Page 159 of The Bet
“I need to explain,” he muttered, more to himself than to anyone.
“You should go. She’s hurting, and you being here isn’t helping.”
“It’s not how it seems,” he insisted, trying to find a way to explain. It wasn’t going to be easy, but he was a different man now.
“I thought you were different,” Cara said, pure malice dripping from her voice. “And so did she.”
“The bet was off. I didn’t even think about it.”
Cara laughed cruelly. “The bet was off? The bet wasoff?You realize you just admitted you placed the bet in the first place, asshole?”
He scrubbed his stubble. No amount of pleading his case was going to make them listen.
“You animal!” Cara sneered. “How could you sink so low and play around with her feelings like that?”
“It was never meant to be like that.” Only, it had been. Back then on the island in his drunken state. Hell. There was no way he could absolve himself from this, because the facts were clear cut.
He had made the bet, and had, in the beginning, intended to pursue it. He’d used her, and it didn’t matter how long ago it was, or how much he had changed, the fact was he’d been a morally reprehensible shitbag and Izzy deserved better.
It didn’t matter how crazy he was about her, or that he hadn’t been able to sleep or let himself get close to her until he told her, the fact was, the truth was out there now and he couldn’t retell it.
“Get out,” Cara ordered, as he raised his fist to bang on the door again. He contemplated trying to talk to Izzy again, but knew that the wound would be too raw. He would have to try again another time.
“I’m not giving up.”
“Asshole,” muttered Cara, following him to the door.
