“No, I’m not, but I am fucking jealous. The one night I was away, he took you out. And every second you were with him, I was raging with envy. Then when I saw him this morning with a smug-ass look on his face, I lost it.”

“Kane! You didn’t…” I inch closer, hoping to somehow calm him. He looks unhinged.

“I got one hit in, but don’t worry, he’s fine.” He shrugs carelessly. They’ve gotten into more fights than I can count, but I didn’t expect them to physically fight over me.

I sigh with a groan. This is the last thing I wanted to deal with today.

“You seriously didn’t know I had feelings for you?” he challenges. This possessive and jealous side of him is different and hot as hell.

“I had my suspicions, but I didn’t know for certain. You never freaking told me!” I shout, getting angry at how he went about this. “I’m not a goddamn mind reader, ya know?”

“I don’t want to upset you, Hads. I’m sorry.”

“How was I supposed to know when you never said anything? You’ve been my best friend since forever.”

“I didn’t want to make things weird and awkward between us. If you rejected me, our friendship would’ve been over. If we dated and broke up, I’d never get to see you again. Every time I was close to confessing, I chickened out. You gave me so many mixed signals that I didn’t know where you stood. But fuck it, now it’s weird, so it might as well be out in the open.”

“I gave you mixed signals?” I ask in shock. “I thought our friendship was mutual. You’re throwing all of this at me, and truthfully, I don’t really know how to respond.”

“Well, what if I told you I think Knox’s all wrong for you? You deserve better, and he’d only break your heart. Deep down, I think you know that too. If you gave me a chance, I’d prove how amazing we’d be together. We already know everything about each other and practically act like a couple between going out to eat and you crashing at my house on the weekends. Why is it so crazy to think I wouldn’t be attracted to you or want more?”

I contemplate his questions. My brain is hardly working today as it is, and this isn’t helping the hangover.

“I don’t know,” I reply honestly. “I’m really confused, but I know I don’t want to hurt you. I’m sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear, but I’m very conflicted at the moment.”

Without a word, Kane closes the gap between us and pushes me against the wall. He squeezes my hips and pulls our bodies together.

“What are you doin’?”