“Enzo, I can’t be yours,” Tex whispered as if he was afraid to admit it.

I snapped. In the next second, I charged at Tex. He saw me coming and slid on the floor around me. He was up, and I turned on my heels, chasing after him. Our feet thudded against the tile floor. Tex jumped down the stairs, and I was right behind him. I ignored the ache in my body; it was nothing compared to the need to get Tex.

He nearly made it to the door. His fingers brushed along the handle when I tackled him down.

“Fucking bastard.” Tex drew his arm back, and his fist cut through the air before landing on my face.

My head whipped to the side, but I held onto him tighter. The taste of blood fueled me as I grabbed his wrists and slammed them to the floor.

“Enzo, get off!”

No, if I do, you will leave.

“Tex, you need to think about what you’re doing.”

His eyes widened. “You have got to be shitting me right now.” He jerked in my hold. “You’re the one holding me down.”

“Because you were going to leave.”

“I have to!” Tex’s blue eyes pleaded with me, but I ignored them.

I couldn’t let him go. Not even if my brother asked me to. Tex had become something far more important.

“What happened?” I could fix it. “This morning was great. We had plans for dinner, only for me to come home to find you packing.”

Tex looked away. For a short second, he stopped fighting against my hold. “I came to my senses. Can’t live in fantasyland forever.”

Is it so hard to be with me? Tex turned his head slowly back toward me, and our eyes met once more. I’m not sure what facial expression I wore. I felt too out of control to even think about it, but whatever Tex saw had him reaching out to me. I hadn’t even realized I’d released his wrists.

I closed my eyes for a brief second and pressed my face against the palm of his hand. It was so grounding, and he wanted to take it all away.

“Enzo, this can’t work.”

Why the hell not? I jerked back and glared at Tex as I got up. I yanked him against me and pulled the handcuffs from his back pocket before I snapped them on his wrists.

“What the fuck?”

I said nothing as I yanked him behind me, dragging him to the guest room. Tex pulled and fought the entire way, but now he was truly stuck.

“I should have locked you up when I had the chance.”

Tex audibly swallowed when I shoved him onto the queen-sized bed.

“Enzo, this is crazy. You can’t—”

I had my blade out in seconds and sliced through his clothes. His mouth hung open as I tore every piece of fabric from his body and discarded it to the side.

“Maybe this is why Brycen was scared of you.”