Page 79 of Collateral Damage
What I really want becomes very clear by the way my cock thickens in my pants.Fuck.
Despite my better judgment, I let out a dark chuckle. “Don’t ask questions you won’t like the answers to, Valentine.”
Her mouth pops open, those pretty lips doing ungodly things to me without even being on my body.Double fuck.I need to back this up real quick before I get myself into trouble.
“Don’t call me that,” she says, but I ignore the comment and continue.
“This isn’t about what I want. It’s about doing the right thing by Ethan.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re not being fair to him,” I say, a little annoyed I have to spell it out for her. “It’s been hard for him to get over you, but he’s finally putting himself out there again.”
She glowers. “So? There’s a time and a place for everything.”
“And a nightclub is a pretty good place to find a woman to dance with, don’t you think?”
“It was hurting Chandler’s feelings.”
“Chandler can handle it. He deserves the truth, and that’s what I told him. Guess what? He is okay. He’s an adult, old enough to drink alcohol, right? So, unless you’re planning to get back together with Ethan, you have no right to tell my brother what to do.”
Her eyes narrow, sparking with fire.
“So you’re mad I told Ethan to go to the table and not for any other reason?”
I don’t know what she’s talking about. “You’re not his girlfriend anymore,” I say slowly.
“Fiancée. I was his fiancée,” she says.
“You’re not his anything anymore, and that was your choice.”
Our gazes are locked in, sparks dancing between us.
“Why do you care so much?” The challenge in her voice is unmistakable.
“He’s my brother.”
I’m such a liar.
“That’s the only reason you care?” Her eyes drop to my lips, and I realize what she means. She’s calling me out. She knows. She knows I get jealous anytime she so much as looks at Ethan, that I’m turned on right now being alone with her, and even though she’s not explicitly saying it, it’s not a secret I’m hiding well.
Why do I care so much?I care because it’s her, because I don’t want them getting back together, can’t stomach the idea of them working it out, not when I’ve dreamed about burying myself in her body too many times to count. I’m haunted by this woman.
“That’s all,” I lie. But I’m inching closer, closer, closer.
“I don’t believe you,” she whispers.
We’re too close for comfort, but I can’t seem to pull away. I’ve got her against the wall, and I raise my arms to cage her in, my head bending toward her. It would be so easy to erase the space between us. A few measly inches are all that stands between me and this woman who could decimate my life. Forget about the fear of rejection; I would be sick if Ethan saw me kiss her.
I step away so I can breathe again, but I can’t say I like oxygen more than I like Sybil Laurence.
“You don’t have to believe me,” I say, “but our brothers are waiting for us. Let’s finish out the night, and tomorrow you can pretend like none of this ever happened. You’re good at that.”
“Fine by me.” Her eyes sparkle, the green flashing in challenge. She steps away from the wall and marches to where Ethan and Chandler are waiting.
I can’t help but watch her from behind, following her like I always do.
Thirty-Five
