Page 14 of Sugar Coated Secrets

I take it as a win until he unhooks my hands from his waist and glares at me. “Where in the hell is Dash? He’s your boyfriend. He should be here!” He slams a fist on the counter.

I’ve never seen Easton angry, and he’s furious. Nostrils flaring. Whiskey eyes blazing.

I didn’t want to get into this, but it’s only fair I tell Easton the truth. He came when I called, which is more than I could say for my unreliable ex-future-husband.

I hug myself and stare at the wood floors. “We broke up.”

“What! When?”

“Yesterday. No. The day before.”

“He dumped you?” he asks with rage.

“I dumped him.”

“Why?” His tone turns gentle.

Finally, I meet his gaze. A crease marks the skin between his warm eyes. “I…” How to explain this to someone like Easton. “I didn’t feel like I was important enough. It probably sounds dumb to you, but I want what Everleigh has with Daire. I want my future husband to look at me like I’m the only woman in the room. I want to be the most important to him. More important than his work and friends. I’m not saying he can’t have those things, and they can’t be important. He should. It’s healthy. I know that. But…but…I’m important, too.”

“I get it, Sadie. I agree.”

“You do?”

A soft smile tilts his lips. “You deserve better than Dash.”

Doubt creeps into my mind. “What if I never find someone like that? What if I’m unrealistic, searching for a guy like?—”

He raises his hand. “Don’t say my brother.”

“I was going to say like in my romance novels.”

His brows hike up and he smirks. “What kind of romance novels are we talking about? Sweet? Steamy? Erotica?”

“How do you know those exist?”

“My book club.” He shrugs.

“Shut up.” I give him a playful shove. “You are not in a book club.”

“Ah, but I am.” He bites some egg and spits it onto the plate. “Cold.”

“You’re lying. What book club?”

“I dated a woman who owns a small bookstore. She asked me to come to a meeting, thought it would be a treat for the book club members if I read a steamy chapter.”

“Shut up.” I shove him again. “You did?”

He nods, unabashed. “Women love porn just as much as men, only in written form. You girls are kinky.”

I can’t keep from blushing. He knows how dirty these books get. He knows I read them, and he’s totally supportive. When Dash saw my collection, he said, “Only cat ladies read romance novels.” I hid them from that day on.

“I can’t believe you read sex scenes to a book club.”

He leans against the counter. “I’m an honorary member now.”

“I bet. Do you still attend meetings?”

“If April, the owner, or the book club needs me for a special event and I’m in town, I do.”

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