Page 90 of The Billionaire Boss and the Barista

“You didn’t lose your virginity to Edward.”

Emma blinked, sucking in a bracing breath. “I see. Then who was it?”

Had it been the boy her mother had referred to as the mouth breather in the yearbook? Or was it sensitive ponytail guy from her English class, the one who brought her flowers at the hospital and had bolted when the nurse came to change her colostomy bag?

Garrett’s lips parted but he didn’t answer.

She frowned as a new thought occurred to her. “Do you not know because there was more than one guy?”

Maybe she had more in common with her mother than she’d been led to believe.

That’s okay. She would own her sex life as proudly as any other modern woman. The only difference was that she didn’t remember it.

Whatever the case, she could deal with it. “You can tell me.”

“No, Emmy. You don’t understand…” He trailed off, closing his eyes as if he was in pain.

Emma registered the guilt on his face with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. But she tried to play it off.

“No,” she said, laughing. “We didn’t sleep together. We were enemies.”

Garrett held up his hands. They flexed as if they wanted to grab her. But he was careful to keep some buffer distance between them.

“Wewereenemies. And then we weren’t.”

Garrett put his hand on her knee. “Emmy, you lost your virginity tome.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

GARRETT

Emma’s face bleached of color as his words sank in.

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t have with you. The way you reacted in the garage—youhatedme.”

This was such a fucking tangled knot; he didn’t know where to begin untying it. “Never. Ineverhated you.”

She gave herself a little shake, rubbing her hand over her eyes. “But you said?—”

“I didn’t.”

That had been Fletcher shouting the party line. Because Garrett hadn’t told him the truth. He hadn’t told anyone.

He knew why now, of course. Hindsight was twenty-twenty. Even if he’d been sure of his feelings, he hadn’t been sure of hers.

That insecurity of being a child unloved by his only parent hadn’t warped him, thanks to the support he got from his aunt Phil, but it had left its mark in other ways. Ways he hadn’t even been aware of when he and Emma had first gotten involved.

Not even Rainer knew the complete story.

“Just let me explain. I can tell you everything. Aboutus. About the accident.”

Shock slackened Emma’s already pale features. “Theaccident?”

Fuck, this was killing him. “Yes.”

Garrett felt like he was choking, the lump in his throat was that big. “I think I know what happened that night.”

Emma shuddered, looking at him like he was a stranger. Or worse. A monster.

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