Page 14 of Bitter Heat

“It’s expected.” She had been photographed with every prominent businessman and politician in New York.

He tugged on the quilt to gain her attention as if she was capable of ignoring his ass.

“Is he interested in you?”

“Who?”

“Any of them.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“They’re from the right families,” he said in a deceptively even tone. “Men your family would approve of.”

“Don’t, Roth,” she said as the wind picked up outside. She pulled the covers tighter around herself.

“How much of the fucking around with other guys in the books is real?”

The sensible part of her knew she shouldn’t bait him, but she was past caring. Did he expect her to live the life of a spinster after she divorced him?

She gave him a taunting smile. “What do you think?”

“For your sake, I hope that’s not true.”

His voice may be gentle, but the emotions emanating from him were anything but.

“Think what you want,” she said with a shrug.

Roth knowing about her alter ego, Thalia Crane, could go both ways. If he read the books, he knew a fraction of the salacious exploits she’d had post-divorce. She had lived recklessly for a time and didn’t regret it. She tried to keep a straight face as she imagined Roth reading some of the steamier sex scenes. The series had been a hit. A divorcee trying to build a new life, find herself, and letting everyone in on the drama along the way.

“You’re better than that,” he said.

“No, I’m not. I may be a Hennessy by blood, but I’ve never lived up to their standard. After the divorce, I realized I was free. For the first time in my life, I had no one to impress and no expectations to live up to. So I did what I wanted. I threw myself away for a while.”

She peeked to see how he was taking that. He wasnotpleased. If he could be honest, then so could she. So what if she fucked a bunch of guys? She was no one’s wife, and she wasn’t running a million-dollar corporation like her sisters. He said he hadn’t been unfaithful during their marriage, but they had spent most of their time apart, so how could she be sure? Besides, she was absolutely sure he hadn’t lived the life of a monk since the divorce, so who was he to judge her?

“How did you find out I’m Thalia Crane?” she asked.

He didn’t answer immediately. She raised her brows at him expectantly as he continued to stare at her.

“Roth?” she prompted.

“My assistant.”

She jerked. “What?”

“She read your books under Minnie Hess.”

“And how would she know my other pen name?”

“I told her.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “My assistant is an avid reader. Every free moment she has, her nose is in a book. I told her to read your work.”

“You were trying to promote me?” She couldn’t believe it.

“She asked what you did for a living, and I told her you’re a writer and gave her your pen name. When Thalia Crane became popular, she picked it up and recognized the similarities in the writing styles and our history. She gave the series to me without telling me a thing. Two months ago, I was on a flight and cracked it open. It took me less than two pages to realize it was you.”

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