Never by Ellery Rhodes Read Free Book Online Page A

the phone rang once and went to voicemail.
    Crap.
    I really was being crazy.
    I saw the sign for his complex and the anger came rushing back, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. “I’m already here.” Before I let her talk me out of it, I ended the call. “I’ll see you later.”
    I knew she was the voice of reason, but the only voice I wanted to hear was Lucas’, explaining why he didn’t show up.
    My body was used to the hills and I flew up the steps to his apartment, stopping at his door. I hesitated, my fist hovering a few inches from knocking before I went the rest of the way and stood back, crossing my arms.
    I waited, my pulse quickening. I swore I heard feet leading up to the door. Stopping.
    When I didn’t hear the lock disengage, I knocked again. Harder.
    “Lucas, I know you’re there. Your car is downstairs.” I took a breath. “Let me in.”
    There was another span of silence and the anger I’d let fester scabbed over. Maybe something was wrong. None of this was like him.
    I moved closer, my voice carrying but less confrontational. “Lucas, please open the door.”
    The deadbolt clicked and the door pulled inward.
    When I saw he was standing there in a t-shirt and jeans, holding a beer and perfectly fine, I could have ripped his head off. I waited for my apology, some sort of explanation, but he just stood there, glaring at me.
    Since he had no intention of inviting me in, I just stepped inside, barely waiting for him to close the door. “I guess it’s a good thing that you’re still alive. Incapable of answering your phone maybe, but—”
    “What do you want?” he slurred, the question practically coming out as a single word.
    “Are you kidding me?” I scoffed. I didn’t even know where to begin. Which should I address first, him falling off the face of the earth or choosing to get trashed instead of having dinner with me?
    I opened my mouth to lay into him, but my eyes glazed over the sea of empty beer cans around him and I was speechless. His place had never been spotless, but this was something else completely. I could barely see the floor because nothing but crushed aluminum gleamed up at me. There was no way he could have amassed this in a day, which meant he’d been living like this. Living off beer.
    I turned back to him, ignoring his glare. “Lucas, what the hell happened?” I took a step in his direction. I knew he was still on the outs with his mother. “Is this your mom? Your dad?”
    “This?” He gestured around the room and staggered a bit, gripping the back of a chair to steady himself. “This is all you, baby.”
    “Excuse me?” I frowned, sure he’d drunk himself to the point of complete and utter delusion. “How does this one man frat party have anything to do with me?”
    His blue eyes glimmered as he pulled the scowl from his mouth and swapped it for a smile that made my blood run cold. ‘You’re really gonna play dumb?”
    “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
    “How about who?” he said, his handsome features freezing over. “Who the fuck is Lance Jackman?”
    “Lance?” I repeated, the english TA’s face popping in my head. “Oh, Lance. He’s just the TA for Dr. Suarez’ class.”
    “And why in the hell are you snuggling up to him in the library. Extra credit?”
    My mouth fell open in horror. “I saw him in the library, that’s it. I wasn’t snuggling up to anyone!” I picked my jaw off the floor and matched his anger, pointing my finger at him like a dagger. “You’re the last person that needs to be talking about snuggling up after I caught you and Candi reminiscing about the good ole days.”
    “Don’t turn this back on me,” he snapped, volume rising. “You have no idea what this relationship means to me. What I’ve given up.” He stopped as soon as it came out, realizing what he said. “Juliet, I didn’t meant that.”
    “Just what have you given up for me, Lucas?” I said, my throat on fire, chest so tight I