Page 104 of My Dark Prince
I had a feeling I knew where this was going.
“So, anyway, you left your iPad lying around in the common area, and I figured it wouldn’t hurt if I checked her profile through your Insta account. So, I did.”
“Seb …” I warned.
“I accidentally liked one of her pictures in a bikini on the beach – told you my fingers are not to be trusted around hot girls – and she immediately DM’d me. Well,you.” He snorted. “Only, I forgot I was using your profile, so I started talking to her.”
“Sebastian Leopold von Bismarck.”
“We hit it off quickly.” He chugged more beer, ignoring my rising anger. “Suddenly, like, a dozen notifications popped onto my screen, and I realized she was liking all of your photos. Only I thought they weremyphotos. So, I started liking allherphotos back. And leaving comments.”
“Comments?” I barely moved my fucking jaw, it was so tight. “Whatcomments?”
Briar Rose and I checked each other’s social media every day. No way would she miss it in the long run.
“Nothing too intense. I complimented her on her workouts and genetics. Stuff like that.”
“You said she was hot,” I clarified.
“Smoking.” He sighed. “I mean, she factuallyis.”
“You little shit.” I cut the engine and set the beer down on the deck, then proceeded to grab the collar of Seb’s shirt. “I have a girlfriend. She is likely going to see this, if she hasn’t already. How could you be so fucking careless?”
I plastered him against the steering wheel. The metal burrowed into his back. I didn’t care.
“Jesus, take a fucking chill pill. Just tell Briar Rose what’s up. She’ll understand.” He tried to wiggle out of my hold, but I was taller, bigger, stronger. “Or I will. It doesn’t matter. She knows you’d never cheat.”
“This was a violation of my privacy.” I shoved my face in his. “You can take the fucking ranch house. You can manipulate Dad into giving you the Lamborghini. Do all this petty shit. I don’t care. But don’t you dare mess with my relationship, Sebastian.”
“Booooring.” He shoved me off him, making a snoring sound. “You think you’re such a fucking hot shot because you have a steady girlfriend?”
I stumbled backwards, the back of my legs hitting the seat.
Seb paused to finish off his beer. “Get off your high horse, dude. Half the charm is that you don’t have to put up with her ass on a daily basis. She lives on the other side of the world.” He flipped me the finger, turning back to the steering wheel. “I said I was sorry.”
I rolled my neck, cracking my fingers. “As if you fucking mean it.”
He switched the motor back on, turning the pontoon back toward the lake house. “Find someone else to untwist your fucking panties. You little crybaby sh—”
He gunned the engine back to life just when I caught the edge of his shirt, pulling him backwards and slamming him against the deck. He thrashed and went for my neck. I pounded his left cheek, catching his jaw.
Seb spat blood on me, laughing manically. “God, you are such a loser.”
He let his head fall back.
“What the fuck, Seb?” I seethed. “Why are you being such an asshole?”
“Because you made me one,” he roared. “You’re always such a good boy, Oliver. Steady girlfriend. Good grades. Responsible. Goofy. Everyone’s friend. Do you know what it takes to get noticed as the second child?”
I drove another fist into his face, but he dodged, ducking his head sideways and grabbing my knuckles. He twisted my wrist inward, flipping us so he now mounted me.
“I needed to be better at sports, better at school, better ateverything,” Sebastian spat out, locking me to the deck by the elbows. “I constantly need to upstage you to even remind them that I am alive.”
The pontoon drove aimlessly around the lake at high speeds. Neither of us went for the wheel. Seb’s fingers locked on my neck. He didn’t squeeze hard enough to kill me, but he did do his best to scare the shit out of me.
And now I got it.
The tension looming between us the entire summer.
