Page 252 of Power Play

“Then prove it.”

Her face crumpled.

I stepped closer without touching her. “You need to decide before I invest any more of my heart in this.”

The sentence nearly killed me on the way out, but it hit her like a slap. She physically recoiled, and my chest tightened so hard that I had to force my next breath.

“That’s cruel.”

“No.”

“Yes, it is.”

“It’s honest.”

“I have done nothing but try.”

“I have watched you tear yourself apart trying to keep everybody happy except yourself.”

“You think this is easy for me?”

“I think it’s hard as fuck.”

“Then why are you doing this?”

“Because nobody else will!” My voice cracked through the room.

Charm froze. I pulled in a breath and forced my volume lower.

“Everybody keeps giving you more time because they love you. Aura, Bliss, and me. We keep telling you it’s okay, that you’ll get there, that you can take another step or another month.”

I pointed toward her.

“Meanwhile, you’re twenty-three years old and letting two people decide whether the man you sleep with, study with, fucking cry to, and call when you’re scared is acceptable enough to exist in your life.”

Her face looked stricken. I hated what my words did to her, but she needed to hear them.

I struck the heel of my hand against the center of my chest, hard enough that the sound cracked through the room with my voice.

“El hombre que te folla hasta dejarte sin sentido con mi nombre en tus labios.”

My hand remained pressed to my chest while I stared at her, knowing she didn’t understand a fucking word of the Spanish.

“Me, Charm. The man who fucks you senseless with my name on your lips.”

Her lips trembled as recognition moved through her face. “What do you want me to do?”

“Tell me what happened at the dinner.”

Her mouth closed.

“¡Dímelo!”

She looked at the floor.

“Charm, for fuck’s sake, tell me already.”

“They knew.”