“Oliver?” Hale’s eyebrows lift.
“Nothing. He called me out for something similar.”
Even though I’m trying to downplay it with Hale, Oliver’s words are still ringing in my head. You’re in love with her. That twisting feeling in my chest is back. I might need to get that checked out.
Or maybe I just need to face reality. Macey could forever be the one who got away, unless I could do something about it. Tonight.
Hale’s watching me with a serious, solemn expression. “I guess what I’m saying is that I want the very best for my sister. Nothing against you, because you’re my best friend, but I don’t think you can offer her everything she deserves.”
His accusations sting, and I can’t resist biting back. “Have you asked Macey what she wants? What she thinks she deserves? Don’t you want your sister to be happy? Have you asked her why she came to Crave?”
He tilts his head toward me and narrows his eyes. We square off this way, neither of us speaking or even blinking as the energy around us changes to something tense.
“I just don’t want to see her get hurt,” he says at last, his voice softer.
He’s right. Hot guilt flashes through me. All these years of keeping something this monumentally big from my closest friend suddenly feels wrong. Beyond wrong. Deceitful. Sinful.
“Listen, there’s something I need to tell you.” My heart picks up speed, banging painfully against my ribs.
Hale leans forward, listening intently.
“Macey and I . . . years ago . . .” Embarrassed, I give him a pleading look. “Shit, don’t hit me, okay?”
“Damn it. Just get it out, Reece.”
I take a deep breath and release it slowly. “I loved her back then.”
“Wow.” He rakes his hands through his hair and leans back in his seat. “That’s not what I expected to hear you say. I knew you guys were close back then, but—” His eyes widen, then narrow suspiciously on me. “Wait, you loved her like a sister, or something more?”
“More.” Much more.
Speaking that one word removes a weight from my chest, a weight I’ve carried around for years. There’s so much I want to tell him, to get off my conscience. I want to tell him that I was madly, deeply in love in Macey, that I wanted to be her first lover, but I resisted out of respect for my friendship with him. And because of that, I was fucking shattered when she left for college in the fall. That I’ve turned to BDSM to ease the pain of losing her.
“And now?” He’s gazing at me thoughtfully, as if he’s trying to piece everything together.
Before I can answer, the front door opens, and a burst of feminine laughter spills into the room as Brielle and Macey enter the condo. Macey’s gaze drifts over to me and her smile instantly fades.
That hurts worse than the punch I was anticipating from Hale earlier.
Brielle grins at us both and crosses the room, bending down to plant a kiss on Hale’s lips.
“You taste like peaches,” he murmurs.
“Behave.” She gives him a flirty wink.
“Did you ladies have a nice time?” Hale asks.
Macey sits down in the chair beside mine, and just her physical nearness makes my heart beat faster. It’s always been that way, though. She affects me on a chemical level, one that I’ve never been able to explain.
“Yes, it was fun,” Macey says.
“Macey got a new job, and we were out celebrating,” Brielle adds to fill me in.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Macey meets my eyes quickly, and then dips her chin toward the floor as if she’s just lost some of her nerve.
I glance over at Brielle, who’s watching us like we’re the featured entertainment. All that’s missing is the popcorn.
“Let me see that big rock.” I reach out to Brielle, embarrassed that I was so damn distracted at the engagement party, it never even occurred to me.
Brielle places her left hand in mine and flashes the sparkly, round-cut diamond that looks classic and perfect on her finger.
I grin up at her. “The bastard has good taste.”
“Thank you.” She smiles and kisses my cheek. “Hale? Join me in the kitchen for a minute?”
“It would be rude to leave our guests,” he says evenly as his gaze bounces between Macey and me. He’s obviously trying to figure out where things stand between us, and what’s been going on right under his nose. The bomb I just dropped on him is obviously still ringing loudly in his head.
“Since when am I a guest?” Macey asks, that spark of hers shining brightly.
“Hale, dear. Now,” Brielle says.
He rises to his feet and follows her to the kitchen on the other side of the condo.
“Dom, my ass,” I mutter under my breath.
Macey chuckles, lightening the mood for a second before she eyes me with suspicion. “What are you doing here, Reece?” It’s as though she knows I just bared my soul to Hale, or at least attempted to.
“I came here intent on telling Hale what I want, and I wasn’t leaving until he understood it.”
Her nose crinkles as if she wants to understand, but doesn’t. “And you guys are good?”
“I think so.”
I glance into the kitchen to see Hale looking our way, still closely watching my interaction with Macey. Part of me can’t believe I came here to openly square off with him. I hadn’t gotten the chance to say everything I wanted to, but I know I will. I’ll set this right. These last few weeks have been eye opening. The people in my life who’ve forced me to take a good, hard look in the mirror showed that I don’t like the man I’ve become.