Page 76 of Nauti Temptress (Nauti Girls 1)

“Dammit, Eve, whatever the hell he’s into could get you killed,” he yelled back at her.

“And that was just too hard to tell me at the time, wasn’t it,” she cried out, furious and hurt, and feeling her heart breaking in two. “You lied to me, Dawg. You may not have said the words, but you still lied.”

Gripping Natches’s keys in her hand, she turned to Brogan, seeing for the first time the heavy, dark emotion that filled his gaze, and feeling something hesitant, something distant shutting that door on what had been forming between them.

His eyes were that unique blue-gray. The color was no longer shifting with emotion, just as his emotions were no longer reaching out to her.

Her lips twisted bitterly as she suddenly felt so bereft, so alone without that connection she’d had for such a few short hours.

Another sob escaped before she forced the others back and quickly dashed the tears from her cheek.

“You should have known I would have never done something so vile,” she whispered for his ears only. “I believed in you, Brogan.” She shook her head bitterly, painfully. “I believed in you.”

Turning away from him, she strode quickly to the front door, glancing back at her brother and her cousins as they stared back at Brogan with the same expression.

Disappointment.

Pushing through the front door, she ran to the car Natches had driven, surprised that he hadn’t driven his truck, hit the automatic lock, and slid inside the low-slung sports car quickly.

She had to adjust her seat so she could reach the gas pedal, but once she did she pushed the start button and felt the throbbing vibration of the powerful little Mercedes before reversing and turning, then sliding the vehicle into drive and roaring away from the cabin.

She should have kept her promise to Dawg, she thought.

She should have never given in to Brogan. She should have never given in to her own needs. If she hadn’t, then perhaps her heart would still be in one unbroken piece.

FIFTEEN

Dawg shook his head as the door slammed behind his sister’s livid form, his gaze locking on Brogan accusingly as the other man stared at the door with a piercing, intent look.

“Man, you are one stupid fucker,” he stated, pitiless. “I could almost feel sorry for you, but you brought every damned bit of it on yourself, and you know it.”

“No.” Brogan shook his head slowly, his gaze still locked on the door.

He was watching the heavy wood panel as though he actually thought Eve would walk back through the doorway at any moment.

“No?” Dawg glanced at his cousins before his gaze moved back to Brogan. “No what?” He looked back to Natches and Rowdy again. “Is he okay?”

Natches gave a brief, amused chuckle as they all watched Brogan take a step toward the door before pulling back almost immediately.

He raked his fingers through his hair.

“Knew better,” he mumbled peevishly as he left a spike of red-gold hair standing on end. “Fucking knew better. She’s a fucking Mackay.”

Dawg actually growled.

Now, that was just damned uncalled-for.

“He’s in love.” Natches snickered behind Dawg.

Dawg glowered back at his cousin. “I already fucking knew that. Thanks for the news flash, cuz.”

“Then why get Eve to promise to stay away from him?” Rowdy was the one who asked that question.

Dawg wished he’d kept his damned mouth shut now.

“Fucking knew better. She’s a Mackay,” Brogan mumbled, drawing their attention back to him as he glared at the door again.

Brogan turned his gaze to the Mackays then.

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