, no thanks. “Gladly.”

I wasn’t scheduled, but I went to the shop anyway and told Brian the whole thing. He was siding with Brad. Bastard.

“Chase, bro, you’ve got to fight for her, but fight smart. You’re taking a step forward with her every Sunday, but then you do shit like this and take two steps back.”

“I just can’t stand the thought of them being together, it—God it just pisses me off all over again thinking about it.”

My phone rang, and I answered without looking, “Yeah?”

“Chase!” Bree screeched. “What the hell did you do to her?!”

I sighed deeply and leaned against the counter at Brian’s station. “I didn’t do anything to her.” Brandon, on the other hand. . .

“Brandon just showed up here at the dorm, looking for Harper. She’s not here, and obviously she’s not with him, and he was ranting about you when he left. So what. Did. You. Do to her?”

“Shit, she was at the house with Brandon when I left! Where would she go, Bree?”

“I don’t know, Chase! What did you do to her?”

I ran out of the tattoo parlor and shoved my keys into the ignition of my truck. “I didn’t do anything to her, I did—shit, I said something to her.”

“What did you say?”

“I was being an ass, she was mad because I was ignoring her, and I said something about the fact that she has a list of guys, and I’m just one of them, but I’m not getting the benefits of fucking her, too.”

Bree gasped and relayed everything to someone she was with, “Chase Grayson! You are such an asshole! Why would you even say something like that to her? You know she’s a virgin! No wonder she left! You embarrassed her again!”

I huffed a laugh, “Virgin. Right.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Was, is more like it. I heard all about her and her friend from back home, and how she’s screwing Brandon.”

“I don’t care what you heard, you’re wrong! She doesn’t even like Carter! He kept trying to kiss her, and she was pushing him away and telling him to stop! And she’s not having sex with Brandon, you dumb-ass! She and I talk about everything, so I know exactly what they are and aren’t doing, and I can assure you she is not having sex with him! You are such an asshole, I can’t believe I’m related to you. Find her and make this better!”

“What do you mean she’s not having sex with Brandon?”

“I mean exactly what I said. What does it matter to you?”

I pulled the phone away from my ear and cursed loudly. “Bree, if he finds her, let me know. I have to go.” I ended the call and dropped it into one of the cup holders. “Son of a bitch!”

“HARPER.” I BREATHED and bit back a groan when those gray eyes flashed their hurt before she could turn to walk the other way.

I’d already gone back to my place by the time Brandon called Derek to see where he’d taken her Thursday night, so I knew she was safe, just like I knew she had spent an entire weekend in a hotel room with Brandon. But I wasn’t going to keep assuming anything about her. She’d spent entire weekends with Brandon in his room, and according to Bree, she was still a virgin. So I was praying a hotel room didn’t change that. Bree called out Harper’s name, and I knew I only had a few minutes before she would be gone for most the day. I grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop.

“Princess, stop walking and just talk to me.”

“Why? So you can let me know again how much of a slut you think I am?”

“I don’t.” God, could I have been more of a dick to her? “I don’t think you’re a slut. You just caught me on a bad day.”

“Let me guess, Chase; you hurt me because you were just so damn mad . . . am I right?”

Her bruises flashed through my mind when she threw that line back at me, and I felt sick. I backed her into the wall and brushed the hair that had fallen in her face back so I could look at her stormy eyes. “This is why I told you I would never be good enough for you, all I do is hurt you, Princess.”

“This isn’t about your being or not being good enough for me. I just want to be your friend, and you’re making that impossible.”

“Friend.” That one word hurt so much, I could barely make it out to be more than a whisper. Could she not see that I needed all of her or none of her? Because being friends with her just left me with the hope that I could change that, and I was aware that, for her sake, I never could. Her eyes did that pleading thing again, and I knew I was gone. Anything for that look. Always. I grabbed a fistful of hair in exasperation and spoke on a rough exhale. “Okay, fine, we’re friends. But I need you to stop approaching me around my house and at school.”