Page 59 of Brutal Sin

“It wasn’t the happiest of reunions.” She shrugged. “But I’m glad he foundme.”

“That’s when you got married?”

“Pretty much. He didn’t want to die alone, and I didn’t want that for him either. He deserved to have someone by hisside.”

“What about his family or friends? Couldn’t they have looked after him? You said the two of you barely spoke.”

“Apart from work colleagues, Lucas didn’t have anyone to rely on. His mother had health problems of her own back in Chicago. He didn’t even tell her about the cancer. She thought he was going on another vacation. Instead, he came to findme.”

“Jesus.” He blindly swiped for his beer and knocked back another gulp. “That’s a lot of pressure to put on a stranger.” The guy seemed like a dick. A selfish, emotionless asshole.

“It was. But I was financially compensated. Our marriage became the equivalent of an employment contract. I quit my waitressing job to concentrate on his health, and when he passed, I became the sole beneficiary of everything he left behind.”

She dipped her finger into the tequila, then sucked the moisture away. If their conversation hadn’t been about cancer, chemo, and all things melancholy, he would’ve blown his load then and there.

“His money allowed me to buy this apartment and my cafe. It gave me the opportunity to help my sister who had mounting educational debts, and my mom who’d struggled since my father left. Not that they wanted anything to do with the inheritance. They disagreed with what Idid.”

“Because you were financially compensated?”

“No.” She nibbled her bottom lip and shook her head. “Because at that point, Lucas and I weren’t emotionally connected, and they knew it wouldn’t end that way. They could see me falling for him, without those feelings being reciprocated.”

His chest constricted, the building jealousy hitting harder the further they sank into this conversation. “And you put your life on hold anyway.”

“And I’d do it again. There’s no way I could’ve let him die alone. How could I live with myself if I let him walk away? I knew what I was getting myself into. I made the decision on my own.” She shrugged. “In the end, they were right. I started hoping formore.”

“More what? Time?”

“I don’t know.” She cringed. “Everything was complicated, especially with my extreme naivety. I’ve grown up a lot sincethen.”

“Shit.” He rested an elbow on the bar and looked at her. Really looked at her. “Didn’t knowing the end game make it easier to close yourself off emotionally? At least to some extent?”

“How do you close yourself off emotionally, Bryan?” She met his stare. “How do you stop caring? God knows I couldn’t figure outhow.”

She dipped her finger back into the tequila and swirled the contents with her fingertip. “Our days were spent between doctors’ appointments and living out a fast-tracked bucket list. We also rekindled the physical relationship when he was able. It became hard building walls against something that monumental.” She fell silent, stealing his fascination with each passing minute. “I ended up loving him… In my own littleway.”

He kept staring at her, kept blinking, kept breathing. He couldn’t think past the need to do something, anything, to wipe the pained look off herface.

“Sorry.” She winced. “I really won the award for Most Morbid Change in Conversation, didn’tI?”

He swiped the shot glass out from beneath her hand and downed the contents in one regrettable swallow. “Yep. And now you’re cut off.” He cleared his throat to dissolve the burn. “You’re a depressing drunk.”

Her eyes widened, then a chuckle broke free. “Not usually.” She nudged him with her elbow. “I blame the company Ikeep.”

She could blame him all she liked, as long as the smile continued to stay plastered on those darklips.

“Yeah, well, you need to shape up before your drinking privileges are returned.”

“That’s rich, coming from Mr. Moody.”

“Moody? I’m pretty sure I stick to the one mood ninety percent of thetime.”

She quirked her lips as she pondered his response. “I guess you’re right.”

And just like that, her eyes lost the darkened shade of mourning and brightened to a mesmerizingblue.

“Okay.” She rubbed her hands together. “Let’s get this conversation back on track. We need to focus on getting melaid.”

He palmed his beer as the added layer of history tugged at something other than his lust. The additional reminder of why they were here didn’t fill him with warm and fuzzies, either. He didn’t want to send her home with someone else. He didn’t want to send her back to her apartment at all. “Maybe tonight’s not the night forthis.”

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