Watch Your Back (Devil's Backbone, #2)

by Tate James

After Heath hung himself in their apartment, we’d all fallen apart. Grief and guilt drowned all of us, and once Nate explained the weird trance situation and their involvement in arson and manslaughter—once Royce and Carter realized they’d had no

control over their actions—it’d all gotten worse.

None of them trusted themselv...

“Look. I just…don’t think you should be alone.”

“Like you fucking care.”

“I do. Don’t ask me why, I find you utterly infuriating and a stone-cold bitch for playing with my friends’ feelings, but for some cursed reason, I actually d...

“That statement couldn’t be further from the fucking truth,”

I didn’t want to be alone—I wanted to be with Heath.

“So…” Nate broke the silence, seemingly totally comfortable despite the rips in his shirt literally exposing his skin to the frigid air. “Do you wanna build a snowman?”

“Are you on drugs?”

“You’re wrong,” Nate said quietly as I stalked back across the frozen ground toward the house. “Carly isn’t your only friend.” He gave me a long look as I glanced over

my shoulder, then shifted his gaze away. “Royce is still your friend… He’s just scared shitless of hurting you.”

“Merry Christmas, Ash.” Those three words, that voice I’d thought I might never hear again—it damn near killed me. A sob ripped from my chest, and I threw

myself forward, no longer in control of my own actions. Thankfully, he caught me, his strong arms wrapping around me like he was made to hold me. I sobbed into his chest, now utterly sure I was hallucinating, and he just stroked my hair as he chuckled with a sound so warm, rich, and real. So…Heath.

Just

few weeks ago I thought I’d never hold his hand again… “I missed you, Ash,” Heath whispered,

“I missed you too, Heath.”

“And you blamed me…didn’t you? That’s what you said, at the hospital that night. That it was my⁠—” “I didn’t mean it,”

“I was scared and angry and…I lashed out. Ash, you know I never actually blamed you. If anyone was responsible, it was the three guys who literally lived with him…not you.”

“If they don’t all get the matching pajamas,” Nate muttered quietly as he appeared beside me with a fresh coffee in hand, “I’ll start a riot.”

“You decided it was safer to kill yourself, so you didn’t risk killing Ashley.”

“Ashley, tactfully, this isn’t about you. It’s about our best friend and why the fuck he thought suicide was a better choice than asking us for help. Why he thought we were so useless, we couldn’t possibly get him help when⁠—”

“Enough!” Heath barked. “Royce…don’t fucking speak to her like that. This wasn’t about Ash. Not entirely, anyway. And if we’re out here pointing fingers and casting blame, you all knew I was sleepwalking. It’s why you insisted on staying as Ashley’s roomie for so long and didn’t let me stay over. So don’t act like this is all such a shock.”

“Heath’s choice to attempt suicide was strongly tied to his feelings of guilt and fear of hurting someone. You. He was scared he’d end up hurting you, Ashley. So bear that in mind when we return to campus. Maybe Heath would be a lot happier and safer if you weren’t around.”

I hate the fact that hurting her hurts me.

“I’d rather wax my own balls than tell your mom to chill

the fuck out. Need help?”

“Carter Bassington Junior…what are you doing here?”

“You didn’t know I was coming? But you wore my dress…”

“And it looks even better on you than I could...

“The duck. I should have known.” “You reall...

“When Nate mentioned your mom might make you attend this party, I knew I had to show up. No way was I leaving t...

“Love you too, Ash. Now, go dance with Carter. He can’t take his eyes off you.”

“Yep, sure is. Come on, let’s dance again. I like having my hands on you.”

“Carter…” “Come on, Spark baby, one more song,” he murmured in my ear, that sexy accent rolling over me like a caress, “and then we can dip out and I’ll

eat your pussy in the back of my car to start the New Year right.” Well, shit. With an offer like that, how was a girl to refuse?

“Your mom’s friend is a little too handsy for my liking. Carter is more tolerant than I am.”

“You’re not going to give me a lecture about how I need to stay away from your friends for their own good? Because everything I touch seems to turn to crap?”

“Not tonight. Carter will push you

away all on his own, Ashley. He doesn’t need my help.”

Carly shrugged. “With Royce, obviously. Or me! I’ve never eaten pussy before but I reckon I’d be excellent at it.” I snort-laughed and threw a pair of rolled-up socks her

way. “What tempting options. In case you forgot, friend, you’re straight.” She rolled her eyes. “What’s the saying? So’s spaghetti until it gets wet?”

“My bodyguard? That guy? He was manhandling you. I heard you screaming for him to let you go and he didn’t… I saw red.” I licked my lips, tasting his kiss there and craving more. “You do love red.”

“You keep doing this, sucking me in with this thing between us.”

“This electric attraction between us…it makes it impossible to think, and all my better judgment flies out the window. We are not in a

good place, Carter, and every time I let you get close, it feels like I lose a piece of myself to you.”

“Is that such a bad thing, Spark? I’d keep tho...

“I k...

“but I’ll never get them back. So where does that leave me when you eventually marry some European heiress...

“This conversation isn’t over, Spark. I’m not letting go of you that easy, but you’ve