Page 178 of On the Breakaway

“Oh, good.” She turns to me. “We can stop pretending now.”

I let out a slow breath, steeling my nerves.

“Pretending what?”

“That you’re not sleeping with my brother.”

I choke, curling over into a coughing fit.

“We’re not, I mean I’m not–”

“I’m supposed to believe you guys just hang out and play Uno?”

“That’s not what I meant.” I fight the urge to grin because I might be under fire, but I love anyone who shoots it straight. “How do you know?”

Katie laughs. “My little brother can’t hide anything from me.”

“So he told you?”

“When Gray was in New York, Wyatt threw him under the bus.”

“I’m going to kill them both.”

She smirks. “Good luck. Wyatt’s got a thousand lives, and every single one is somehow shinier than the last. And to be fair, Grayson swore up and down that nothing was going on between you two.”

“You didn’t believe him?”

“He does this thing with his hand when he’s lying. Always has been a shit liar.”

My lips twitch. Okay, so maybe I like Katie. A little.

“How long have you guys been doing whatever the hell you’re doing?” She asks, eyes searching my face.

“We’ve been dating for around a month, but it’s all been going on longer.”

“How much longer?”

“February, I guess.”

“So, what? You’ve been toying with him for months?”

My temper flares. “He’s a grown-ass man. I’ve been nothing but honest with him about where I stand with everything. No one is toying with anyone.”

“But no one knows. Why is that?”

“It’s really none of your business.”

She quirks a brow, then takes a slow sip of her drink.

I shift in my seat, knowing that I’m fucking blowing this. I should shut up and be nice, but between her and Wyatt’s warnings, I’m losing my patience.

They make me out to be some villain. As if I didn’t tell Grayson exactly what I don’t want. As if he didn’t make the choice to be with me regardless. I’ve told him more than I’ve ever told anyone. I’ve trusted him more than I’ve trusted anyone. And if one more person makes me into the asshole stringing him along, I’m going to burst.

I expect exactly that from Katie, but instead, she smiles. “I think I like you.”

“Um, what?”

“Grayson used to bring home these perfect girlfriends. They were quiet and fit perfectly into whatever box you needed them to live in. The problem is, Grayson has lived his entire life being exactly that.”